PCB Design Tutorial for Startups
A couple things that I wish people had pointed out before I got started with PCB&#x27;s:<p>1) You will spend your life reading datasheets.<p>2) Datasheets lie.<p>3) You will spend way more time in component selection than schematic design or board layout.<p>4) You will spend way more time creating component footprints than in schematic design or board layout.<p>5) Lay out the board by hand.  You will waste more time fighting an autorouter than if you just laid it out.<p>6) A 6 layer board is not that much more expensive than a 4 layer board and is <i>VASTLY</i> easier to lay out.  2 layer boards should be avoided unless you you are a masochist or every fraction of a penny <i>really</i> counts.<p>Some of the given advice is a bit off.<p>1) He doesn&#x27;t put enough emphasis behind avoiding BGA.  BGA should be avoided like the plague.  Period.  It will only cause excruciating pain.<p>2) Small QFN isn&#x27;t that hard to deal with ... if you tweak the PCB footprints a touch (make sure you have .5 mm of bare copper outside the package outline and you can treat them like QFP).<p>3) 0603 is actually pretty small.  Most people should stick with 1206&#x2F;1210.