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Brief intro to various skills.

Embedded Systems

Getting Started

Watch a video similar to this. Phil's Lab is great.

Set up:

  • KiCad
  • VSCode
  • Markdown to document
  • GitHub

Design Process Example

This is a design process example. You'll have to iterate.

  1. Set requirements, goals, and constraints.
    • One of these constraints may be getting JLCPCB to do the assembly for you.
  2. Select MCU, sensors, and peripherals.
    • The RP2040 is generally recommended for its great documentation, ease of use, price, and flexibility. STM is harder to program, ESP does more but is more expensive.
    • The BNO055 is great for a 9-axis IMU.
    • Check JLCPCB for part availability.
  3. Select power management.
    • You may need battery charger ICs, which exist in many forms; ask AI about it. You may just need to power from USB, in which case all you need is a buck converter or regulator.
  4. Begin the schematic in KiCad.
    • Set up your BOM for assembly as soon as you start placing parts. Read the JLCPCB assembly FAQ.
  5. Roughly place components in the PCB editor as you put things in the schematic to make sure you have enough space.