Now that the schematics are completed and the blank board has been created, it’s time to place components and begin routing. The component placement stage must come first before we start routing. Once the design is routed, we’ll do some final cleanup and prepare to create the manufacturing files for the board.

Sometimes it may not be clear which components should be placed first. In the case of this project, we should begin by placing the pin headers first. These are the only components that must be placed in specific locations in order for the board to function properly. The remaining components do not have specific placement constraints, however the location of other net connections, specifically to the pin headers, will influence where components are placed and routed.

In this guided project, most of the tutorial content will be provided through instructional videos. This will give you an opportunity to see how specific tools are accessed and the thought process behind the design. By the end of the project, you should have a design that is ready to have fabrication and assembly files prepared, and subsequently sent to a manufacturer.