PCB Tutorial

MSPM0 Accelerometer Board

A 2-layer development board built around a TI MSPM0-series microcontroller with a 3-axis accelerometer, USB-C connectivity, and SWD debugging. Designed in KiCad 9.

Overview

The board enumerates over USB-C and exposes the MCU's UART through an on-board USB-serial converter, reads motion data from an I2C accelerometer, and is programmed/debugged through a Tag-Connect SWD footprint (no header soldering required).

Hardware

• 2-layer board, ground pour on both layers with stitching vias
• Passes DRC and ERC clean
• Fabrication outputs (Gerbers + drill files) included in gerbers/

Repository contents

PCB-Tutorial.kicad_pro / .kicad_sch / .kicad_pcb   KiCad 9 project files
MSPM0-tutorialSchemSymbLib.kicad_sym               Custom symbol library
gerbers/                                           Fabrication outputs
board-front.png / board-back.png                   Board renders

What I learned

This was my first full schematic-to-fabrication PCB. Things that bit me along the way, and what fixed them:

• Net short via a misplaced wire - my reset line read as GND because the wire's far end landed on a capacitor's grounded terminal. Net highlighting is now the first thing I reach for.
• Clearance rules vs. fine-pitch parts - the default net-class clearance was wider than the sensor's pad gap, so the router refused to start. Fixed by matching the design rules to the footprint and fab capabilities.
• Ground pours aren't automatic - thermal spokes get starved by nearby tracks, no-net stitching vias don't connect to anything, and zones need refilling after every edit.
• ERC pin types matter - power-output vs. power-input conflicts and PWR_FLAG placement taught me how KiCad models power sourcing.

License

MIT - see LICENSE. Design provided as-is; not yet validated on physical hardware.