Intro to PCB

ATmega328P-Development-Board-PCB-Only

An ATmega328P-based development board (Arduino-compatible) designed from scratch in KiCad

USB-C powered, with an on-board USB-to-UART bridge for programming and serial communication, breakout headers, and status/UART indicator LEDs.

This repository contains the complete KiCad hardware design (hierarchical schematic + PCB layout). The design is complete - schematic captured across multiple functional sheets and the board laid out.

Overview

A compact microcontroller board built around the ATmega328P, the same MCU used on the Arduino Uno. It brings up the classic minimal system - regulated supply, crystal clock, USB-to-serial interface, and I/O breakout - as a learning project for end-to-end PCB design.

PCB Preview

The schematic is organized hierarchically into four functional blocks:

• MCU - ATmega328P core, 16 MHz crystal, reset, and decoupling
• PSU - USB-C input, LM1117 adjustable LDO regulation, fusing and filtering
• USB to UART - FT232RL bridge for programming and serial comms, with TX/RX activity LEDs
• Peripherals - I/O breakout headers, ICSP header, status LEDs, and user button

Features

• ATmega328P-A (TQFP) microcontroller @ 16 MHz
• FT232RL USB-to-UART bridge - program and communicate over USB
• USB-C input (USB 2.0) with ESD protection (ESD9B5.0ST5G) and ferrite-bead / fuse input protection
• LM1117 LDO voltage regulation
• Dual 16-pin breakout headers for full GPIO access
• 2×3 ICSP header for in-circuit programming
• Status + TX/RX activity LEDs and a user button

Status

Hardware design complete - hierarchical schematic + PCB layout finished

Notes

Built as a learning project to practice full-workflow PCB design: hierarchical schematics, power regulation, USB interfacing, crystal oscillator design, and multi-block board layout.

Disclaimer

Personal / educational project. Provided as-is for reference and learning.