PCB Fabricaiton Pre-Event WorkFlow

A 4-day hands-on pre-event workshop for Vector 3.0 covering PCB design using KiCad, Gerber file generation, in-house fabrication, etching, and soldering with industry mentors from Yarsa Tech.

This pre-event workshop for Vector 3.0 is designed to provide participants with a complete hands-on experience in PCB design and fabrication. The session walks through the full workflow — from schematic design in KiCad to PCB etching and soldering, resulting in a functional hardware product.

What You Will Learn

Basics of PCB design and manufacturing workflow
Using KiCad for schematic and PCB layout
Creating and importing custom symbols and footprints
Routing PCB traces and defining constraints
Generating Gerber files for production
Understanding PCB fabrication and etching
Soldering components and assembling a working board

Downloads & Resources

All workshop materials used during the session are provided for participants for reference and practice.

📁 Workshop Resource Folder (Google Drive):

https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1XAP-1HG2YWWyjH9nMitE5d7Sz4pZzvlQ?usp=sharing

Prerequisites

Participants are required to bring the following:

Laptop (Windows / Linux / macOS)
External mouse (recommended for PCB layout)
Latest version of KiCad installed Link: https://www.kicad.org/
Basic familiarity with electronic components (helpful, not mandatory)

Group Division

For effective hands-on learning and smooth coordination, participants have been divided equally into two groups (25 + 25). Please refer to the group allocation using the link below: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1WM3A9OXTEufG1RaITCCNuKFm0nAREUHNkTkoe8FehIg/edit?usp=sharing

Session Schedule

Magh 19: Day 1 — KiCad Fundamentals & Libraries

Introduction to the session (5 min)
KiCad setup and installation (10 min)
PCB basics: schematics, footprints, Gerber files, component placement
KiCad UI walkthrough and workflow (1 hr)

Break: 10 min

Creating custom symbols
Creating custom footprints
Importing symbols and footprints (1 hr)

Magh 20: Day 2 — Circuit Design & Manufacturing Files

Understanding the 555 timer IC
Drawing a clean schematic
Assigning footprints
Component placement

Break: 10 min

Routing PCB traces
Defining design constraints
Generating Gerber files
Overview of PCB production process

Magh 21 :Day 3 — PCB Fabrication & Etching

Guest Mentor: Yarsa Tech

Introduction to PCB fabrication
Etching process and fabrication workflow (30 min)
Hands-on PCB etching activity (2 hrs)

Magh 22:Day 4 — Soldering & Final Assembly