Design an RP2040 board with KiCad: Creating Raspberry Pi Pico-compatible PCBs

Design and make your own microcontroller board using the same chip that powers the popular Raspberry Pi Pico

KiCad is an amazing piece of free and open-source software that allows anyone, with some time and effort, to make high-quality PCB designs. Couple this amazing software with numerous PCB fabrication companies and even PCBA services (companies that will make and assemble your PCB designs) and there's never been a better time to get into this aspect of making.

This book provides a gentle introduction to PCB design using the RP2040 microcontroller chip (the same chip that's at the heart of the Raspberry Pi Pico). You'll learn how to create a schematic for a microcontroller board using the RP2040, from assigning schematic symbols to creating a footprint for individual components. You'll quickly move on to laying out the PCB design and preparing it for manufacture!

That's right--after your board is designed, this book will show you how to send it off to be manufactured and assembled. You'll find out about the various materials (or substrates) you can choose for your board, and learn how to pick the right manufacturer. Once you have your board in hand, you'll also learn what you can do (and make!) with it, and there will be plenty of ideas for expansions, such as motor drivers.

Jo Hinchliffe (AKA Concretedog) is a constant tinkerer and is passionate about all things DIY space. He loves designing and scratch-building both model and high-power rockets, and releases the designs and components as open-source. He also has a shed full of lathes and milling machines and CNC kit!

Ben Everard enjoys working at the intersection of art and technology. He has a particular interest in light and his primary reason for making PCBs is to find more ways of adding LEDs to things. He lives in a house in Bristol with his wife, two daughters and too many animals.