Makerby Curiosta

Module 7 of 19

Module 7: Electronics design

What the official assignment asks for, and what bare-minimum and exceptional work could look like.

2026 cohort lecture: 25 Feb 2026. Check the current schedule for your cohort.

Unofficial

Paraphrased from the Fab Academy 2026 class page, retrieved 24 Oct 2026. The official page is the authority and may have changed: read it on fabacademy.org.

What the official assignment asks for

Group assignment

  • Use the test equipment in your lab to observe the operation of an embedded microcontroller.

Individual assignment

  • Use an EDA tool to design an embedded microcontroller system using parts from the inventory, and check its design rules for fabrication.

Extra credit (optional, as marked on the official page)

  • Simulate a circuit.
  • Try another design workflow.
  • Design a case.

Bare-minimum vs exceptional

Author's interpretation

Author's interpretation, not official Fab Academy grading. Use it to aim your work and check your documentation, and confirm what counts with your instructor.

Bare-minimum

  • Group work: a documented observation of an embedded microcontroller using your lab's test equipment, with at least one photo or screenshot and a sentence on what it shows. State clearly what you did yourself.
  • A schematic and a board layout made in an EDA tool, with the design files linked (source files, not only screenshots).
  • Every part comes from your lab's inventory, and you list them (a simple bill of materials is enough).
  • The design rules check was run against the rules for your fabrication process, and you show the result.
  • A short explanation of what each important part of the circuit is for (power, programming header, reset, clock and the pins you used).

Exceptional

  • Any of the official extras done properly: a simulated circuit with the results explained, a second design workflow compared with the first, or a case designed for the board.
  • The board is designed for your final project, with decisions explained: alternatives you considered, datasheet references behind pin and power choices, and a rough power budget.
  • Design rules tuned to your lab's actually characterized process rather than defaults, with the trace widths and clearances justified.
  • Reproducible: custom footprints and libraries included, a BOM with part numbers, and a version history showing what the checks caught and what you changed.
  • A short reflection on mistakes and what you would do differently on the next revision.
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Sources