KiCad 7 STM32 Bluetooth Hardware Design (1/2 Schematic) - Phil's Lab  

Thanks a lot for watching - if you like the video, please leave a like and a comment - this really helps me out! Part 2: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-PlXd3lLZ4vc.html :) A note on impedance matching: The RF matching network changes depends on the package of STM32WB you use (as the impedance at the RF1 pin depends on package, see application note). You can also use an integrated part by ST (e.g. for this package, MLPF-WB55-01E3) that does this for you. You will probably have to tune the final impedance matching network in any case on the real PCB. Finally, if you have an antenna that isn't matched to 50 Ohms, you will require an additional matching network (again, see application note).

This is type of content that makes YT (still) valuable. Among tons of BS stuff, videos like this are as rare as gold and valuable as gold at the same time. TOP MATERIAL, HAT OFF!!

Thank you for continuing to put out updated KiCAD content, even though you usually use Altium these days. Not all of us can afford (or can justify the cost of) an Altium license (or qualify for their student license.) In my case, not only can I not afford it, but even if I could, I couldn't really justify the expense, since electronics is a hobby for me rather than my livelihood. Your videos are always excellent, very informative, well edited, and to the point, without needless frills that distract from the message that are so common on YT these days. Also, if I may, would you please consider putting out a video comparing/contrasting Altium to KiCAD, specifically what situations/types of designs where moving to Altium would be a better choice. I vaguely recall you mentioning things here and there in videos past, but my memory is fuzzy, and it would be nice if you could elaborate on these differences all in one place.

Okay, this is definitely the best tutorial out there to design your first STM32 based PCB using KiCAD. Everything important is covered in detail plus some useful tips and suggestions. You could literally design your board form zero knowledge to working board following this. Thanks so much for this valuable resource!

Still watching, but I want to mention that it looks like this video can literally serve as a companion while designing. Excellent work.

I benefited so much from your first KiCAD stm32 PCB design video, and this is a great work again 👍

Great video Phil, not only covers how to use the tool (KiCAD) but many of the design features and practices behind them. Well done.

I really appreciate all the work you put into your videos, your hard work shows every time. They are always through, concise, easy to follow, and no fluff. Thanks for keeping it simple, and making it useful! Looking forward to part 2! Stoked you did this one in KiCad btw; it fits my budget and is more realistic to my workflow :)

Terrific video plus I learned a few more handy skills in Kicad. Eager to see part 2. Thanks Phil.

Thank you so much for the videos you make on altium and kicad. It's been really helpful and has really helped me with learning more about proper PCB design, as well as cool tricks I didn't know Kicad or altium could do.

I'm really thankful that you've created this tutorial with KiCAD. I've learned a lot from your tutorials using Altium Designer, but KiCAD is the tool I use, and I was afraid you had abandoned it. Thank you.

Brilliant. Just brilliant. In this video you share so many "gotchas". And I love the breadth of the design you cover, including searching for an LDO that is in spec but also included in the KiCAD library - just what I do each time, to avoid more work :) I still learned a lot, so thank you.

Every time I watch one of your videos, I am simply in awe of the quality of the information and of the delivery.

Part 2 please!! Great job as always phil !

You’re doing a great service by making these STM32 videos. I often use them as a sanity check. Please keep up the awesome work.

Phil, you are the man for keeping the kicad design series alive alongside the equally excellent altium design videos. Thank you tremendously!

amazing work im a software engineer by trade and i do electronics on the side. this is exactly the type of content i look for .i love the extra explanations your throwing on each decision you take ,its exactly what i want to hear instead of someone speed working and finishing the design in the standard youtube from idea to pcb in 20 min format. also keep the low power Bluetooth device content coming, my pebble smartwatch broke after 6 years and i want to make a new one .the mobile app is easy for me ,this right here is what im missing ! again amazing.

This is so helpful to a beginner like me to understand how all the pieces are put together. Can't wait for part 2 to see the thought process for placing and routing on the PCB.

Thank you for making this. I recently picked KiCad back up and was reviewing some tutorials on here but the features and interface have changed so much in the last 2-3 years.

This is awesome, I just started PCB design with phils lab and now i work as an electrical engineer!

Thank you so much Phil. These videos make board design more accessible than I could possibly have dreamed.

Very useful video, thanks Phil! A quick tip regarding when you are calculating the coordinates for the pad placement, you can enter the calculations inside the Position X/Y in the Footprint Editor.

I love it, i usually watch your videos several times, this one have a LOT of info. Thank you very much!

This would have been so helpful last year when i did a custom pcb with stm32wb15 for my master thesis, especially the firmware part. i still used your general stm32 design videos, could not have done it without you. thanks phil!

Thanks very much for the tutorial. I've recently started working on a zigbee thermostat using the same uC you're using in this tutorial. I had no experience with RF and this video and you're review on the reflow station helped me a lot on troubleshooting my design. Keep up the good work :)

Thanks sooo much for all your very resourceful videos. I've learnt a lot from them. God bless you Phil.

This is like an early christmas gift. Thank you! I wish you a healthy and great time with your family my friend!

To be honest i'm a bit thick when it comes to schematics and pcb design, but i was able to follow this video with ease, and most importantly i was able to understand what i was doing and why, that is a testament to the way you present the information, and explain it, so thank you so much for taking the time and effort to produce this, and all of your videos. :)

Thank you very much for all that you do Phil. Your videos have been such an invaluable resource for helping me understand electronics. I hope you realize how appreciated your efforts are.

I really appreciate the little details like explaining why there are capacitors on the power pins 👍 thank you

Thank you Phil, this is a good exercise for me this holiday

Thanks a lot. Yet another superb video. Exactly the right level of detail for my taste - spot on! Looking forward to part 2.

Well done for the efforts and patience doing all these long videos!! With Christmas time around the corner, i thought that i won’t have anything to watch, but surely your videos will keep me busy for the weekend.

I like your kicad vids very much i made my first pcb thanks to your old tutorials.

As you asked : I am going to follow that video step by step, produce the board and play with it. Thanks man, it is way better to watch your video than tv's crap

Thanks a lot for your interesting tutorials. I bought your courses and I am learning pcb design techniques very easily

Absolutely stunning, awesome stuff. Love your content and the way you present it, highly valuable for all of us, Thank You very much indeed, love and respect.

This is worth pure gold. Best quality yt video about mcu that I found ever

Thank you Phil, your guides are so good.

Excellent video and a great service to the community. Thank you.

Thanks you very much Phil for all the content you create and post, i´ve learn a lot with them and have design and manufacture PCBs successfully thanks to your insights and teching!! thanks again!!

Yes, it is great to see more microcontroller design content and I personally like the occasional Kicad-based video.

Love your videos! Thanks for taking the time to make them.

One of the tricky things with RF design is that those matching component values also depend on the PCB design and stack-up. The capacitance between pad area and GND plane can easily form a capacitor in sizes of hundreds of femtoF to some pF. A design I did recently on Eurocircuits with its DEFINED IMPEDANCE pool showed me this same problem: I calculated a 0.9pF capacitor for a Pi impedance matching filter at "only" 434MHz. I ended up redesigning the PI filter while incorporating 1.75pF impedance from PCB tracks and 2 SMT pads (!). The DEFINED IMPEDANCE pool is nice, since the dielectric constants of core materials is well defined, along with using thin materials between outer and inner layers. Thus 50Ohm tracks are thin and well defined. But it also adds a lot of parasitic capacitance on the PCB. 0.3pF could be the "just" amount of extra(!) capacitance they needed on their PCB design with their layer stackup (which is presumably unknown). But on a "proper" RF stackup, it may very well be different.. Realisitically, the safest thing is to keep those parts TBD at design time, and then tune them with layout solutions in tools such as ADS, or better on the real boards with VNA equipment. But these options are not cheap or trivial to do neither. It requires some extra reading into this stuff. So I recognize why you tried to gloss over these complications and just recommended copying those devboard values as initial design values. (Good job)

love your videos as always

I tried the PCBWay assembly a few weeks ago and I was really impressed with the quality, speed and price. They even dealt with half-empty BoM because I was a bit lazy to select all the passive components. And I didn't need to manually pre-order non-stock components which in my opinion is the main disadvantage of JLCPCB assembly.

Excellent tutorial. I am about to do a LoRA circuit and this is a great refresher on the basics.

Great Video Phil! Nice Job! ☺

I wish I had this tutorial 6 years ago when I had to design one of these at my former job. Thank you for your detailed video!

As a graduate electronic engineer, I have an interest in the hardware side but couldn't find a job due to a lack of experience. However, your videos motivate me to get on my feet and continue trying. Many thanks.

Hey thanks for the kicad tutorials , most learners cant afford altium thank you so much

For people who needs to use that MC as a controller for a BT audio and an advanced peripherals, I'd like to let you know an optimal pin layout: PA0, PA3, PA8-PA-10 go to SAI1 ch A (no SAI-PDM) PA1, PB8, PB9 go to I2C1 PA7, PB2, PB4 go to I2C3 PA4-PA6 go to SPI1 PA11, PA12 got to OTG USB PB9 can go to IR_OUT PA13, PA14, PB2 go to SWD and PA2, PA15, PB0, PB1, PB8 go to GPIO .. I spent an hour yesterday for that puzzle )

Your videos are special Phil ❤

Great learning video, I'll start implementing it next week. I think once you've done all that you can definitely get a job as a junior hardware designer

Thanks for your work Phil's, I will share the link on my wechat to more people who's interested in pcb design.

Love the full length videos!

Like others have stated in the comments, the videos you produce are excellent educational resources. It’s your channel and a few more like it, that are all that keeps RU-vid relevant. Without your level of quality, YT would just be the 21st century equivalent of a “Global Funniest Home Videos “ show. Thanks for all the great material.

Thanks Phils each and every videos are helpful.

Great tutorial and I now know how to assign net class. New Year resolution is to sign up for your courses...and finish them:)

I love your channel , so informative

Absolute first class as always, Phil 💪🏻

Thank you very much for this goldmine of knowledge.

1:36:00 For PCBs that will be working over a battery, we should also consider minimum Quiescent Current to give max battery life. For example, LM7805 has a quiescent Current of 5-10mA (this is when the circuit is not consuming power, i.e., sleep mode) which is huge!!! A good LDO will have a quiescent Current in uA or nA.

Thanks a lot Phil ! Amazing as always

"Scratch the surface", "fairly short youtube videos" > 2 hours long! You are a gem for making this sort of knowledge available for all beginners in very approachable format. Great content!! I have grown more confident in kicad for my own projects learning a lot of tips from you. My 0.0002 cents would be to ask if you are interested in exploring other MCU platforms as well as STM's for these types of tutorials for the future. By golly I wouldn't be surprised if your videos ended up driving many thousands extra sales to STM now and into the future.

Thanks so much for this detailed video. There is always a small trick I can grasp. This time it was the Net Classes colors and the Bulk Editor !! A trick I use, instead of adding pwr_flag like at @1:54:03 is to add in one corner one PWR_FLAG connected to a GND symbol and one to a +3v3

These videos are really helpful, thanks a lot!

Phil. keep it up. I wish you go 1M subs soon.

Informative and fascinating! Thank you.

Invaluable content, thank you!

I generally use labels connected to the chip and do all of the power stuff in separate little block on schematic. It keeps the area near MCU free for actual schematic

Thank you. There aren't many people like you.

*Bookmarked for later. This is almost exactly what I need for my current project, and I'll have time to watch the entire thing and follow along.

Being a ECE student in India i was inspired by you the most sir thank for your work sir

Another incredible video with a wealth of information, thank you! Do you plan to have any videos covering your process for integrating a chip antenna instead of the u.FL connector? You have a couple videos covering designs with RF signals and some of them even feature a board with a chip antenna in the b-roll, but the walkthrough includes the connector. I also watched one of your design reviews for someone who integrated a BLE chip antenna and you mentioned some guidelines to follow with respect to skirting vias which I hadn't considered in my own design. I have looked through datasheets for these antennas and a lot of times they are sparse, so if there are any additional things to consider that would be awesome to see (noting that this is probably a complex topic).

Thank you so much for another awesome video. I learned so much from your videos. 👍

Two tips for footprint creation: 1. You can type formulas directly in the position and size fields and KiCAD will automatically calculate them for you. 2. Use Shift+M to move a part precisely. This can be used when you know the distance between two pads, but not it's final position. Position the pad centered to the other one, then use Shift+M to move. You can use these in PCB layout too.

Great video! Thank you!

you are really a professional -thx

Awesome, I also have benefited from your videos so much thank you

This is very good. Thank you.

Excellent video. Please do introductory videos to the ESP32 modules in kicad

many thanks for this knowledge!

Thanks for the timestamps!

Thank you very much phil

Thank you very much for this video.

Great job, thank you.

Amazing!!! Thank you

Great tutorial. Thank you. Those tag-connect devices are cool, but damn they're not cheap for what they are! I was wanting to get some but it's over $100 AUD for one plus the retainer clips!!!!

great work

Like when i say Phill you are the BOSS. I truly mean it. God bless you BOSS Man! I Love you bro!

Welcome back to KiCad :)

Good, interesting stuff there, and a good deal of it not specific to KiCAD - most of it is just good project and design practice. One point about using datasheets from suppliers' websites, though. Some suppliers (yes, RS and Farnell, I'm looking at you) don't update their datasheets beyond the first version. The difference between the ATTiny-0 datasheets from Farnell or downloading them from Microchip's website was the difference between a project working or not. There had been a few revisions since it was first published. I appreciate it's a lot of work keeping that up to date when you stock so many items, though.

Thanks a lot for the Video

Thank you very much.

Great vid

Soooo nice !!!!

You are a life saver, just in time

again a masterpiece.

hi, phil i would love to know which work would this hardware perform, i've watched keenly both tutorials and i can tell they are great, thanks man