PCB Design Layout Using Altium Designer is a practical, industry-focused course designed to build strong, real-world PCB layout skills. PCBs are at the heart of every electronic product, and layout quality directly affects performance, reliability, and manufacturability. This course teaches PCB layout as an engineering process rather than just a software task, using Altium Designer, one of the most widely used professional PCB design tools. It is suitable for students, electronics engineers, hardware designers, and professionals who want to create reliable, production-ready PCB designs. The course begins with PCB design fundamentals, and then moves into core layout skills such as intelligent component placement, routing strategies, grounding and power distribution, and design rules. Advanced topics include design for manufacturing and assembly. Learners also gain hands-on experience generating fabrication and assembly files and performing final design checks.
By the end of the course, participants will be able to confidently design clean, professional, and manufacturable PCBs using Altium Designer.
This course is ideal for electronics engineering students, recent graduates, electronics technologists, junior to intermediate PCB designers, and hardware engineers who want to strengthen their PCB layout skills. It is especially valuable for learners transitioning from entry-level or free PCB CAD tools to a professional industry-standard platform like Altium Designer, as well as professionals seeking a deeper understanding of multilayer PCB design and manufacturing practices.
No prior experience with Altium Designer is required. However, learners should have a basic understanding of schematic capture, common electronic components, standard PCB structure, and introductory routing concepts. Familiarity with any PCB design software will be helpful.
This module introduces the PCB design process in Altium Designer, covering the software interface, component libraries and footprint management, and essential data management practices to help learners set up and organize PCB projects efficiently.
What's included
4 videos2 readings1 peer review
Show info about module content
4 videos•Total 25 minutes
Introducing PCB Layout Fundamentals with Altium Designer•2 minutes
Introduction to PCB Design & Altium Designer•8 minutes
Engineering Change Orders and Revision Control•11 minutes
2 readings•Total 10 minutes
Welcome to the Course: Course Overview•5 minutes
Component Library Management•5 minutes
1 peer review•Total 20 minutes
Hands-On-Learning: Data Management in Altium Designer•20 minutes
High-Performance Layout Execution, Routing & Design Rules (The Build)
Module 2•1 hour to complete
Module details
This section focuses on core PCB layout practices, covering board planning and stackup strategy, effective component placement and routing techniques, and proper power and ground plane management for reliable and manufacturable designs.
Verification, DFM, and Final Output (The Hand-Off)
Module 3•2 hours to complete
Module details
This section teaches best practices for manufacturing-ready PCB design, including design for manufacturing (DFM), design for assembly (DFA), performing design rule checks, and generating production-ready output files.
What's included
4 videos2 readings1 assignment2 peer reviews
Show info about module content
4 videos•Total 32 minutes
Design for Manufacturing (DFM) & DRC Rules•11 minutes
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In this course, it means building a PCB through a connected engineering workflow in Altium Designer rather than just drawing traces between components. The focus is on how project setup, stackup planning, placement, routing, rule checking, and manufacturing handoff work together.
When would you use this PCB layout workflow?
You would use it when a board needs to be reliable, organized, and ready for fabrication and assembly rather than treated as a one-off layout task. The course especially applies this approach to multilayer designs where placement, grounding, routing, and design rules need to work together from the start.
How does this PCB layout workflow fit into a broader design workflow?
It sits between schematic capture and production handoff, turning circuit intent into a physical board that can be checked and built. In the course, it connects project data, layout decisions, verification, and output generation into one repeatable process.
How is this PCB layout workflow different from just routing traces?
Routing is only one part of PCB layout, while the broader workflow also includes board planning, component placement, power and ground strategy, and rule setup. The course treats Altium Designer as a tool for engineering and verification, not just for drawing copper connections.
Do you need any prerequisites before learning this PCB layout workflow?
A basic understanding of schematic capture, common electronic components, standard PCB structure, and introductory routing concepts is helpful. You do not need prior experience with Altium Designer, though familiarity with any PCB design software can make the workflow easier to follow.
What tools, platforms, or methods are used in this course?
The course centers on Altium Designer, using a connected workflow that combines project and library management with constraint-driven layout and design checks.
What specific tasks will you practice or complete in this course?
You practice setting up PCB projects and libraries, planning stackups and board organization, and placing and routing multilayer layouts. You also apply power and ground strategies with design rules, then generate fabrication and assembly files for handoff.