PCB Design Challenges for ESP-Based Project

[Aria James]

Hey everyone,

I’m designing a custom PCB for an ESP-based project and running into some challenges. I want to ensure stable power distribution and good grounding, would a dedicated ground plane be necessary, or is a mixed approach fine?

Also, I’ve heard that ESP modules can be sensitive to noise and interference. Are there any common mistakes to avoid, especially with trace routing, antenna placement, or power supply filtering? Lastly, if I plan to manufacture multiple boards, are there any best practices for panalization to avoid issues during assembly?

Would really appreciate any advice from those with experience. Thanks!

[TD-er]

Maybe you can start reading with this recent discussion about designing a PCB by another user here on the forum.
Almost all questions you mentioned are discussed here: viewtopic.php?p=72824#p72671

I can assist you, however I think it is way more efficient when you have specific questions and/or a preliminary design to have a 'talking picture'

[Aria James]

Thanks for the suggestion! I’ll definitely check out that discussion—it looks like it covers a lot of the key points I’m concerned about. While researching more about PCB design and manufacturing, I also came across this detailed guide on the PCB manufacturing process (https://www.allpcb.com/sns/pcb-manufact ... 26225.html). It helped me understand how design choices, like trace routing and panelization, can impact the final production quality. I found it really useful for my project, and I think others working on custom ESP-based PCBs might benefit from it as well!

[TD-er]

I have been making my own PCBs for ESPEasy boards since 2017 and recently also made some non-ESPEasy boards as a paid assignment for some company.

All I can tell you is the more boards I make, the more I realize how much there is to know about PCB design which I didn't even realize that could be an issue

To give an example... I had to use a specific SAW filter to filter out all but a very specific frequency.
It is quite obvious you should not route traces under the part, but what was completely new to me was that you should not use a ground plane on the same layer as where the part is. You should instead -for this specific part- use 2 vias per GND pin and make sure they don't connect on the top layer. These should then be connected on the other side of the board and then be connected to the GND plane on that layer.
Difference in filter properties and signal/noise would be significant according to the application note of the manufacturer.


That's why I suggested to ask specific questions applicable to some initial design and/or a specific use case.
It would be way more efficient and easier for you to apply and remember, compared to when I start rambling about 101 tips and tricks to PCB design. So much information would simply be an overload, hard to handle and easy to forget.


However, I can give you a few very simple tips already:
- Keep it simple, so don't try to fit as much as possible in a tight space on the first iteration. Also don't use really small parts like 0402 parts on the first test boards.
- Add test points which are easy to access on an assembled PCB to help debug.
- Always use thick traces (or complete planes) for GND and power nets. 4-layer boards are not expensive anymore and they allow for layers to use as power planes.
- Always place at least 100 nF capacitor as close as possible to power/GND pins of chips/sensors.
- Just start designing and making prints. You only learn by doing and it is also fun

And just a last tip, when ordering at JLCPCB with SMT assembly;
They use "Basic" and "Extended" parts. For "Extended" parts, you pay a handling fee for placing the parts reel. So to keep the costs down, try to find as much "Basic" parts which are in stock as possible.