Planning your component layout for a blank prototype PCB?

Projects General Guidance
1

I will be soldering my first project, using a blank through-hole UNO shield PCB. What are some strategies for laying out components in a logical way?

What I have so far (open for comments):

  • If able, place components near to Arduino pins to which they will be connected.
  • Where components need connecting, e.g. LED and resistor, place them adjacent, and bridge the connection.
  • Use shielded wire to create distant connections.
  • Include a reset button.

Also, what is the best day to establish a ground "rail", for connecting all of my components to?

If you have some example pictures, sometimes they speak a thousand words.

2

Shielded wire is rarely necessary in Arduino-like applications.

3

@slowcoder may mean insulated wire rather than shielded wire, but we will see

4

Hi,
my english is not very good so i didn't understand that sentence.
Could you better explain its meaning?
Thanks.

5

Yes, "insulated" is what I mean. Thanks for that correction.

Interesting ... Someone else had replied, and I'd replied back, but both of those replies are now gone.

6

How distant? What signals?

7

I would say Tuesday. Often your mind is kind of hazy after the weekend, so Monday isn't good.

8

This is somewhat dependent on the nature of the items to be placed on the PCB. If placing several through-hole DIP ICs, I try to arrange them such that I can lay down a thick uninsulated copper wire as both ground and +5 busses on the bottom, and route all signal wires (small guage, insulated) on top surface. Otherwise, I just try to lay down a bus like that down the center of the board, and place all components that need to attach to those two "rails" as needed. Works for me, anyways. If I'm creating more than one identical, I start watching for a "tipping point" where it makes sense for me to do a quick PCB layout and send it to JLCPCB, as I really hate doing protoPCBs as a general rule.
C

9

More than a couple through-hole points away.

Would you be willing to send me an example pic?

10

What signals?

11

Have nothing 'on the bench' right now that would illustrate. Not dismembering something that's in use right now. Will take a look at my 'plunder' stack to see if there's something there, but I doubt it.
Could sketch something up in Eagle, I guess, as the concept is pretty simple, but by the same token, let's try English:
Place a 2-terminal screw block on one side of the board. Run two copper wires (I like to use pretinned, but ground wires from household 14/2 wire is 16 AWG, that will do as well) from those screw terminals across the board, soldering to a couple of pads along the way to anchor the wires. Presto, you've got two voltage rails on the bottom of the board. If you want, put another screw terminal pair at the other end for convenience. Place any DIP IC that needs connection to those two wires appropriately. Now look at your schematic - you did draw one, right? - and place any component that needs one end connected to either voltage rail appropriately. E.g. if you want a capacitor across the bus, just place it so that you can bend the leads appropriately to make connection with the two bus wires. Proceed to place the rest of your components in a way that makes sense.
Hope that helps.
C

12

If you are intending to create your shield with stackable headers (the black single row connectors down both sides of your board), then you need to place certain components where they can be interacted with - i.e. seen (LEDs for example) or pressed (reset button for example) when another shield may be placed on top of yours. Usually at the end of the board where the UNO USB and power connectors are.