I started working through the Learn KiCad V6 and STM32 Hardware Design course today. My goal with this project is to get more comfortable designing PCBs from scratch while learning the hardware design practices used with STM32 microcontrollers. Right now I’m working through the Schematic section, where I’ve completed the lessons on STM32 Microcontroller and Decoupling and STM32 Configuration Pins. I learned why decoupling capacitors are placed close to the microcontroller’s power pins to improve stability, as well as the purpose of configuration pins like NRST and BOOT0 and the supporting circuitry they require. It’s been interesting to see how much more goes into designing a reliable board than simply connecting components together.

Challenges:
Most of the concepts are new to me, so I’m taking my time to understand why each component is included rather than just copying the schematic. Reading reference circuits and understanding the purpose of supporting components has been the biggest learning curve so far.

Next Steps:
My next step is to download STM32CubeIDE and continue with the Pin-Out and STM32CubeIDE lesson. After that, I’ll keep working through the schematic section before moving on to PCB layout and routing.

I’m excited to keep building my hardware design skills and eventually design my own STM32-based boards from scratch!