High-Speed design with KiCad (Udemy.com)

Update: January 2026

New lectures have been added covering the complete repair and bring-up of both the custom and reference LattePanda Mu carrier boards. I document real-world PCB rework, including buck converter replacement, hot air and drag soldering, solder bridge removal, and fine jumper wire repairs. The series concludes with successful power-up and boot of both boards, validating the power subsystem and confirming that the custom carrier board is fully operational and ready for further testing.

---

In this course, you will learn how to design a professional, high-speed computer carrier board from the ground up using KiCad. The project is based on the LattePanda Mu, a powerful Intel N100 compute module, and you’ll build a fully functional custom carrier board that brings out its interfaces — USB, HDMI, Ethernet, GPIOs, and power — into standard connectors.

Through a structured, hands-on approach, you’ll gain a deep understanding of both the theory and practice of modern PCB design for high-speed digital systems. You’ll use the LattePanda Mu Lite Carrier board as a focal resource. You will create a multi-sheet custom schematic design, move through board layout and differential pair routing, and learn how to design for signal integrity, impedance control, and manufacturability.

Along the way, you’ll explore key engineering concepts such as stack-up configuration, controlled-impedance routing, ESD protection, and grounding strategies. You’ll also see how to use KiCad’s advanced design tools to manage hierarchical schematics, net classes, and differential pairs, and how to prepare your project for manufacturing with design rule checks and DFM verification.

By the end of the course, you’ll not only have a working high-speed carrier board ready for fabrication, but also the confidence to design complex, real-world PCBs that meet professional standards. Whether your goal is to create your own single-board computer, prototype a new embedded system, or simply advance your skills as an electronics designer, this course provides the complete roadmap.

Who is this course for?

If you’ve ever wanted to move beyond Arduino or Raspberry Pi projects and learn how real computers are designed, this course is for you. It’s made for makers, engineers, and students who want to understand the full process of turning a compute module into a fully functional computer.

You don’t need to be an expert in high-speed design to join — we’ll start from familiar ground, building on your existing knowledge of electronics and PCB design. Together, we’ll explore how professional engineers approach modern board design, from schematic capture to manufacturing and testing.

If you’ve worked with KiCad before, this course will help you take your skills to the next level. And if you’re new to high-speed concepts like differential pairs, impedance matching, and controlled stack-ups, you’ll see how these ideas fit into a real, practical project: a custom carrier board for the LattePanda Mu.

By the end, you’ll not only understand how to design a complex board, but also why certain design decisions matter — skills that you can apply to any advanced hardware project.

Knowledge prerequisites

This course is designed for learners who already have some experience with electronics and PCB design, but want to take the next big step — into high-speed, professional-grade board design. Because the LattePanda Mu carrier board involves complex interfaces such as USB 3.0, HDMI, and PCIe, a solid foundation in KiCad and general PCB design principles will help you get the most from this experience.

If you are new to KiCad or PCB design, I recommend starting with my foundational course, KiCad Like a Pro. In that course, you’ll learn everything you need to know to become comfortable with KiCad — from schematic creation and footprint management to layout and fabrication. It’s the perfect starting point if you’ve never completed a full PCB project before.

If you already know your way around KiCad and have designed simpler projects such as Arduino shields, sensor breakout boards, or Raspberry Pi hats, then you’ll benefit from reviewing my intermediate course, Advanced PCB Design with KiCad. This course introduces more advanced concepts like multilayer design, differential pairs, and power supply integration — skills that will directly support your success in this high-speed computer carrier board project.

Hardware & Software

All you need to complete this course is a computer capable of running KiCad — no additional hardware is required. We’ll use the publicly available LattePanda Mu documentation and the Lite Carrier Board reference design as our foundation. You will learn how to replicate and extend these designs using real engineering data, without needing to own the actual hardware.

For the software, you’ll use KiCad, the industry-leading open-source PCB design suite, to create schematics, manage hierarchical projects, and design your high-speed PCB layout. You’ll also use the NextPCB DFM tool (Windows downloadable version) to perform design-for-manufacturing checks and impedance calculations — both of which are essential steps in producing professional, manufacturable boards.

Both KiCad and the NextPCB DFM tool are completely free to download and use. Together, they provide a powerful environment for designing advanced, production-ready circuit boards from your own computer.

Follow along with the exercises, and gain real-world design experience using professional tools — without any special hardware investment.