2026 CAP Congress / Congrès de l'ACP 2026

Soldering and Fun: Getting Students Started in Electronics With a Custom Printed Circuit Board

22 Jun 2026, 10:45

15m

U. Ottawa - Learning Crossroads (CRX) Building

Oral not-in-competition (Undergraduate Student) / Orale non-compétitive (Étudiant(e) du 1er cycle) Physics Education / Enseignement de la physique (DPE-DEP) (DPE) M1-1) Laboratory experiences | Expériences en laboratoire (DEP)

Speaker

Mr Zekun Hao (University of Waterloo)

Description

The capability to construct custom electronics is crucial in many areas of experimental physics, but the associated skills and knowledge are not normally covered in regular classroom or laboratory instruction.

We present a novel electronics teaching kit featuring a custom printed circuit board (PCB) that has been designed to introduce individuals of diverse technical backgrounds to fundamental electronic components and soldering practices. The kit, a class-D audio amplifier, largely features discrete electronic components and a minimal number of integrated circuits (LM393 comparator and TLC555 timer), striking a balance between circuit transparency and real-world functionality. To further promote transparency, the circuit schematic is printed on the front of the PCB, visually connecting most components in an easy to follow fashion. The amplifier itself is powered by USB-C with the analog audio signal being provided through a 3.5mm headphone jack ensuring compatibility with common electronic devices.

A central goal of this project is to allow students agency to explore the world of electronics outside of a rigid, step-by-step set of instructions. To that end, a dedicated "custom development area" patterned after a traditional solderless breadboard has also been included on the PCB in addition to the core amplifier circuit. This feature enables participants to experiment with electronic principles and facilitates the integration of secondary audio sources and power supplies into the PCB. Furthermore, students are also encouraged to design and fabricate a custom enclosure for the included speaker through 3D printing, integrating electronics with computer aided design (CAD) and additive manufacturing.

This project is fully open-source, and the design files and documentation can be accessed on github. Fifty kits were distributed to University of Waterloo students spanning a wide range of academic and technical backgrounds. We will report on this trial and possible extensions to this project.