PCB Layout & DFM — Intermediate
Curated: go past 'it routes' to 'it works and it's manufacturable'. A top free layout tutorial takes a real multi-layer board through stackup, ground planes, routing, and fab output — then you prove the instinct in Forge and get certified. Builds on KiCad fundamentals.
KiCad 6 STM32 PCB Design Full Tutorial - Phil's Lab #65
Phil's Lab · video · ~3h · Free · English
Why we picked it: Phil's Lab (Phil Salmony) is the most-recommended free PCB-design channel on the internet, and #65 is its flagship, most-watched full tutorial (well over a million views) — consistently the top result and community pick for 'learn PCB layout'. It walks a real STM32 board end to end in KiCad (the exact tool Forge commits to), so you watch multi-layer layout, ground pours, routing strategy, and fabrication-output generation done properly on a mixed power-and-signal design instead of a toy blinker.
- multi-layer stackup and layer assignment
- component placement strategy before routing
- solid ground planes / copper pours and return paths
- power routing, wide tracks, and decoupling capacitor placement
- manual and interactive routing strategy
- design rules (DRC), clearances, and manufacturability
- generating Gerbers / fabrication outputs for a real board house
- intro to controlled-impedance and high-speed routing habits
Study guide
Open the study guide →1 study section · what to focus on + prove it in Forge, then take the check.
Forge practical
Build it in Forge Design · 5 checks · auto-verified from your design
Start the practical →