ESP32-nRF52840 Plugin PCB Design
Budget: $10 – $30 USD
I’m putting together a small prototype that teams an ESP32 Mini with an nRF52840 Nice!Nano, and I’d like a single, compact board to host them both.
Key points
• Both modules must plug in through female pin headers so I can swap them out without touching a soldering iron.
• The board will take 5 V at up to 2 A from a phone-style USB charger. Please add the capacitors, filtering, and any regulators you feel are necessary to keep both MCUs rock-solid.
• A dual-colour LED driven by the ESP32 should show green or red according to my firmware. Bring the LED out to the edge of the board for easy viewing and break the control pin out to a nearby test pad.
• I chose a compact layout, so keep the footprint tight while still leaving the ESP32’s antenna area and the Nice!Nano’s battery pads clear.
• Exposed pin headers for additional connections and the LED indicator need to remain easily accessible once the modules are plugged in.
Deliverables
1. Schematic in KiCad, Altium, or EasyEDA (whichever you prefer).
2. PCB layout with clear silkscreen labels for every header pin.
3. Complete BOM with part numbers for the pin headers, capacitors, LED, and any voltage-conditioning parts.
4. Gerber, drill, and pick-and-place files ready for a board house.
5. A quick design note explaining the power-conditioning choices and LED drive circuit.
If something in my hand-drawn sketch conflicts with best practice, feel free to propose a cleaner solution—this is a prototyping board after all.
Key points
• Both modules must plug in through female pin headers so I can swap them out without touching a soldering iron.
• The board will take 5 V at up to 2 A from a phone-style USB charger. Please add the capacitors, filtering, and any regulators you feel are necessary to keep both MCUs rock-solid.
• A dual-colour LED driven by the ESP32 should show green or red according to my firmware. Bring the LED out to the edge of the board for easy viewing and break the control pin out to a nearby test pad.
• I chose a compact layout, so keep the footprint tight while still leaving the ESP32’s antenna area and the Nice!Nano’s battery pads clear.
• Exposed pin headers for additional connections and the LED indicator need to remain easily accessible once the modules are plugged in.
Deliverables
1. Schematic in KiCad, Altium, or EasyEDA (whichever you prefer).
2. PCB layout with clear silkscreen labels for every header pin.
3. Complete BOM with part numbers for the pin headers, capacitors, LED, and any voltage-conditioning parts.
4. Gerber, drill, and pick-and-place files ready for a board house.
5. A quick design note explaining the power-conditioning choices and LED drive circuit.
If something in my hand-drawn sketch conflicts with best practice, feel free to propose a cleaner solution—this is a prototyping board after all.
Related categories:
Electronics
Microcontroller
PCB Layout
Product Design
Electronic Design
Antenna Design
Embedded Systems
Prototyping