The starting point here is a question: can someone go from an empty schematic sheet to a working custom ESP32 board, and can the whole path be documented? Robert Feranec set out to show that, teaching schematic drawing, PCB layout, manufacturing and programming in one tutorial. The design effort takes three hours. That seems short enough to follow along in one sitting.
Everything runs in EasyEDA Standard Edition inside a web browser, with no local installation needed. Parts get picked from the LCSC catalog, filtered down to items in stock, and their part numbers are copied over to pull matching symbols and footprints into the design. The schematic lives on an A3 sheet, with text links to the module datasheet and reference schematics placed on the page. Wiring follows a clear order: buttons and module first, then USB to UART, then LED and power, with progress saved along the way.
The component choices stand out. A CP2102N-A02 bridge handles USB to UART, an AMS1117-3.3 regulates the supply, and a Molex micro-USB connector sits alongside ESD protection diodes, NPN transistors and 0402 100nF capacitors. Tracks were adjusted to 50 ohms, a DRC check caught board errors, and the CP2102N errata gets attention. The schematic was compared against an S2 reference design. The finished result is a narrow board built around an ESP32-WROOM-32E module that carries a metal shield and an integrated PCB antenna, two tactile buttons marked RST and BT/USR, a slide switch with a red actuator, and pin header pads along both long edges.
Gerbers went out for the PCB order, assembly was ordered alongside a BOM and pick-and-place files, and the finished boards arrived and passed inspection. A blink example went on first, then a WiFi example handled turning the LED on and off from across the internet. One thing left open: whether a run of five boards really costs more than $170. That figure would be worth breaking down for anyone budgeting an order.
Project by Robert Feranec. Watch it on their YouTube channel: