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Learn the craft

PCB design books, in an order that earns your time

Not a landfill of titles. These are 13 resources with a job: build fundamentals, ship a first board, debug analog and power, or stop fast edges from wrecking the day. We say who each one is for, what has dated, and where to get it lawfully.

Written and verified by John Merton · verified 2026-07-16

Editorial illustration

Reading is part of the work.

A generated illustration of a reading desk with blank-covered hardcover books, a closed notebook, a pencil and a magnifier.
Generated illustration — editorial atmosphere only. The covers are deliberately blank. Not evidence of any specific book, edition, author or publisher, of any technical claim, or of a reading recommendation. The reading paths and resource notes below are the only source of record.

Choose your path

Do not read everything. Pick the problem you actually have and move in order.

  1. Starting from zero

    Build circuits and measurement habits first, then learn the current KiCad workflow without confusing software fluency for engineering judgment.

    1. 1.Lessons in Electric Circuits, Volume VI — Experiments
    2. 2.Getting Started in KiCad
    3. 3.PCB Design Tutorial

  2. From breadboard to first manufactured PCB

    Move from a measured prototype to schematic capture, layout review, fabrication outputs, and the manufacturing constraints behind the files.

    1. 1.Lessons in Electric Circuits, Volume VI — Experiments
    2. 2.Getting Started in KiCad
    3. 3.PCB Design Tutorial
    4. 4.Printed Circuits Handbook

  3. Analog design and measurement

    Learn practical circuit judgment, then build the measurement and troubleshooting discipline required when the first prototype disagrees with the model.

    1. 1.The Art of Electronics
    2. 2.Learning the Art of Electronics
    3. 3.Troubleshooting Analog Circuits
    4. 4.Low Level Measurements Handbook

  4. Power-supply design

    Start with broad analog design judgment, then study converter energy paths and finish with the noise and layout mechanisms that punish casual power boards.

    1. 1.The Art of Electronics
    2. 2.Switch-Mode Power Supply Reference Manual
    3. 3.Noise Reduction Techniques in Electronic Systems

  5. Digital logic before HDL

    Touch real logic devices and their non-ideal electrical behavior before treating digital hardware as symbols or code alone.

    1. 1.Lessons in Electric Circuits, Volume VI — Experiments
    2. 2.CMOS Cookbook
    3. 3.The Art of Electronics

  6. High-speed layout and signal integrity

    Build a mechanism-first progression from coupling and return paths into transmission lines, discontinuities, losses, and advanced interconnect behavior.

    1. 1.Noise Reduction Techniques in Electronic Systems
    2. 2.High Speed Digital Design
    3. 3.High Speed Signal Propagation

The resource notes

Build the foundation

Circuit behavior, bench work, and digital logic before the board becomes the abstraction.

  1. Lessons in Electric Circuits, Volume VI — Experiments

    Tony R. Kuphaldt

    Best for
    A self-learner who needs bench experiments and measurement habits to make circuit theory concrete before designing a board.
    Why it matters
    It forces contact with real components and instruments, where tolerances, wiring errors, and measurement loading stop being abstract footnotes.
    Know the limit
    It is a broad experiments text rather than a PCB-layout course, and some equipment references show their age.
    Author free

    The author-hosted ibiblio collection explicitly publishes the series for free under a Creative Commons license.

  2. The Art of Electronics

    Paul Horowitz · Winfield Hill · 3rd edition · 2015 · 1,220 pages

    Best for
    A serious builder who already knows basic voltage, current, and components and wants a durable bench-side design reference.
    Why it matters
    It connects device behavior to design choices with unusually strong engineering judgment, especially where idealized textbook circuits meet real parts.
    Know the limit
    It is huge, expensive, and a poor cover-to-cover first book. Use it by problem and pair it with hands-on work.
    Commercial

    This is a commercial Cambridge title; the canonical link is the publisher page and PCBWiki provides no copied text or files.

    Check Amazon

  3. Learning the Art of Electronics

    A Hands-On Lab Course

    Thomas C. Hayes · David Abrams · Paul Horowitz · 2nd edition · 2025

    Best for
    A learner with a stocked bench who wants a demanding lab sequence rather than another book to read passively.
    Why it matters
    The course turns design ideas into measured behavior and debugging practice, which is the missing bridge in many self-taught electronics paths.
    Know the limit
    The lab program expects time, equipment, and components. It is not the cheapest or fastest route to a first manufactured PCB.
    Commercial

    This is a commercial Cambridge course book; PCBWiki links to the publisher record and does not reproduce its labs.

    Check Amazon

  4. CMOS Cookbook

    Don Lancaster · 4th edition, 2nd printing · 2019

    Best for
    A hands-on reader who wants to understand classic CMOS logic families through practical circuits rather than HDL abstraction.
    Why it matters
    It makes logic-device behavior, thresholds, timing, interfacing, and circuit tricks tangible—the background that keeps simple digital hardware honest.
    Know the limit
    Much of the device catalog is historical, and a direct PDF is awkward for browsing. Verify availability and electrical limits of modern parts separately.
    Author free

    The author and rights-holder distributes this edition free from his official Tinaja site; PCBWiki links there and stores no copy.

Move from schematic to manufactured board

Current CAD workflow, practical layout judgment, and the manufacturing system behind the Gerbers.

  1. Getting Started in KiCad

    KiCad 10.0 documentation

    KiCad documentation team · 10.0

    Best for
    A first-time KiCad user who wants to move one small board from project setup through fabrication outputs.
    Why it matters
    It teaches the actual current tool workflow instead of making a beginner translate screenshots and menu names from an older KiCad release.
    Know the limit
    This is software instruction, not a substitute for learning circuit behavior, layout physics, or manufacturer constraints.
    Official free

    Official KiCad documentation is provided free on the project's own documentation domain; PCBWiki links to it and stores no copy.

  2. PCB Design Tutorial

    David L. Jones

    Best for
    A new board designer who wants a compact, practical checklist of placement, routing, grounding, and fabrication concerns.
    Why it matters
    The tutorial gives beginners useful layout instincts before a CAD tool's freedom turns into an electrically valid but physically bad board.
    Know the limit
    The examples and tooling are old. Use the principles as a design review prompt, not as current KiCad instruction or a modern rulebook.
    Official free

    The official EEVblog community thread identifies the author-distributed tutorial; PCBWiki links to that source context and does not re-host the file.

  3. Printed Circuits Handbook

    Clyde F. Coombs Jr. · Happy T. Holden · 7th edition · 2016

    Best for
    An engineer who needs manufacturing depth—materials, fabrication, assembly, reliability, and process control—beyond schematic-to-Gerber tutorials.
    Why it matters
    It shows that a PCB is a manufactured stack of materials and processes, not just copper artwork, which changes how design tradeoffs get made.
    Know the limit
    It is an enormous professional reference, not a beginner path, and many readers will need only a few chapters tied to a live manufacturing question.
    Commercial

    This is a copyrighted commercial handbook; PCBWiki links to McGraw Hill and reputable catalog records, never a mirror.

    Check Amazon

Debug analog, measurement, and power

The books and manuals for circuits that almost work, tiny signals, and energy moving through converters.

  1. Troubleshooting Analog Circuits

    Robert A. Pease · 1st edition · 1991

    Best for
    An analog designer whose prototypes almost work and who needs a disciplined way to isolate noise, drift, loading, and bad assumptions.
    Why it matters
    Pease treats debugging as experimental engineering: change one thing, measure the right node, and distrust the story you told yourself about the circuit.
    Know the limit
    Component examples and the bundled-software era are dated; the fault-isolation habits are the durable part.
    Commercial

    Elsevier sells the copyrighted title through its official shop; PCBWiki links there and excludes third-party PDF mirrors.

    Check Amazon

  2. Low Level Measurements Handbook

    Keithley Instruments · 7th edition

    Best for
    An engineer measuring tiny voltages, currents, or resistances who needs the setup and error sources to be as deliberate as the circuit.
    Why it matters
    It explains guarding, shielding, leakage, thermoelectric effects, settling, and instrument limits—the mechanisms behind measurements that otherwise look haunted.
    Know the limit
    It is instrument-centered and deeper than most first-board projects need. Read the relevant measurement mode instead of marching through it.
    Official free

    Tektronix provides the official Keithley handbook free from its own product-documentation page and download domain.

  3. Switch-Mode Power Supply Reference Manual

    onsemi · Revision 4 · 2014

    Best for
    A designer moving beyond linear regulators who needs a structured map of converter topologies, control, magnetics, losses, and layout risk.
    Why it matters
    It makes switch-mode power feel like a system of energy paths and control loops rather than a magic controller IC plus copied reference layout.
    Know the limit
    The 2014 device examples are not a current parts catalog. Use it for mechanisms, then verify every chosen controller against current documentation.
    Official free

    onsemi distributes this official free reference manual on its own documentation domain; PCBWiki links directly and does not re-host it.

Respect noise and fast edges

Return paths, coupling, transmission lines, and the discontinuities that turn layout into circuit behavior.

  1. Noise Reduction Techniques in Electronic Systems

    Henry W. Ott · 2nd edition · 1988

    Best for
    A board designer debugging coupling, grounding, shielding, and interference who wants the physical mechanism instead of folklore.
    Why it matters
    Ott gives a coherent way to reason about current paths and coupling, which is more durable than memorizing isolated layout commandments.
    Know the limit
    The second edition is old and hard to source. Pair its fundamentals with current EMC guidance and modern stackup practice.
    Out of print

    The book is copyrighted and out of print; PCBWiki links to the author’s consulting-site record and library catalogs, never a downloadable copy.

    Check Amazon

  2. High Speed Digital Design

    A Handbook of Black Magic

    Howard Johnson · Martin Graham · 1993

    Best for
    A digital designer whose edge rates make traces behave like transmission lines, regardless of whether the clock frequency looks modest.
    Why it matters
    It shifts attention from logic states to return paths, impedance, crosstalk, termination, and timing—the failure mechanisms of fast digital boards.
    Know the limit
    The parts and tools are dated, and the title's folklore tone can hide that the useful core is applied transmission-line engineering.
    Commercial

    Pearson sells this copyrighted book through its official InformIT store; PCBWiki links to the publisher and hosts no copy.

    Check Amazon

  3. High Speed Signal Propagation

    Advanced Black Magic

    Howard Johnson · Martin Graham · 2003

    Best for
    An experienced designer working through vias, connectors, packages, differential links, and losses beyond first-order transmission-line rules.
    Why it matters
    It extends signal-integrity reasoning into the discontinuities and frequency-dependent effects that dominate interconnects where edge rates make traces behave like transmission lines.
    Know the limit
    This is a sequel, not an entry point. Read it after the first handbook or equivalent transmission-line study.
    Commercial

    Pearson sells this copyrighted book through its official InformIT store; PCBWiki links to that record and hosts no copy.

    Check Amazon

Common questions

How should I pick which PCB design book to read first?

Do not read everything—pick the problem you actually have and follow one path in order. Each reading path groups titles for a specific job: build fundamentals, ship a first board, debug analog and power, or stop fast edges from wrecking the day, rather than listing every resource without direction.

What do the access labels like "Borrow" or "Out of print" mean on this list?

Each resource is tagged with how you can access it: official free, author free, borrow, commercial, or out of print. The list also includes a rights note for the exact resource, and confirming the exact title and edition before purchase matters because marketplace listings can change.

Does Amazon affiliate revenue affect which PCB books are recommended?

No. Affiliate links are an optional buying path and do not determine which resources are included or how they are ordered. PCBWiki earns from qualifying Amazon purchases as an Associate, but selection and ranking are independent of that revenue, and the exact title and edition should still be confirmed before purchase.

Why does the guide call out a resource's limitations instead of just recommending it?

Some resources include a "Know the limit" note describing what has dated or what remains useful, alongside "Best for" and "Why it matters" notes for each title. The guide is opinionated rather than exhaustive—resources are grouped by the job they solve, from foundations through noise and fast-edge behavior.

Explore the whole system

A bench measurement makes more sense when you can trace it through the complete circuit job.

Found an error? Submit a correction — we verify every correction against the manufacturer’s datasheet.