Ever wanted to make a professional-looking PCB but did not know where to start? I recently designed a simple custom PCB to solve a specific problem of wiring and holding LED strip inside an enclosure so I decided to design a PCB for that. no complicated circuitry, just clean power delivery to LED strips inside a 3D-printed base.

In this guide, I'll walk you through the entire process I used, from planning the circuit (with common mistakes to avoid) to designing the PCB in Altium Designer and checking the fit in Fusion. Even if you've never designed a circuit board before, you'll learn how to create a functional, manufacturable PCB perfect for lighting up acrylic signs—plus tips for ordering it affordably from PCB manufacturers.

By the end, you'll know how to make a simple PCB that can solve your specific problem in no time.

This video is sponsored by Altium 365. Get your free workspace today and start transforming your design process today!

Planning The PCB

I chose to use a 12V LED strip because it’s bright enough to light up the acrylic evenly, and it’s easy to work with—no fancy drivers or voltage regulators needed. For power input, I went with a standard 5.5x2.5mm DC jack—the kind you see on many laptops and gadgets. They’re cheap, easy to find, and can handle the current needed for the LEDs without overheating.

This PCB doesn’t need any complicated circuitry. It’s just a direct connection: the DC jack feeds power straight to the LED strip, with no resistors or extra components. Since I want to have more options of securing the LED strip, I want to have large and long pads that I can solder to.

Because this PCB will sit inside a 3D-printed base, and I want to secure it firmly, either with screws or a dab of hot glue I'll also need some mounting holes.

Designing the PCB in Altium Designer

When it was time to turn my circuit idea into a real PCB, I fired up Altium Designer. The first thing I did was create a new project in Altium 365. This keeps everything organized and even backs up my work automatically on save.

Next came the schematic. I dropped in the DC jack and my custom LED strip component, then wired them together. Sounds simple, but I almost messed it up—the first time, I didn’t check the pinout of the DC jack, so the pins were not matching the ones I had on hand. Only when I went to route the PCB I realized my mistake and went back to replace the DC jack with the proper one.

Since I couldn’t find a pre-made footprint for my LED strip, I had to create one from scratch. The trick was making two long, thin pads spaced exactly 5.5mm apart, the same distance as the contacts on the LED strip. That way, I could solder the strip directly onto the PCB without any messy wires.  

Of course, not everything worked perfectly on the first try. I had to occasionally go back and forth between the schematic and the PCB updating components to make sure everything was as I wanted it to be.

Now that the design was solid, it was time to make sure it would actually fit inside my 3D-printed base.

3D Modeling & Fit Check

Before sending my PCB design off for manufacturing, I needed to make sure it would actually fit inside the 3D-printed base I had designed. I imported the PCB into Fusion as a STEP file, which let me see it as a realistic 3D model rather than just a flat schematic. At first glance, everything looked good—but when I positioned it inside my enclosure model, I noticed a problem.

The PCB was floating in mid-air, with nothing supporting it except the DC jack’s solder joints. That wouldn’t work long-term—vibrations or bumps could snap the connections. To fix it, I added two small support pillars (4.8mm tall) in the corners where the mounting holes were. These would hold the PCB level and give me the option to secure it with screws or glue. A quick cross-section check confirmed the board now sat perfectly flush, with the DC jack aligned to the cutout in the enclosure.

Having the possibility to view the PCB inside the 3D model of the enclosure where it will be used is essential to figure out fitting issues and interferences before you even produce anything physically. For me this was the first time that I tried this and it worked flawlessly.

Ordering the PCBs

With my design finalized, it was time to turn those digital files into a physical board. I exported the Gerber and drill files from Altium Designer. These are the universal files PCB manufacturers need to understand your design.

I went with PCBWay for manufacturing since they’re reliable and offer great quality for hobbyist projects. Their order form was straightforward: I entered my board dimensions (79x39mm), confirmed it was a standard two-layer design, and then got to the fun part—customizing the look. I chose a white solder mask with black silkscreen for a clean, professional finish that would match the acrylic sign’s aesthetic. After uploading my ZIP file, their system automatically previewed how the board would look, catching any potential errors before production.

Within minutes of submitting, I got a confirmation that my design was under review. PCBWay’s team checks for manufacturability issues (like trace spacing or drill alignment), and by the next morning, my order was approved and queued for production. Now all that was left was for them to arrive so that I can assemble the entire sign.

Conclusion

Designing a custom PCB is always far more rewarding than you expect. What started as a simple need for clean wiring evolved into a full-fledged project. The best part? This PCB solves a real problem elegantly, replacing messy wires with a professional, repeatable solution.

If you’re new to PCB design, don’t let the learning curve intimidate you. Tools like Altium Designer and PCBWay make the process accessible, and mistakes (like my backwards DC jack pins) are just opportunities to learn. Now that I’ve got this base design nailed down, I’m already thinking about upgrades—maybe adding RGB LEDs or touch controls for future versions.

The real magic happens when you hold that first manufactured board in your hands. There’s nothing like seeing a circuit you designed light up exactly as planned. So grab your tools, start small, and turn those ideas into something tangible. And if you build your own version of this project, share it, I’d love to see what you create!

Tools and materials for electronic projects: 

• Soldering Station - https://s.click.aliexpress.com/e/_op47aAO
• Multimeter - https://s.click.aliexpress.com/e/_oFPjl4O
• 3D Printer - https://s.click.aliexpress.com/e/_oCPIRZY
• Electrician Screwdriver Set - https://s.click.aliexpress.com/e/_oDmBrYf
• 8 in 1 Mini Screwdriver - https://s.click.aliexpress.com/e/_oDrDD6x
• Wire Snips - https://s.click.aliexpress.com/e/_o2eJ3IF