Pre-Routing Layout Validation — 52 mm Biomedical BLE Smartwatch
Status
Pre-routing checkpoint created after schematic/placement continuation. Routing has not been started, per required flow.
Board / Stackup
- Board: 52 mm circular PCB.
- Copper layers: 6.
- Verified stackup after correction:
- L1: Top signal/components.
- L2: Ground Plane — corrected to satisfy continuous RF/mixed-signal return-path requirement.
- L3: Power Plane.
- L4: Signal.
- L5: Ground Plane.
- L6: Bottom signal/components.
Schematic State
- Current schematic summary: 226 components / objects and 36 nets.
- Exact-MPN placeholders are explicitly marked as no-substitute placeholders:
- U1: nRF54LM20A, Nordic Semiconductor BLE MCU placeholder.
- U7: GD60914AA IR temperature sensor placeholder.
- U5: W25N08LV Winbond QSPI NAND placeholder.
- Critical nets were classified:
- Power: GND, 1V8, 3V3, VBUS_5V, VBAT, VPPG_SW.
- High speed / controlled: RF_FEED_50R, RF_FEED_MCU, USB_DP, USB_DN.
Fixes Applied in This Continuation
- BME690 I2C-mode configuration fixed:
- U3:CSB tied to 1V8.
- U3:SDO tied to GND, selecting the low I2C address option.
- Reserved/no-use pins on the BNO086 and USB-C SBU pins were marked NC where appropriate.
- L2 was changed from Signal to Ground Plane.
Placement Checkpoint Observations
- Antenna AE1 is placed at the 12 o'clock edge region.
- MCU placeholder U1 is placed near the RF region for short antenna feed routing.
- PMIC U2 is placed near USB-C J1 and the battery input zone.
- MAXM86161 U4 is on the bottom side for skin contact.
- GD60914AA placeholder U7 must be final-positioned/validated against the actual optical FOV and enclosure window after its exact package is known.
- BNO086 U6 is near the geometric center on the bottom side.
- BME690 U3 is near the side edge for vent access, away from PMIC heat concentration.
Remaining Validation Before Routing
Routing is blocked until the following are approved or resolved:
- Exact datasheet pin mapping and footprint validation for nRF54LM20A, GD60914AA, W25N08LV, and AMOLED FPC.
- RF keepout geometry definition around AE1: no copper, no components, no ground pour intrusion in the antenna clearance region.
- Confirmation that U1-to-AE1 RF feed length and matching network placement are acceptable after exact MCU RF pin location is known.
- Confirmation of PPG / IR optical windows, black isolation barrier, and AMOLED light leakage isolation.
- Confirmation of thermal keepouts around PMIC/battery relative to BME690 and GD60914AA.
- Final PMIC buck/LDO pin-level schematic validation against the nPM1300 reference design.
ERC / DRC Notes
- Airwire DRC is expected because routing has not started.
- Floating-pin ERC warnings remain, primarily from the GD60914AA placeholder and some unassigned/reserve passives. These are intentionally not hidden until exact datasheets and package pinouts are verified.
- BME690 I2C floating-mode pins were corrected.
Decision
Stop here for layout validation. Do not route until RF, optical sensor, power integrity, and thermal zone placement are approved.