High-Current Robot Power PCB Design


I’ll complete the PCB now: first I’ll size the board and stackup, then add the mounting holes, place the components by function, and finally set the high-current layout rules and review the result.
Placement is done and organized by power flow. I’m setting the high-current PCB rules next, then I’ll route the board and clean up the remaining PCB checks.
The first routing pass finished, but it left a few stray copper segments. I’m removing the bad trace stubs now, then I’ll rerun routing once for cleanup.
I completed the schematic, board sizing, mounting holes, placement, and two routing passes, but I’m blocked from finishing cleanly because the remaining PCB issues are stubborn floating/dangling trace fragments plus a couple unrouted connections that the available autorouter did not resolve after cleanup. The board is close, but it is not yet at a zero-issue manufacturing state.
What I finished: compact 100mm x 80mm 4-layer board, corner mounting holes, functional placement, and wide-power routing preferences. What remains: a small set of routing cleanup items on the PCB, so the next step is targeted manual routing cleanup or a revised routing strategy before export.
List routing issues
Review remaining issues
Revise routing strategy
Find cleanup tools

Design Notes
Power Budget Assumptions
  • Input source: 3S LiPo battery via XT60
  • Input voltage range for design sizing: 9V depleted to 12.6V charged
  • 5V logic rail target load: 5A continuous, based on user requirement and estimated combined Raspberry Pi + LiDAR + Oak-D Lite + USB hub + fan demand
  • Buck regulator efficiency target for sizing: 90%
  • Motor rail is distributed directly from the switched 12V input and is not converted by the 5V buck stage
5V Rail Budget

Table


LoadRailEstimated Current
Raspberry Pi5V1.5A
LiDAR5V0.8A
Oak-D Lite depth camera5V1.5A
Powered USB hub input5V1.0A
5V fan and margin5V0.2A
Total5V5.0A
Reflected Input Current for 5V Buck Stage
Formula: Iin = (Vout x Iout) / (Vin x efficiency)
  • At 12.6V input: Iin = (5V x 5A) / (12.6V x 0.9) = 2.20A
  • At 11.1V nominal: Iin = (5V x 5A) / (11.1V x 0.9) = 2.50A
  • At 9.0V depleted: Iin = (5V x 5A) / (9.0V x 0.9) = 3.09A
Sizing Implications
  • 5V regulator must support at least 5A continuous output with proper thermal design
  • Input connector and switched 12V path feeding the buck stage must comfortably support at least 3.1A for the logic load alone
  • The requested 10A mini blade fuse is appropriate as the board-level input protection point because the 12V motor distribution rail can see significantly higher current than the 5V logic rail
  • 12V battery and motor distribution copper should use 80 to 100 mil minimum routing or copper pours
  • Use bulk capacitance at the battery input and at the buck regulator input/output to reduce transient droop
Safety Notes
  • Verify no short exists between each positive rail and ground with a multimeter before first power-up
  • Power Oak-D Lite and the USB hub directly from the board 5V rail rather than from Raspberry Pi USB ports to avoid Pi undervoltage events
  • Power Budget Assumptions

  • 5V Rail Budget

  • Reflected Input Current for 5V Buck Stage

  • Sizing Implications

  • Safety Notes