Skip to content

9-Day Intensive Course: HSP-PCB Board Development⚓

Welcome! This is Ernest Nkunzimana's comprehensive documentation of the Human-Sovereign Privacy & Security PCB (HSP-PCB) Board design journey—a 9-day intensive course in digital fabrication, IoT hardware security, and trustworthy systems design for the Masters of Science in IoT - Wireless Intelligent Sensor Networks (WISENeT) program at University of Rwanda - ACEIoT.

📚 Course Overview⚓

Over the next 9 days, you'll follow the complete design-to-fabrication workflow for HSP-PCB:

Day Focus Status
Day 1 Foundations & Problem Statement ✅ Complete
Day 2 Digital Modeling & Architecture ✅ Complete
Day 3 PCB Milling & DFM ✅ Complete
Day 4 Materials & Environmental Constraints ✅ Complete
Day 5 CNC & Laser Cutting (Enclosure) ✅ Complete
Day 6 Additive Manufacturing & Prototyping ✅ Complete
Day 7 CNC Router Milling & Integration ✅ Complete
Day 8 Molding & Casting Processes ✅ Complete
Day 9 Final Fabrication & Documentation ✅ Complete

🎯 What You'll Learn⚓

By completing this course, you will understand:

✅ Security-Driven Design — How to build tamper-resistant hardware
✅ CAD & PCB Design — FreeCAD + KiCad workflow
✅ Digital Fabrication — CNC, laser, 3D printing, casting
✅ Threat Modeling — Identifying & mitigating hardware attacks
✅ Manufacturing at Scale — From prototype to production
✅ Technical Documentation — Creating reproducible designs
✅ Ethical IoT Engineering — Human-sovereign technology

🗓️ Daily Activity Navigation⚓

Click any day below to explore that phase of development:

Week 1: Foundation & Design⚓

Day 1: Foundations & Problem Statement
Understand digital trust collapse. Establish threat model for HSP-PCB.

Day 2: Digital Modeling & Architecture
CAD workflows, parametric design, block diagrams, DFM constraints.

Day 3: PCB Milling & DFM
Manufacturing constraints, Gerber files, BOM, anti-cloning design.

Week 2: Fabrication Methods⚓

Day 4: Materials & Environmental Constraints
Material selection, sustainability, repairability, lifecycle planning.

Day 5: CNC & Laser Cutting
Subtractive fabrication for aluminum enclosure & tamper casing.

Day 6: Additive Manufacturing
3D printing prototypes, form-fit validation, assembly testing.

Week 3: Integration & Production⚓

Day 7: CNC Router Milling & Integration
Modular attachment design, scaled production, integration scenarios.

Day 8: Molding & Casting
Replication at scale, silicone molds, resin casting, production economics.

Day 9: Final Fabrication & Documentation
Threat matrix validation, deployment scenarios, production roadmap, ethical commitments.

📊 Course Progression⚓

Day 1-2: Concept → Digital Model
    ↓
Day 3-4: Design → Manufacturing Specs
    ↓
Day 5-6: Prototype → Validation
    ↓
Day 7-8: Integration → Production Strategy
    ↓
Day 9:   Final Documentation → Deployment Ready

🚀 Key Deliverables⚓

By Day 9, You'll Have:⚓

✅ Complete Design Package - Schematic (KiCad) - PCB layout (manufacturing-ready) - Mechanical CAD (FreeCAD) - Gerber files (CNC mill format)

✅ Documentation - System architecture (20 pages) - Hardware design report (30 pages) - Threat model & security analysis (15 pages) - Fabrication manual (40 pages) - User manual (25 pages)

✅ Prototypes & Validation - Working PCB (tested) - 3D-printed enclosure - Aluminum enclosure sample - Resin cast samples - Full system integration test

✅ Production Strategy - Bill of materials (BOM) - Manufacturing procedures - Cost analysis (unit economics) - Deployment scenarios - Technician training materials

🎓 For Instructors⚓

This course is designed to be:

  • Modular — Use individual days for focused topics
  • Replicable — All CAD files & procedures open-source
  • Community-Driven — Fork & adapt for your context
  • Hands-On — Lab time + theory throughout

Recommended Setup: - 1.5 hours lecture/demo per day - 4 hours lab/hands-on work - 1 hour reflection & documentation - Access to: FreeCAD, KiCad, CNC mill, laser cutter, 3D printer

📖 How to Use This Course⚓

Option 1: Self-Paced Learner → Work through days 1–9 sequentially. Implement designs in FreeCAD/KiCad.

Option 2: Classroom Instructor → Run 9-day intensive with student cohorts. Use lab time for hands-on fabrication.

Option 3: Reference Material → Jump to specific days for topic deep-dives (e.g., Day 3 for PCB design).

✨ Course Philosophy⚓

This course is about more than PCBs.

It's about: - Reclaiming agency in a world of closed, controlled devices - Building community capacity for local manufacturing - Creating living infrastructure that communities can maintain forever - Demonstrating that trustworthy technology is possible

🎯 Course Outcomes⚓

By completing this intensive, you will be able to:

  1. ✅ Design hardware from threat model to production-ready files
  2. ✅ Navigate the complete digital fabrication workflow
  3. ✅ Make security-informed engineering decisions
  4. ✅ Document designs for reproducibility & community use
  5. ✅ Scale prototypes to production (cost, quality, timeline)
  6. ✅ Mentor others in trustworthy hardware design

Status: Course Complete ✅
Last Updated: January 31, 2026
License: CC BY-NC (Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial)

Ready to dive in? Start with Day 1! 🚀