A custom RP2350-based development board designed from scratch
Hello everyone,
I’m excited to share my latest work: Project Al-Waraqah, a fully custom development board powered by the new Raspberry Pi RP2350 (QFN-80).
This board is part of my ongoing journey in learning PCB design, improving my hardware skills, and building creative, personalized tools for embedded development.
Project Concept
“Al-Waraqah” means “The Leaf”, and the concept of the board is inspired by organic shapes, minimalism, and clean circuit structure.
The design reflects a balance between art and engineering—something I always try to express in my projects.
Main Features
Microcontroller: Raspberry Pi RP2350, QFN-80 package
Crystal Oscillator: 12 MHz SMD (5032 package)
Integrated Li-Po Charging Circuit: MCP73831
USB Type-C Connector (with 5.1 kΩ pull-downs for CC1/CC2)
2.2 µH Inductor (LQM21 Series) for the internal regulator
Standard GPIO Headers:
12-pin headers ×2
14-pin header ×1
SWD programming header (1×4, 2.54 mm)
Clean power distribution with VSYS, 3V3, and USB_5V rails color-coded and routed carefully
3D model and footprint fully designed manually to match the RP2350 pinout
Design Tools
Schematic + PCB: EasyEDA
3D Mechanical Model: Custom STL
Full custom footprint + pad size correction done manually
This project helped me deeply understand:
How to route around a 80-pin MCU
How to integrate Li-Po charging into the PCB itself
How to design stable power rails
How to manage USB-C correctly
And how to organize GPIO groups for easier prototyping
Photos of the Design
(Insert your two images here exactly as you sent them)
Next Steps
Completing final routing
Generating Gerber + Pick & Place
Sending the board for PCBA with RP2350 pre-soldered
Building the first working prototype
Special Thanks
Thanks to the DigiKey Forum team and moderators for the helpful environment and technical discussions.
This community helped me grow a lot as a hardware designer.
If anyone is interested in RP2350 projects or has suggestions for improving the design, I’d love to hear your feedback!
— Sikwal
