Creating a microcontroller circuit board
"Is there a way a dummy in electronics can create a microcontroller
  circuit board?"



Not quickly.


I really love your interest and desire to take this on. I seriously do applaud your interest and your desire, as well as your willingness to lay it out and just ask.

I will tell you, having nearly caused my copy of the 2nd edition of "The Art of Electronics" to fall to pieces (and it is a well bound hard copy, too... or was), that as good as the book is (and it is good), it is NOT for you at your level right now. You'd just beat your head in the ground with it. That said, I'd recommend getting a copy anyway. You will want it, someday. (And the authors will not live to produce a 4th edition, so buying the 3rd edition is safe.) If you do buy it, look for the Student Manual for the 2nd edition (and if there is one for the 3rd edition -- you can hope), get it. The Student manual is a BIG HELP and I highly recommend it, if you are going to struggle with the excellent AofE book.

Don Lancaster used to write some excellent tutorials on microcontrollers and memory, but the book pair (two volume set) is a bit dated now. But you could learn from it, for sure, even today.

But let's look at what's in front of you:


Power supply design. You can cheap out on this by just buying power supplies, wall warts, and the like. But nothing is going to protect you from needing to understand the meaning of voltage and current compliance and the possibility of shorting things out if you don't understand what various terms mean and how they are used. And you won't be able to take advantage of some really cheap buck or boost modules from ebay, either, if you can't figure out what the specs mean. You just need to understand the ideas of a shared common, voltage, current, power, ripple, issues related to connecting one system using one power supply to another system using a different power supply, how long it takes a power supply to come up to full operation, and a few other things I'm too lazy to add right now. And it can be very detailed, if you actually try and design a simple, basic one on your own. It's surprising just how much a very simple idea can involve, when you get serious about it.
Power-on reset. One thing I mentioned above is that a power supply can take a while to come to full operation. Some microcontrollers can do some really crazy-minded things if the power supply comes up too slowly. There are ideas you can use to solve it, holding the microcontroller into some fancy "reset mode" until the power supply comes up, properly. But you might have to design one of these. They aren't complicated and there are specialized ICs you can buy, too. But it's just another issue to know about. You can't just always assume everything starts up okay because you applied a power circuit to it.
Clock. You've got power and you've got the micro held at bay until the power is ready. What else? Well, it needs a clock. Some micros have internal clocks. Some micros only support external ones. Some external ones can be handled using a module for the purpose. Others, have to be carefully crafted either for parallel-cut or series-cut crystals. Don't know what those are? You might need to. And if it has an internal clock, it might have several. An MSP430, some of them, will have a VLO, an RC, and a DCO internal clock. Plus the ability to support one or two external crystal clock sources, as well. Do you have any clue how to manage all that?
Program. Okay. By the time you have power, a proper reset, and a clock, you are getting close. If only there was a program in the micro, it might run. But ... how do you get the program in there? A board design may require a method by which you can download programs. And a method, perhaps still different, to allow you to debug those programs, too. JTAG? Heard of it? You might need to. Or various methods to develop sufficient voltages internally (or externally) to program one? There are dozens of ways this happens. Some of them require a fair comfort with electronics. Some don't.


You mentioned you cannot even begin to read a datasheet. So this means you need some help from someone who can walk you through these things. Or you need to take some time to study and think and let ideas settle in. Best would be to find a local group of people who are interested in helping you get started along your journey. So I'd probably first recommend something like that. A robot society, for example, might be one way. There are meetup groups in many local areas, which may bring talented people close to you. I think that's the best way to start out these days. Perhaps a group focused on making 3D printers (which involve micros) or ... well, something like that.

Do it. Really. You can pick this stuff up and get really good at it. But allow yourself some time and try and make a few contacts, if possible, locally. You need access to the minds of people who can interact with you and hear what you are missing and respond to that with descriptions that address your misconceptions as you go along.

Regardless of any or all of that, DEFINITELY get yourself a decent book on DC electronics -- I'd recommend looking for a textbook, as they will cover DC, AC, mesh and nodal analysis, and a few other basics you really need. And get a good one on bipolar transistors. (Mosfets are almost too easy, so you can pick that up from the people you meet.) And yes, get the 3rd edition of AofE. But just don't expect it to be a cakewalk. It's more a wonderful collage of interesting ideas, which inspire you in various directions, expose you to intriguing ways of doing things, and otherwise just make a lot of sense. But only if you have the basics down.