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WORKING WITH:

kiCAD

tutorial I followed

kiCAD website

• kiCAD is an ‘Open Source Electronics Design Automation Suite’

useful resource for PCB terminology

DEFINITIONS:

FOOTPRINT

:defines the copper connections between physical components and the routed traces on a circuit board

the physical interface between each electronical component and the printed circuit board

TRACK

: a conductive path that is used to connect 2 points in the PCB

PAD

: a small surface of copper in a printed circuit board that allows soldering the component to the board

two types; thru-hole and SMD (surface mount)

NET

: collection of pads on the PCB that should be electrically connected to one another

STEPS

• once you make a file, the sch file is your circuit editor

• using the third icon in the right toolbar, you can add new components/symbols for components

• arrange them into their according structure

• connect them one by one using wire (the white/green straight line in the right toolbar)

• assign values to components
  • click on a component and hit key e (or double left click)

• generate netlist (happens automatically during next step so disregard)

• go to assigning PCD footprints to schematic symbols (footprint assignment tool in top toolbar button)

THE POP-UP WINDOW: in the left column are the categories in the center column are the components you used in your circuit diagram in the right column are the individual components

• In the center, select the first of your components

• In the left, find the category in which it fits

• In the right, select one of the components within that category

• In the top left toolbar, you can check if this selected component suits your component by ‘viewing the selected footprint in footprint viewer’

• If it looks good to you, close the footprint viewer and double click on that component in the right column so it becomes visible in the center as well

• Do this for all your components

• press the button in the bottom right apply, save schematic and continue

• click okay

• after these steps, you can now go to PCB editor view

• Update PCB view from schematic

• in this pop-up window, click on update PCB

• place the PCB by clicking on an area in the PCB view

• We now need to arrange the components on the board

  • the shortcuts are the same as in the schematic editor

• You can then start routing

  • first we change a couple of design rules: decide which track to use and what copper (B.Cu PgUp)
  • select the routing tool in the right toolbar
  • if a track is overlapping, you can either: choose the other side of the copper (F.Cu PgDn) for that track wire method: use B.Cu PgUp and when it is about to overlap you right click and select place through via

• We now make the edge cuts

  • choose edge cuts in the top right (where you selected the copper)
  • select add graphic lines
  • make the outline of your circuit board

circuit with edge cuts

• You can view it in 3D, found in the drop-down view menu

circuit in 3D view

• To add mounting holes, select add footprint

  • click on a part on the board that is empty and a pop-up window will appear
  • find mounting hole, and the size you want (3.2mm M3 was used in tutorial)
  • apply where you require them

• Make sure all the yellow text (labels that will be printed) are confined within the board edge cuts

• You can add more text, like the title of your PCB
  • there is a tool in the right toolbar
  • a pop up window will appear where you can write the text
  • select the same material as the rest of the text labels (F.Silkscreen)
• select the front copper layer
• To add filled zones, select the add a filled zone tool
• in the pop-up window, select a net to ground to????

• select the edges of your board

• select the back copper layer
• add fill zone
• in the pop-up window, select a net to ground to???

• select the edges of your board

• to export;
  • click on plot in the top right bar
  • in the pop-up window, select an output directory
  • make sure front copper, back copper, front mask, back mask, front silk, back silk, and edge cut are selected
  • click on plot
  • click on generate drill file

SHORTCUTS:

m : hovering over a component and pressing key m to move it around

r : hovering over a component and pressing key r to rotate

command c : hovering over a component and pressing key c to copy it