KiCad Workshop

KiCad

KiCad (https://www.kicad.org/) is a computer-aided tool for electrical schematic capture and designing printed circuit boards (PCBs). It is free and open software (FOSS) that runs on Macs, Linux, and Windows, and is under active development. It is powerful enough to compete with professional-level software like Altium and EagleCAD, yet is completely free and unencumbered by increasingly expensive subscriptions or cloud storage lock-in.

Workshop

In this workshop, each participant will design (and fabricate!) a printed circuit board using KiCad version 7. We will provide schematics for simple blinky badges, breakout boards, or bring your own ideas and make it a reality! Besides boring functional designs, we will lean into the artistic side of PCB creations where you can get creative. We will take you through PCB design from schematic to layout to "tape-out", and each participant can submit their design to OshPark for fabrication at a very affordable price (usually $5/square inch for 3 copies).

What YOU can make with KiCad

There is really no limit to what you can do with KiCad. Make a blinky badge or nametag for #badgelife. Make a breakout board for your favorite microcontroller system like RP2040 or ESP32. Professionalize a project by going from a ratsnest of modules and wires to a neat and robust circuit board. Add some art to a PCB and backlight it with LEDs. Revive end-of-life electronics. Make a PCB business card or logo. We have some starter projects that you can choose from, or let your imagination run wild!

Next scheduled workshop

• First Session, (3 hours) Getting started with KiCad; project manager, schematic capture and footprint assignments
• Second Session (3 hours) PCB design including part placement, edge routing, and using layers for art.
• Third Session (1-2 hours) (May be combined with Second Session) Design rule checks, "Tape-out" for submission to OshPark for PCB manufacture
• Fourth Session (3 hours) "Board Bringup" -- When parts are back from manufacturing, assembling and testing your board. Tips on bodging and fixing mistakes after the boards have been made.

Workshop Topics

We can cover most of the basics in 3 nights. Feel free to add topics.

• Introduction to KiCad: explaining the workflow and file management
• KiCad Modules
  • Project manager
  • Schematic editor
  • Symbol(component) editor
  • PCB layout editor
• Special topics
  • Making custom devices and libraries
  • Importing your art from other design programs
  • 3D models and integration with FreeCAD
  • Simulating your circuit with SPICE
• How to fab a board.
  • Error checking: ERC and DFM.
  • "Tape out:" Exporting Gerber and drill files from KiCad
  • Checking the Gerber and drill files in a viewer program
  • Uploading to fab houses for fabrication
• Board Bringup
  • checking your fabricated board
  • populating your fabricated board with components
  • power-up testing and trouble shooting ("smoke test!")
  • rework and bodging (fixing problems after the board has been made)

Tutorials

• https://docs.kicad.org/7.0/en/getting_started_in_kicad/getting_started_in_kicad.html
• https://blog.adafruit.com/2018/07/18/using-kicad-for-complex-shapes/
• https://www.hackster.io/glowascii/ipad-to-kicad-pcb-art-with-procreate-91edc9

About your instructors

• Jonathan Foote is a practicing EE with decades of circuit and PCB design experience. http:/www.rotormind.com/
• Merlin (Alex Glow) is a hardware hacker whom you might have seen on hackster.io http://alexglow.com/

List of PCB manufacturers

• OshPark
• Seeed Studio
• JLCPCB

List of component distributors

• Mouser
• Digikey
• LCSC
• Jameco