Introduction

KiCad is an electronics design tool that has evolved from a hobbyists application into one of today’s most well regarded electronics design tool packages. It’s an open-source software package that allows engineers, students and makers to create electronic schematics and printed circuit boards (PCBs) without having to pay expensive commercial licenses. It was a small project that has grown into a strong professional quality toolset with a global community and organizations like CERN supporting it. From designing the first basic circuit to creating a complex multi-layer board, KiCad is your freedom of design, verification and manufacturing. This article will explain to you what KiCad is, how to use it, the major features and why so many people use it for their projects.

1. What is KiCad, anyway?

KiCad is a cross-platform electronic design automation software, or EDA for short. It’s essentially a way to take an idea for a circuit and put it out on a board that can be implemented and produced. The software is available for Windows, Mac and Linux platforms, so you can use it on any type of computer.

Unlike many of the free tools that restrict layers, components or the size of the board, there are no artificial limitations in KiCad. Boards can be as layered as needed for your project, and you can add as many components as you want to the board. It is one of the reasons why it has gained popularity among both beginners and experts.

2. The Main Tools Inside KiCad.

KiCad is not one program but a suite of integrated programs that seamlessly interoperate. Different tools are responsible for various phases of the design process.

Start with the Schematic Editor. In this, you are going to draw the logical diagram of your circuit, inserting symbols for resistors, capacitors, microcontrollers and other components and drawing wires between these components. This stage is concerned with the electrical relationships between the components, but not how they will physically be placed on a board.

The physical design is created in the PCB Editor. Once you’ve finished drawing the schematic, you place the components on the board outline and draw the copper tracks that connect the components. The editor offers highly versatile routing capabilities, including interactive, push-and-shove routing which pushes existing tracks out of the way for you to work on.

There’s also a 3D Viewer where you can view a realistic model of your completed board before it is ever produced. This can help you detect mechanical issues like overlapping parts, or connectors oriented in the wrong direction. In addition to these, there are the Symbol Editor and Footprint Editor which enable you to design or edit the building blocks of your designs when the standard libraries don’t contain exactly what you need.

3. How the Design Workflow Flows

The process of working in KiCad is logical and follows the real engineering process. You typically start in the Schematic Editor by placing symbols and wiring them together. When the logic is correct, you assign a footprint to each component that will determine the real world physical shape and pad size of that component.

Then you will be in the PCB Editor where KiCad ingests your component list and connection information. You place all the parts on the board, set the edge of the board, and start routing. Built-in checking tools help you identify errors early on throughout the process. The Electrical Rules Check will check your schematic for any logical errors and the Design Rules Check will run the board to verify that the spacing and manufacturing limits you set are met.

If all is well, you create manufacturing files. KiCad generates industry standard Gerber files and drill files used by board fabrication houses to create your design. The software’s ability to seamlessly transition from design to production is one of its main advantages.

4. Rich Component Libraries

KiCad’s biggest asset is its extensive library of pre-installed libraries. Thousands of symbols and footprints are included for a wide variety of common symbols. This will save the designer a tremendous amount of design time since they usually do not have to design a part from scratch.

In addition to the official libraries, there are many parts available on the web contributed by the community, and by the manufacturers. There are a lot of component suppliers these days that provide downloadable KiCad components, so you can plug in a true representation of a particular chip and connector without fearing to get it wrong. The built-in editors make it easy to create your own when a part isn’t available.

5. Engineers & Makers are switching from Spice to KiCad.

For engineers and makers, why change from Spice to KiCad?

The first thing that comes to mind is that KiCad is totally free, but it isn’t a stripped down product. It is in direct competition with paid tools which cost hundreds or thousands of dollars per year, and in many areas is equal to or superior.

Being open source also means transparency and longevity. The code is open, meaning there are no hidden restrictions and no danger of a company cutting off a product and files behind a subscription. Your designs are yours: You can access them years later with any software that supports the open files you stored.

The vibrant community also enhances the value. Learning is simplified and problems are solved quicker through tutorials, forums, video guides and shared libraries. Thanks to CERN and other open-source communities, KiCad has evolved into a professional product and is becoming increasingly reliable and user friendly, providing the confidence to users that it will continue to develop.

6. Use examples of uses and real-world applications.

KiCad is an extremely wide-ranging application. It is also used by hobbyists to create their own boards for arduino projects, home automation devices and robotics. They use it to gain knowledge of the basics of circuit design without the licensing overhead. This is used by startups and small companies for developing commercial products with low cost.

Even research institutes and developed engineering groups use KiCad for their serious projects. The software can be used on projects of almost any size from breakout boards to complex controllers with dense routing. This versatility is one of the reasons that it continues to be popular and gain more users annually.

7. Here are some tips to get started.

If you are new to KiCad, start on a small simple board instead of starting on a large board. Making a simple circuit such as a basic LED circuit allows you to see the entire process of designing from schematic to gerber without feeling overwhelmed.

Use the official documentation and all the many free tutorials. With some time spent on learning the keyboard shortcuts and understanding how the libraries work, you’ll find your design process will speed up dramatically. Lastly, don’t forget to perform the electrical and design rule checks prior to sending anything to manufacturing because these checks prevent costly mistakes from turning into physical issues.

Conclusion

Powerful, professional electronics design need not be expensive with KiCAD! It provides a full range of tools, extensive libraries of symbols and components, complete freedom of design, and a very active community, making it an excellent tool for anyone dealing with circuits and PCBs. KiCad has everything you need to go from a scribbled design to a manufactured circuit board, from a beginning user to a seasoned engineer. It is an ongoing project that will keep getting better, and is a testament to the power of open-source software in such a technical area.

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