What is KiCad about? Starting with KiCad ... from Udemy

What's inside

Syllabus

Designing a simple board in KiCad

What is this course about

Installing & Examples

Starting a project, Creating Schematic Symbol

Creating Footprint

Adding 3D model to footprint

Assigning Footprint to Symbol, Updating Symbol

Drawing Schematic

Importing Schematic into PCB and Placement

Doing Layout

Rules & Settings

3D model, Updating Footprint, Assembly layer

DRC Check

Generating outputs: Schematic PDF, Gerbers, Drill File

Generating outputs: Assembly Drawing, Pick & Place, BOM

Thank you

Activities

Be better prepared before your course. Deepen your understanding during and after it. Supplement your coursework and achieve mastery of the topics covered in What is KiCad about? Starting with KiCad ... with these activities:

Review Basic Electronics Concepts

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Reviewing basic electronics concepts will provide a solid foundation for understanding KiCad's schematic and PCB design processes.

Browse courses on Ohm's Law

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Review online resources covering basic circuit theory.
Solve practice problems related to Ohm's Law and Kirchhoff's Laws.
Familiarize yourself with common electronic components.

Read 'Practical Electronics for Inventors'

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Reading this book will help you understand the electronic principles behind circuit design, making PCB layout more intuitive.

View Practical Electronics for Inventors, Fourth... on Amazon

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Obtain a copy of 'Practical Electronics for Inventors'.
Read the chapters relevant to circuit design and component selection.
Take notes on key concepts and formulas.

Design a Simple LED Flasher Circuit in KiCad

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Designing a simple circuit from start to finish in KiCad will reinforce the concepts learned in the course and provide hands-on experience.

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Create a schematic for an LED flasher circuit.
Design a PCB layout for the circuit.
Generate Gerber files for manufacturing.
Order the PCB and assemble the circuit.

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Document Your KiCad Project

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Creating documentation for your KiCad project will help you solidify your understanding and improve your communication skills.

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Write a description of your project's purpose and functionality.
Create a bill of materials (BOM) for your project.
Generate a schematic PDF and PCB layout image.
Write a step-by-step guide on how to assemble the project.

Explore 'Homebrew PCB Fabrication'

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Understanding PCB fabrication techniques will give you a deeper appreciation for the design constraints and considerations in KiCad.

View Putting Knowledge to Work on Amazon

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Obtain a copy of 'Homebrew PCB Fabrication'.
Read the chapters on different PCB fabrication methods.
Consider the implications of these methods on your KiCad designs.

Explore Advanced KiCad Features

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Exploring advanced features will help you expand your KiCad skills and tackle more complex projects.

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Find tutorials on topics like differential pair routing or impedance control.
Follow the tutorials to implement these features in a test project.
Document your findings and share them with others.

Contribute to KiCad Libraries

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Contributing to KiCad libraries will help you improve your component creation skills and give back to the community.

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Identify missing or inaccurate components in the KiCad libraries.
Create new schematic symbols and footprints for these components.
Submit your contributions to the KiCad library maintainers.

Career center

Learners who complete What is KiCad about? Starting with KiCad ... will develop knowledge and skills that may be useful to these careers:

Hobbyist Electronics Designer

A hobbyist electronics designer builds and designs electronics projects for personal enjoyment. This course will help the hobbyist electronics designer learn more about KiCad, which is a very popular free CAD software to draw schematics and do PCB layout. They will learn how to draw schematics, create schematic symbols and footprints, route a simple PCB, and generate documents to manufacture PCBs. This course may be useful for hobbyist electronics designers to go through a board design process and practice all the essential KiCad features which can then be used to create more complex boards.

See salaries and explore the career path for Hobbyist Electronics Designer

Printed Circuit Board Designer

A Printed Circuit Board Designer is responsible for creating the physical layouts of electronic circuits. This course will help you learn how to route a simple PCB, generate documents to manufacture a PCB, draw schematics, create schematic symbols and footprints, and go through a full board design process. With a free CAD software to draw schematic and do PCB Layout, this course may be useful for Printed Circuit Board Designers to understand all the essential features used to create complex boards.

See salaries and explore the career path for Printed Circuit Board Designer

Research and Development Engineer

Research and Development Engineers conduct research and develop new products or improve existing ones. This course may be useful for R&D Engineers who are working on electronics related projects. The course will help you learn how to draw schematics, create schematic symbols and footprints, and design PCBs. This will help R&D Engineers understand all the essential KiCad features which can be used to create more complex boards.

See salaries and explore the career path for Research and Development Engineer

Hardware Engineer

Hardware Engineers research, design, develop, and test computer systems and components. This course may be useful for learning how to draw schematics and create schematic symbols and footprints, as well as in understanding PCB layout. A Hardware Engineer will gain experience in generating outputs, such as schematic PDFs and Gerber files. This course can help you go through a board design process (schematic plus libraries plus PCB plus outputs) in order to practice all the essential KiCad features which can be useful when creating complex boards.

See salaries and explore the career path for Hardware Engineer

Mechatronics Engineer

Mechatronics Engineers design and develop automated and electromechanical systems. This course will help you learn how to draw schematics, create schematic symbols and footprints, and route a simple PCB. As a result, a Mechatronics Engineer will gain experience in generating outputs, such as schematic PDFs and Gerber files. This course may be useful for understanding all the essential KiCad features which can be used to create more complex boards.

See salaries and explore the career path for Mechatronics Engineer

Electrical Engineer

An Electrical Engineer designs, develops, tests, and supervises the manufacturing of electrical equipment. This course will help you gain insight in drawing schematics, creating schematic symbols and footprints, and routing a simple PCB, all essential skills for electrical engineers. Because this course goes through a board design process, going from schematic to libraries to PCB, and finally, to outputs, it may be useful for learning features that can be used to create more complex boards.

See salaries and explore the career path for Electrical Engineer

Instrumentation Engineer

Instrumentation Engineers design, develop, install, manage and maintain equipment used to monitor and control engineering systems and processes. This course may be helpful for learning how to draw schematics and create schematic symbols and footprints, as well as how to perform PCB layout. The course may assist in understanding hardware design principles, which is useful for instrumentation and control systems.

See salaries and explore the career path for Instrumentation Engineer

Avionics Technician

Avionics Technicians install, inspect, test, repair, and maintain aircraft electronics equipment. This course can help Avionics Technicians gain a foundation in understanding electronic schematics and PCB layouts. The course will assist in learning to read and interpret circuit diagrams, create schematic symbols and footprints, and understand the basics of PCB routing. This will help Avionics Technicians understand all the essential KiCad features which can be used to create more complex boards.

See salaries and explore the career path for Avionics Technician

Biomedical Engineer

Biomedical Engineers design and develop medical devices and equipment, merging engineering with biology and medicine. This course will help Biomedical Engineers understand the electronic design principles behind medical devices. The course will assist in learning how to draw schematics, create custom footprints for specialized sensors, and design PCBs for biomedical applications. This will help Biomedical Engineers understand all the essential KiCad features which can be used to create more complex boards.

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Computer Engineer

Computer Engineers research, design, develop, and test computer systems and components. This course may be useful to help a Computer Engineer understand the hardware aspects of computer systems. The course may assist in the skills of drawing schematics, creating schematic symbols and footprints, and designing PCBs, all of which are relevant to computer hardware design. With a free CAD software to draw schematic and do PCB Layout, this course might be useful to understand the essential features used to create complex boards.

See salaries and explore the career path for Computer Engineer

Firmware Engineer

Firmware Engineers design, develop, and test low level software that enables hardware to function. This course does not directly deal with software, but understanding hardware design is important. Because Firmware Engineers frequently work closely with hardware, the course could be useful for this role. The course could also assist in learning to draw schematics and create schematic symbols and footprints. With a free CAD software to draw schematic and do PCB Layout, this course may be useful for Firmware Engineers to understand all the features used to create complex boards.

See salaries and explore the career path for Firmware Engineer

Robotics Engineer

Robotics Engineers design, build, and maintain robots and robotic systems. This course may be helpful for Robotics Engineers in understanding the electronic components and PCB design involved in robotics. The course may assist in learning how to draw schematics and create custom footprints for specialized components. With a free CAD software to draw schematic and do PCB Layout, Robotics Engineers will be able to practice all the essential features to create complex boards.

See salaries and explore the career path for Robotics Engineer

Electronics Technician

Electronics Technicians install, maintain, and repair electronic equipment, and this course may assist that process. By learning how to draw schematics, create schematic symbols and footprints, and route a simple PCB, the course helps build a foundation for understanding circuit layouts. The course's coverage of generating outputs like schematic PDFs and gerber files can be useful when troubleshooting and repairing electronic systems. With a free CAD software, Electronics Technicians will be able to practice all the essential features to create more complex boards.

See salaries and explore the career path for Electronics Technician

Product Designer

Product Designers are involved in the design and development of new products, often requiring a blend of aesthetics and functionality. This course may assist with the electronics design aspects of product development. Learning how to draw schematics, create schematic symbols and footprints, and route a simple PCB can be very useful. The course may be useful for generating manufacturing outputs, ensuring designs are producible.

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CAD Technician

CAD Technicians use computer aided design software to create precision drawings and plans for a variety of projects. Because this course teaches you how to draw schematics, create schematic symbols and footprints, and use KiCad, this may be useful for CAD Technicians. The course may also assist in understanding the specific workflows for electronic designs, including generating outputs for manufacturing, with skills that might be useful in the field.

See salaries and explore the career path for CAD Technician

Reading list

We've selected two books that we think will supplement your learning. Use these to develop background knowledge, enrich your coursework, and gain a deeper understanding of the topics covered in What is KiCad about? Starting with KiCad ....

Practical Electronics for Inventors, Fourth Edition

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Provides a comprehensive overview of electronics, covering both theoretical concepts and practical applications. It's a valuable resource for understanding the underlying principles behind circuit design, which is essential for effective PCB layout in KiCad. While not strictly a KiCad book, it provides the necessary background knowledge. It is commonly used as a textbook in introductory electronics courses.

Practical Electronics for Inventors, Fourth Edition

Paperback

Putting Knowledge to Work

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Provides a comprehensive guide to fabricating PCBs at home, covering various techniques and tools. While the course focuses on generating outputs for professional manufacturing, understanding the homebrew process can provide valuable insights into PCB design considerations. This book is more valuable as additional reading than as a current reference.

Putting Knowledge to Work

Paperback

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Putting Knowledge to Work

Kindle Edition

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What is KiCad about? Starting with KiCad ...

What's inside

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