KiCAD for serious hardware development

[abhishek]

Kindly share if you succeed in setting such rule in custom rules section. Even if it is taking that rule into consideration during DRC checks that should be good enough since we will be aware that something is not right.

[Hemnandan]

Is it possible to auto replicate a placement of group to its similar other groups automatically in kicad ?

[hw1]

@Hemnandan do you mean in the PCB or in the schematic?

I suppose in the PCB. In the KiCAD, there are almost no automations. You can copy the group of components manually (normal copy and paste). You can place it on a specific location (Shift-M or Shift-P). When speaking of traces–it is not possible. You need to manually reassign nets to the new copied traces. Otherwise, the traces are pure copies of the nets from the original group.

[ravi.blore]

Thanks a lot!

[hw1]

𝐒𝐨𝐥𝐝𝐞𝐫 𝐦𝐚𝐬𝐤 𝐞𝐱𝐩𝐚𝐧𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐢𝐧 𝐊𝐢𝐂𝐀𝐃

Solder mask expansion, also known as solder mask clearance or solder mask swell, is the distance between the edge of a pad and the edge of the solder mask opening. The expansion is essential to provide sufficient clearance between the pad and the solder mask to prevent solder bridging and ensure proper soldering.

Along with the KiCAD v6 release, the Solder mask expansion feature changed.

Since the release of KiCAD v6 the Solder mask expansion setting in Board setup can expand Solder mask of all footprint WITHOUT the expanded mask.

Again:

If your footprint has defined solder mask expansion, the manufacturing data will follow the footprint setup.

If your footprint does not have that expansion, the Board setup - Solder mask expansion setting overrides that footprint.

[hw1]

𝐒𝐲𝐦𝐛𝐨𝐥 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐅𝐨𝐨𝐭𝐩𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐭 𝐜𝐡𝐞𝐜𝐤𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐤 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐢𝐧 𝐊𝐢𝐂𝐀𝐃

I bet all engineers using kicad know and use 𝗘𝗥𝗖 (Electrical Rule Check) and 𝗗𝗥𝗖 (Design Rule Check). Not everyone knows and uses Symbol Checker and Footprint Checker in the Symbol and Footprint editors.

They are big helpers. I encourage you to use them for each symbol, even the simple ones.

It is a single click, and one is a little step closer to a perfect KiCAD library.

[hw1]

𝐂𝐮𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐦 𝐏𝐨𝐰𝐞𝐫 𝐬𝐲𝐦𝐛𝐨𝐥𝐬 𝐢𝐧 𝐊𝐢𝐂𝐀𝐃

In a nutshell:

You need a custom Power symbol (for a ground or power domain).
Copy the existing generic symbol.
Edit 𝗦𝘆𝗺𝗯𝗼𝗹 𝗻𝗮𝗺𝗲, 𝗦𝘆𝗺𝗯𝗼𝗹 𝘃𝗮𝗹𝘂𝗲 and 𝗣𝗶𝗻 𝗻𝗮𝗺𝗲 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗽𝗮𝗿𝘁𝗶𝗰𝘂𝗹𝗮𝗿 𝗽𝗶𝗻.

Not everything is possible in kicad, but what is possible is simple to do.

[hw1]

𝐀𝐫𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐦𝐢𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚 𝟑𝐃 𝐦𝐨𝐝𝐞𝐥? 𝐌𝐚𝐤𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐨𝐰𝐧:bulb:

Did you know that creating custom 3D models for your KiCAD footprint libraries is easier than you think?

Although manufacturers or the community might not always provide valid 3D models, you can take matters into your own hands with FreeCAD.

In just 15-30 minutes, you can draw a simple sketch in the XY plane and use the Pad tool to extend it along the Z-axis. While the result might not be 100% perfect, it’s at least 80% perfect, and that’s good enough to get the job done!
I use #freecad to enhance my kicad experience by creating my own custom 3D models for footprints.

Don’t let the lack of pre-existing models hold you back; step up and create your own!

[hw1]

𝐊𝐢𝐂𝐀𝐃 𝐕𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝟕: 𝐄𝐧𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞𝐝 𝐂𝐨𝐦𝐩𝐨𝐧𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐒𝐲𝐦𝐛𝐨𝐥 𝐌𝐚𝐧𝐚𝐠𝐞𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐁𝐞𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐃𝐞𝐬𝐢𝐠𝐧 𝐅𝐥𝐞𝐱𝐢𝐛𝐢𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐲

kicad has always been a popular choice among hardware design engineers, and with the release of Version 7, it’s even more powerful! One of the standout features in this latest update is the improved component symbol management. The library item name is no longer used as the symbol value, allowing multiple components to share the same value while retaining unique library names.

Let’s take a look at an example: consider two capacitors, both with a value of 100 nF/50V. One is a standard commercial grade, and the other is AEC-Q100 qualified for automotive applications. In previous kicad versions, the library item name would dictate the component value, making it challenging to differentiate between the two capacitors.

With kicad Version 7, you can now have separate library names for each capacitor, such as “CAP_100nF_50V” for the standard commercial grade and “CAP_100nF_50V_AEC” for the AEC-Q100 version. This allows you to easily identify and select the right component for your design without any confusion.

This new feature not only streamlines your component libraries but also makes it easier to maintain consistency and accuracy throughout your designs. No more workarounds or manual edits required to differentiate between similar components!

The enhanced component symbol management in kicad Version 7 is a game-changer for hardware design engineers, providing increased flexibility and control over component selection. Give it a try and see the difference it makes in your design process!

[hw1]

𝐒𝐨𝐥𝐝𝐞𝐫 𝐦𝐚𝐬𝐤 𝐞𝐱𝐩𝐚𝐧𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐢𝐧 𝐊𝐢𝐂𝐀𝐃

Solder mask expansion, also known as solder mask clearance or solder mask swell, is the distance between the edge of a pad and the edge of the solder mask opening. The expansion is essential to provide sufficient clearance between the pad and the solder mask to prevent solder bridging and ensure proper soldering.

Along with the KiCAD v6 release, the Solder mask expansion feature changed.

Since the release of KiCAD v6 the Solder mask expansion setting in Board setup can expand Solder mask of all footprint WITHOUT the expanded mask.

Again:

If your footprint has defined solder mask expansion, the manufacturing data will follow the footprint setup.

If your footprint does not have that expansion, the Board setup - Solder mask expansion setting overrides that footprint.

[hw1]

𝗞𝗶𝗖𝗔𝗗 𝘃𝟳 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗰𝗼𝗽𝗽𝗲𝗿 𝘁𝗼 𝗲𝗱𝗴𝗲 𝗰𝗹𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲

What is this all about? The KiCAD v6 had the same design constraint as the new KiCAD v7. Both look the same but act differently.

The new KiCAD v7 really pours the copper planes to the edge of the board when the Copper to edge clearance is set to 0 mm.

The old KiCAD v6 summed the copper plane clearance + the Copper to edge clearance.

Be careful to set the Copper to edge clearance to a non-zero value in KiCAD v7.

[hw1]

𝐈 𝐝𝐢𝐝 𝐢𝐭 𝐚𝐠𝐚𝐢𝐧. 𝐈 𝐮𝐩𝐝𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐦𝐲 hashtag#kicad 𝐞𝐛𝐨𝐨𝐤 𝐮𝐬𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐊𝐢𝐂𝐀𝐃

𝑨 𝒕𝒐 𝒁 𝒐𝒇 𝑯𝒂𝒓𝒅𝒘𝒂𝒓𝒆 𝑫𝒆𝒔𝒊𝒈𝒏 𝑬𝒃𝒐𝒐𝒌 𝒆𝒅. 𝟐 is coming! Subscribe now to www.beny-devices.eu

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