Introduction

PCB Design Software: KiCad Install & Walkaround

Software: KiCad

The course uses KiCad, a free and open-source PCB design suite available at kicad.org. KiCad is a genuine alternative to commercial tools like Altium Designer or Cadence OrCAD. Because it is open source, your design files are never locked behind a licence or subscription.

To install: go to kicad.org, click Download, select your operating system, and choose the nearest mirror. Run the installer with default options. Accept the default installation directory and make sure the built-in symbol and footprint libraries are included - you will need them throughout the course.

KiCad Interface Overview

When KiCad launches you are presented with the main project window. This is the hub from which you open the individual tools. For most PCB projects you will move through them roughly in this order:

• Schematic Editor - draw your circuit using abstract symbols connected by wires and net labels. This captures what the circuit does, not its physical form.
• Symbol Editor - create or modify schematic symbols for components not covered by the built-in libraries.
• PCB Editor - the physical design space. Components appear as footprints (their real-world pad and courtyard geometry), and you route copper traces between them to implement the connections defined in the schematic.
• Footprint Editor - create or modify component footprints. A footprint defines the physical land pattern: pad size, pad spacing, courtyard, silkscreen outline.
• Gerber Viewer - inspect the manufacturing output files before sending them to a fabrication house.
• PCB Calculator - a utility for trace current capacity, via sizing, impedance, and other common calculations.
• Plugin and Content Manager - third-party add-ons that extend KiCad's capabilities. The ecosystem is active and worth browsing. There are many plugins that drastically improve certain workflows.

Design is iterative. You will bounce between the schematic editor and PCB editor as you refine the circuit and layout. The course walks through the process in a linear sequence to make it easier to follow, but expect to move back and forth on your own projects.