From 238d323174504c389a7a547e9a487602af6e935c Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001 From: Mark van Renswoude Date: Sat, 10 Nov 2018 10:34:18 +0100 Subject: [PATCH] Updated transparencies (markdown) --- .../electronics/pcbfabrication/transparencies.md | 15 +++++++++++++++ 1 file changed, 15 insertions(+) diff --git a/electronics/electronics/pcbfabrication/transparencies.md b/electronics/electronics/pcbfabrication/transparencies.md index 16f3d81..c261bf7 100644 --- a/electronics/electronics/pcbfabrication/transparencies.md +++ b/electronics/electronics/pcbfabrication/transparencies.md @@ -3,3 +3,18 @@ [[Home|/home]] ► [[Electronics|/electronics]] ► [[Circuit board fabrication|/electronics/pcbfabrication]] ► Preparing transparencies (KiCad) ___ + +[[_TOC_]] + +# Designing the circuit board +I use KiCad ([[http://kicad-pcb.org/]]) for the schematic and board design. It has the typical open-source quirks, and there are easier online options as well, but I prefer it nonetheless. I won't write up a full blown tutorial at this point, but here are some tips and tricks: + +## Make sure you select the right copper layer, especially for through-hole components +Seems like a no-brainer, but I've found myself working for an hour on a layout only to realise I should've put the tracks for the through-hole components on the back copper layer (B.Cu). You can change the layer a track is on, but it's a hassle to do for an entire board. + +You can also correct this using the "Mirror" option when plotting, but it's best to be consistent. + +## Many symbols and footprints have already been created +If you find a symbol or footprint is missing from the standard library, Google for the part name for KiCad. There's plenty of GitHub repositories with components. I recommend placing them in the project folder and including it as a project-specific library. + +Another good source of free symbols and footprints is [[https://www.snapeda.com/]]. You can create an account for free, and they offer free downloads in KiCad format for many components. \ No newline at end of file