Week 7

This week I explored features and possibilities of KiCad and Autodesk Eagle for the electronics design.

I’ve started with blank KiCad window and done a lot of work to move to the PCB milling. I draw a functional scheme in the schematic editor, making the logical description of the connections:

Convenient addition of components to the scheme

During the design process, I realized that I could not find the footprints for some components, so I searched the Internet and found a separate library for them:

https://www.snapeda.com/parts/AVR-ISP/Gravitech/view-part/

Than I generated netlist:

Put additional LED and button components (with pull-up resistors)

One of the main concepts of KiCad is symbol and footprints separation. As a result, most of my characters didn’t have a suitable footprints and I had to bind them manually. After a long search, I decided to try to finish the process for the existing ones.

Than I generated layout scheme:

Than routing, i’ve routed the traces:

Drawing a boundary:

Handy 3D rendering of sample which I’ve designed.

Exporting to SVG:

Generating toolpath:

I’ve redrawed the echo hello-world board. And than I’ve moved to the manufacturing space to make PCB of modified echo hello-world board:

Here is the video of the process. The traces are quite thin, I need to do them thicker.

The best way to get new knowledge is to make a new mistakes - and this is one more fault (happy me):

Finally, I tried to use Autodesk Eagle as an EDA tool, and I liked it much more:

  • The symbols and footprints are linked in Device, so there is no need to look for separate libraries.
  • It seemed to me that the design rules were more clearly described in Eagle. I used the maximum distance between the tracks and components of 0.3mm, the same width

All my files are here

KiCad project file KiCad schematic file

Eagle schematic file Eagle board file Exported DXF board file

Conclusions

  1. I need to check and correct design rules - for example, for the width of traces.
  2. I need to get end mills which are match to the design rules and designed circuit.
  3. Right after end mills updating (it was broke during PCB making) - I will mill designed hello-world board.
  4. I definetely need to move further to make and test working echo hello-world board - and simulate its operation.