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Join our mailing list Stay up to date with latest software releases, news, software discounts, deals and more. Free Download. Share with Friends. The first release date was in by its original author, Jean-Pierre Charras, but is kicad pcbnew download odwnload under development by the KiCad Developers Team.
Schematic Capture With the schematic editor, you can create your design without limit; there are no paywalls to unlock features. An official library for schematic symbols and a built-in schematic symbol editor help you get started quickly with your designs.
Pcbnw capture is efficient, with all the tools you can expect for such a task. The interface focuses on productivity. There downloav no complexity limits, as large designs can be divided into hierarchical subsheets. KiCad for PC now has a push and shove router which is capable of routing differential pairs and interactively tuning trace lengths. This modern tool will help you layout your board faster.
As you draw your track, it pushes forward traces that are in the way. If that is not possible, your track will be rerouted around obstacles. The push and shove router will make sure that your Kicad pcbnew download constraints are respected. You can rotate and pan around to inspect details that are difficult to inspect on a 2D view. Multiple rendering options allow you to modify the aesthetic appearance of the board or to hide and show features for easier inspection.
When laying out your PCB, you can instantly inspect your design in an interactive 3D kifad. Rotate and pan around to inspect details easier than with a 2D display. Download KiCad bit Latest Version. Related Downloads. Top Downloads. Dodnload and User Reviews.
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The appearance panel provides controls to manage the visibility, color, and opacity of objects in the Pcbnew drawing canvas. It has three tabs: the Layers tab contains controls for the board layers, the Objects tab contains controls for different types of graphical objects, and the Nets tab contains controls for the appearance of the ratsnest and copper items.
In the Layers tab of the appearance panel, each board layer is shown with its color and visibility state. The active layer is shown highlighted with an arrow indicator to the left of the color swatch. Left-click on a layer to choose it as the active layer. Left-click on the corresponding visibility icon to toggle the layer between visible and hidden. Below the list of layers is an expandable panel that contains layer display options. The first setting controls how non-active layers are displayed: normal, dimmed, or hidden.
The layer display mode can be used to simplify the view and focus on a single layer. Items on inactive layers cannot be selected when the non-active layer display mode is "Dim" or "Hide". Flip board view will show the board as if you are looking from the bottom that is, mirrored around the Y-axis.
This option is also available in the View menu. The Objects tab of the appearance panel is similar to the Layers tab. The main differences are that some objects have no color setting and that four types of objects tracks, vias, pads, and zones have opacity control sliders.
The opacity setting here will be multiplied with any opacity set in the layer colors. By default, all objects are fully opaque except for zones, which are set to translucent in order to make it easier to see objects through filled zone areas.
Layer presets store which layers and objects are visible and hidden for easy recall. There are several built-in layer presets and you can save your own custom presets. Custom presets are stored in the project settings for a board, as presets may be specific to a certain board stackup.
To load a preset, choose it from the Presets drop-down menu at the bottom of the appearance panel or use the quick switcher by holding down Ctrl and pressing Tab.
When you let go of the Ctrl key, the highlighted preset will be loaded. Give your preset a name and it will now be available via the drop-down menu and the quick switcher. To modify a custom preset, follow the same process and save the modified version with the same name to overwrite the existing version. The Nets tab of the appearance panel shows a list of all nets and net classes in the board.
Each net has a visibility control that controls the visibility of that net in the ratsnest. Hiding nets in the ratsnest does not change the connectivity of the board and will not impact the design rule checker; it only is intended to make the ratsnest easier to understand.
Each net and net class can also have a color assigned. By default, this color applies to the ratsnest lines for the net or for all the nets in the net class. Nets have no color by default; this is indicated by a checkerboard pattern in the color swatch.
Double-click or right-click a net or net class color swatch to set the color. You can also select and highlight nets and net classes via the appearance panel: right-click on a net or net class to show these options in a menu. Below the list of net classes is an expandable panel that contains net display options.
The first option controls how net colors are applied. When "All" is selected, all copper items pads, tracks, vias, and zones belonging to a net or net class will take on the chosen color.
When "Ratsnest" is selected the default value , only the ratsnest is affected by net and net class colors. When "None" is selected, net and net class colors are ignored. The second option controls how ratsnest lines are drawn. Selecting items in the editing canvas is done with the left mouse button. Single-clicking on an object will select it and dragging will perform a box selection.
A box selection from left to right will only select items that are fully inside the box. A box selection from right to left will select any items that touch the box. A left-to-right selection box is drawn in yellow, with a cursor that indicates exclusive selection, and a right-to-left selection box is drawn in blue with a cursor that indicates inclusive selection.
The selection action can be modified by holding modifier keys while clicking or dragging. The following modifier keys apply when clicking to select single items:. The selection filter panel in the lower right corner of the Pcbnew window controls which types of objects can be selected with the mouse.
Turning off selection of unwanted object types makes it easier to select items in a dense board. The "All items" checkbox is a shortcut to turn the other items on and off. The "Locked items" checkbox is independent of the rest, and controls whether or not items that have been locked can be selected. You can right-click any object type in the selection filter to quickly change the filter to only allow selecting that type of object.
When a connected copper item is selected, you can expand the selection to other copper items of the same net using the Expand Selection command in the right-click context menu or with the hotkey U. The first time you run this command, the selection will be expanded to the nearest pad. The second time, the selection will be expanded to all connected items on all layers.
Selecting an object displays information about the object in the message panel at the bottom of the window. Pressing Esc will always cancel the current tool or operation and return to the selection tool.
Pressing Esc while the selection tool is active will clear the current selection. An electrical net or set of nets can be highlighted in the PCB editor to visualize how the net is routed across the PCB.
Net highlighting can be activated by selecting the net to highlight in the PCB editor or by selecting the corresponding net in the schematic editor when cross-probe highlighting is enabled see below. When net highlighting is active, the highlighted net or nets will be shown in a brighter color and all other items will be shown in a dimmer color than normal.
When you press the Highlight Net hotkey, the nets of any selected copper items will be highlighted. If no copper items are selected, the net of the copper item under the editor cursor will be highlighted. If there is no copper item under the cursor, any existing highlighting will be cleared. This action will turn the highlighting display on or off without choosing a new net to highlight.
KiCad allows bi-directional cross-probing between the schematic and the PCB. There are several different types of cross-probing. Selection cross-probing allows you to select a symbol or pin in the schematic to select the corresponding footprint or pad in the PCB if one exists and vice-versa.
By default, cross-probing will result in the display centering on the cross-probed item and zooming to fit. This behavior can be disabled in the Display Options section of the Preferences dialog. Highlight cross-probing allows you to highlight a net in the schematic and PCB at the same time. If the option "Highlight cross-probed nets" is enabled in the Display Options section of the Preferences dialog, highlighting a net or bus in the schematic editor will cause the corresponding net or nets to be highlighted in the PCB editor.
Note: by default, hiding the grid will disable grid snapping. This behavior can be changed in the Display Options section of Preferences. Note: this button will be highlighted when the non-active layer display mode is either Dim or Hide. In both cases, pressing the button will change the layer display mode to Normal. When a net has been selected for highlighting, switches the highlighting on or off. Note: this button will be disabled when no net has been highlighted.
Shows or hides the Appearance and Selection Filter panels on the right side of the editor. A printed circuit board in KiCad is generally made up of footprints representing electronic components and their pads, nets defining how those pads connect to each other, tracks , vias , and filled zones that form the copper connections between pads in each net, and various graphic shapes defining the board edge, silkscreen markings, and any other desired information.
KiCad normally keeps the information about nets on a PCB synchronized with an associated schematic, but nets can also be created and edited directly within the PCB editor. KiCad is capable of creating printed circuit boards with up to 32 copper layers, 14 technical layers silkscreen, solder mask, component adhesive, solder paste, etc , and 13 general-purpose drawing layers.
The internal measurement resolution of all objects in KiCad is 1 nanometer, and measurements are stored as bit integers. This means it is possible to create boards up to approximately 4 meters by 4 meters.
Creating a board from a schematic is the recommended workflow for KiCad. When you create a new project, KiCad will generate an empty board file with the same name as the project. To start designing the board after you have created a schematic, simply open the board file. You can do this either from the KiCad project manager, or by clicking the "Open PCB in board editor" button in the schematic editor.
You can also use the icon in the top toolbar. The tool adds the footprint for each symbol to the board and transfers updated schematic information to the board. You can show or hide different types of messages using the checkboxes at the bottom of the window.
Footprints are normally linked to schematic symbols via a unique identifier created when the symbol is added to the schematic. If checked, each footprint in the PCB will be re-linked to the symbol that has the same reference designator as the footprint. If unchecked, footprints and symbols will be linked by unique identifier as usual, rather than by reference designator.
This option should generally be left unchecked. It is useful for specific workflows that rely on changing the links between schematic symbols and footprints, such as refactoring a schematic for easier layout or replicating layout between identical channels of a design. Footprints with the "Not in schematic" attribute will be unaffected. If checked, footprints in the PCB will be replaced with the footprint that is specified in the corresponding schematic symbol.
If unchecked, footprints that are already in the PCB will not be changed, even if the schematic symbol is updated to specify a different footprint.
It is also possible to create a board with no matching schematic, although this workflow has some limitations and is not recommended for most users. Before beginning your design, it is a good idea to save the board file, which will also create a project file to store board settings. A project file with the same name will be created in the same location you choose to save the board file in.
Before beginning your board design, use the Board Setup dialog to configure the basic parameters of the board. There are two sections of Board Setup used to configure the stackup and layers of the board. The Board Editor Layers section is used to enable or disable technical non-copper layers, and give custom names to layers if desired.
The Physical Stackup section is used to configure the number of copper layers, as well as the physical parameters of the copper and dielectric layers such as thickness and material type. Set the number of copper layers in the upper left corner and then enter the physical parameters of the stackup if desired.
These parameters may be left at their default values, but note that the board thickness value will be used when exporting a 3D model of the board. If you plan to use this feature, it is a good idea to ensure that the stackup thickness is correct. Next, if desired, use the Board Editor Layers section to rename layers or hide non-copper layers that you will not be using in the design.
For example, if you will not use a back silkscreen on the design, uncheck the box next to the B. Silkscreen layer. The Board Finish section has settings for defining the copper finish and special features such as castellations or edge plating.
Note that these settings only impact the board attributes output as part of Gerber job files at this time. These values will be added to any clearance overrides set on individual footprints or pads.
Positive clearance values will result in the shape of the solder mask or paste opening being larger than the copper shape. Negative clearance values will result in the opening being smaller than the copper shape.
Line thickness, text size, and text appearance can be configured for the six different categories of layers shown in the dialog. Additionally, the properties for dimension objects can be configured for all layers.
For more details about dimension properties, see the Dimensions section below. Text replacement variables can be created in the Text Variables section. These variables allow you to substitute the variable name for any text string. If you change the substitution to 2. You can also mix regular text and variables.
Design rules control the behavior of the interactive router, the filling of copper zones, and the design rule checker. Design rules can be modified at any time, but we recommend that you establish all known design rules at the beginning of the board design process. Basic design rules are configured in the Constraints section of the Board Setup dialog. Constraints in this section apply to the entire board and should be set to the values recommended by your board manufacturer. Any minimum value set here is an absolute minimum and cannot be overridden with a more specific design rule.
For example, if you need the copper clearance on part of a board to be 0. This setting must be enabled before you can place blind or buried vias using the router. Blind vias are mechanically-drilled vias that start at one of the outer copper layers but end at one of the inner layers. Buried vias are mechanically-drilled vias that start and end at inner copper layers. This setting must be enabled before you can place microvias using the router. Microvias are typically laser-drilled vias that connect an outer copper layer to the adjacent inner layer.
KiCad supports a separate size constraint for microvias as they typically can be smaller than mechanically-drilled vias. In some situations, KiCad must use a series of straight line segments to approximate round shapes such as those of arcs and circles.
This setting controls the maximum error allowed by this approximation: in other words, the maximum distance between a point on one of these line segments and the true shape of the arc or circle. Setting this to a lower number than the default value of 0. The default value typically results in arc approximation error that is not detectable in the manufactured board due to manufacturing tolerances.
The new algorithm produces slightly different results from the old algorithm, so this setting allows the old behavior to be preserved to prevent producing different Gerber outputs when opening an old design in the latest version of KiCad. We recommend using the Smoothed Polygons mode for all new designs. Zones can have fillets rounded corners added in the Zone Properties dialog.
By default, no zone copper, including fillets, is allowed outside the zone outline. This effectively means that inside corners of the zone outline will not be filleted even when a fillet is configured. By enabling this setting, inside corners of the zone outline will be filleted even though this results in copper from the zone extending outside the zone outline. By default, the height of the stackup is used to calculate the additional length of a track that travels through vias from one layer to another.
This calculation relies on the board stackup height being correctly configured. In some situations, it is preferable to ignore the height of vias and just calculate the track length assuming that vias add no length. Disabling this setting will exclude via length from track length calculations.
The pre-defined sizes section allows you to define the track and via dimensions you want to have available while routing tracks. Net classes can be used to define the default dimensions for tracks and vias in different nets see below but defining a list of sizes in this section will allow you to step through these sizes while routing.
For example, you may want the default track width on a board to be 0. You can define each of these track widths in the Board Setup dialog and then switch between them when routing traces. The Net Classes section allows you to configure routing and clearance rules for different classes of nets. In KiCad, each net is part of exactly one net class. If you do not add a net to a specific class, it will be part of the Default class, which always exists.
The upper portion of the Net Classes section contains a table showing the design rules that apply to each net class. Every class has values for copper clearance, track width, via sizes, and differential pair sizes. These values will be used when creating tracks and vias unless a more specific rule overrides them see Custom Rules below. The track widths and via sizes defined for each net class are used when the track width and via size controls are set to "use netclass values" in the PCB editor.
These widths and sizes are considered the default, or optimal, sizes for that netclass. They are not minimum or maximum values. Manually changing the track width or via size to a different value from that defined in the Net Classes section will not result in a DRC violation.
To restrict track width or via size to specific values, use Custom Rules. The Custom Rules section contains a text editor for creating design rules using the custom rules language. Custom rules are used to create specific design rule checks that are not covered by the basic constraints or net class settings. Custom rules will only be applied if there are no errors in the custom rules definitions.
Use the Check Rule Syntax button to test the definitions and fix any problems before closing Board Setup. See Custom Design Rules in the Advanced Topics chapter for more information on the custom rules language as well as example rules.
The Violation Severity section allows you to configure the severity of each type of design rule check. Each rule may be set to create an error marker, a warning marker, or no marker ignored. You can import part or all of the board setup from an existing board. This technique can be used to create a "template" board that has the settings you want to use on multiple designs, and then importing these settings from the template board into each new board rather than entering them manually.
Select which settings you want to import and the current settings will be overwritten with the values from the chosen board. Placement and drawing tools are located in the right toolbar.
When a tool is activated, it stays active until a different tool is selected or the tool is canceled with the Esc key. The selection tool is always activated when any other tool is canceled. Some toolbar buttons have more than one tool available in a palette. These tools are indicated with a small arrow in the lower-right corner of the button:.
To show the palette, you can click and hold the mouse button on the tool or click and drag the mouse. The palette will show the most recently used tool when it is closed. Local ratsnest tool: when the board ratsnest is hidden, selecting footprints with this tool will show the ratsnest for the selected footprint only. Selecting the same footprint again will hide its ratsnest.
The local ratsnest setting for each footprint will remain in effect even after the local ratsnest tool is no longer active. Footprint placement tool: click on the board to open the footprint chooser, then click again after choosing a footprint to confirm its location. The interactive router is described in more detail in the Routing Tracks section below.
Tune length: These tools allow you to tune the length of single tracks or the length or skew of differential pairs, after they have been routed. See the Routing Tracks section for details. Vias placed on top of tracks using this tool will take on the net of the closest track segment and will become part of that track the via net will be updated if the pads connected to the tracks are updated. Vias placed anywhere else will take on the net of a copper zone at that location, if one exists.
These vias will not automatically take on a new net if the net of the copper zone is changed. Add filled zone: Click to set the start point of a zone, then configure its properties before drawing the rest of the zone outline.
Zone properties are described in more detail below. Add rule area: Rule areas, formerly known as keepouts, can restrict the placement of items and the filling of zones and can also define named areas to apply specific custom design rules to. Note: Lines are graphical objects and are not the same as tracks placed with the Route Tracks tool.
Graphical objects cannot be assigned to a net. Note: Filled graphical polygons are not the same as filled zones: graphical polygons cannot be assigned to a net and will not keep clearance from other items. When moving, dragging, and drawing board elements, the grid, pads, and other elements can have snapping points depending upon the settings in the user preferences.
In complex designs, snap points can be so close together that it makes the current tool action difficult. Both grid and object snapping can be disabled while moving the mouse by using the modifier keys in the table below. All objects have properties that are editable in a dialog. Use the hotkey E or select Properties from the right-click context menu to edit the properties of selected item s. You can only open the properties dialog if all the items you have selected are of the same type.
To edit the properties of different types of items at one time, see the section below on bulk editing tools. In properties dialogs, any field that contains a numeric value can also accept a basic math expression that results in a numeric value. Basic arithmetic operators as well as parentheses for defining order of operations are supported.
The properties of each individual pad of a footprint can be inspected and edited after placing the footprint on the board. In other words, it is possible to override the design of an individual footprint pad in a specific instance of the footprint on the board, if the footprint design in the library is not appropriate.
For example, you may wish to remove the solder paste aperture for a pad that needs to remain unsoldered in a specific design, or you may wish to move the location of a through-hole pad for an axial-lead resistor in order to fit a specific design. The pad properties dialog is opened through the context menu or default hotkey E when a pad is selected.
Note that KiCad assumes that if you click near a pad, you are probably trying to select the entire footprint rather than a single pad. To select a single pad, make sure to click inside the pad area, or turn off the Footprints setting in the selection filter and make sure the Pads setting is turned on to prevent accidental selection of the entire footprint rather than a specific pad.
The General tab of the pad properties dialog shows the physical properties of the pad, including its geometry, shape, and layer settings. SMD pads are electrically-connected and have no hole. In other words, they exist on a single copper layer.
Through-hole pads are electrically-connected and have a plated hole. The hole exists on every layer, and the copper pad exists on multiple layers see Copper layers setting below. Cuts layer. NPTH, Mechanical pads are non-plated through holes that do not have an electrical connection. SMD Aperture pads are pads that have no hole and no electrical connection. These can be used to add specific designs to a technical layer, for example a paste or solder mask aperture.
The Copper layers setting controls which copper layers will have a shape associated with the pad. For SMD pads, the options are F. Cu or B. In other words, if a pad is set to exist on B. Cu in its properties, and the footprint is flipped to the back of the board, that pad will now exist on F.
Cu, because it also has been flipped. For through-hole pads, it is possible to remove the pad shape from copper layers where the pad is not electrically connected to other copper tracks or filled zones. Setting the copper layers to connected layers only will remove the pad shape from any unconnected layers, and setting to F.
Cu, B. Cu, and connected layers will remove the pad shape from any internal unconnected layers. This can be useful in dense board designs to increase the routable area on internal layers. By default, pads have apertures on the paste and mask layers matching their copper layer. Specify pad to die length: This setting allows a length to be associated with this pad that will be added to the routed track length by the track length tuning tools and the Net Inspector. This can be used to specify internal bondwire lengths for more accurate length matching, or in other situations where the electrical length of a net is longer than the length of the routed tracks on the board.
The aperture appearing on any technical layer will have the same shape and size as the pad shape on the copper layer s.
In the PCB manufacturing process, the manufacturer will often change the relative size of mask and paste apertures relative to the copper pad size, but since this size change is specific to a manufacturing process, most manufacturers expect the design data to be provided with the apertures set to the same size as the copper pads.
This can be adjusted according to the following rule:. A value of 0 makes rotation impossible, 10 allows it completely, and any intermediate value represents a limited rotation. This attribute is most useful for surface mount components SMDs. Virtual indicates that a component is directly formed by the circuit board. Examples would be edge connectors or inductors created by a particular track shape as sometimes seen in microwave footprints.
It is strongly recommended to document newly created footprints, in order to facilitate their rapid and accurate retrieval. Who is able to recall the multiple pin-out variants of a TO92 footprint? The Footprint Properties dialog offers a simple and yet powerful means for documentation generation. The comment line is displayed with the component list in CvPcb and in the footprint selection menus in Pcbnew.
The keywords can be used to restrict searches to those parts possessing the given keywords. A footprint may be associated with a file containing a three-dimensional representation of the component. In order to associate a footprint with a model file, select the 3D Settings tab as shown below.
Add 3D Shape shows a 3D file selection dialog and creates a new model entry for the component. Configure Paths shows a configuration dialog which allows the user to edit the list of path aliases and alias values. The 3D Settings tab contains a panel with a preview of the selected model and the scale, offset, and rotation data for the model.
Some users employ a simple VRML box as a generic model for components and select scale values so that the box has the correct size to represent the component. Offset and Rotation values are typically required to align a 3D model with a footprint.
Due to differences in 3D modeling software as well as differences in how users construct a model, in the vast majority of cases it is necessary for users to enter Offset and Rotation values to achieve the desired positioning of a 3D model. The Rotation values are given in degrees and are applied successively in the order ZYX; the convention used is that a positive angle results in a clockwise rotation of the part when viewing from the positive position of the axis towards the origin.
Other base directories for models could be specified by using additional environment variables. The current version of KiCad has a specialized alias system for handling 3D model names. The aim of the new file name management system filename resolution system is to provide a scheme which is compatible with earlier versions of KiCad while offering a more flexible mechanism for specifying 3D model file names and improving the ability to share project files.
Due to the requirement to support previous schemes while offering a flexible new scheme for finding 3D models, there are two distinct methods for specifying base search paths for 3D models. Setting additional paths within this dialog will extend the search paths used to find 3D model files.
The newer scheme to support shortened file names is the alias system. In this system a path begins with the string :my alias: where my alias is a text string which is preferably chosen to be short while also being significant to the user; for example an alias to a directory containing the official KiCad models may have an alias Official Models while your personal model collection may have an alias My Models.
The aliases may be set up by clicking on the Configure Paths button within the 3D Settings tab shown previously. The alias configuration dialog is shown below. The model browser provides a 3D preview, file filter, and a drop-down path selector which contains the current list of search paths defined via environment variables or aliases. Depending on the model size and complexity it may take a few seconds for a model to be displayed when it is selected.
In an extreme case a BGA package model which was used during testing took around 12 seconds to display. The save command modification of the file of the active library is activated by the button. If a footprint of the same name exists an older version , it will be overwritten. Because it is important to be able to have confidence in the library footprints, it is worth double-checking the footprint for errors before saving.
Before saving, it is also recommended to change the reference or value of the footprint to be equal to the library name of the footprint. If the edited footprint comes from the current board, the button will update this footprint on the board.
There are some more advanced editing tools available in Pcbnew and Footprint Editor, which can help you to efficiently lay out components on the canvas. Duplication is a method to clone an item and pick it up in the same action. It is broadly similar to copy-and-pasting, but it allows you to "sprinkle" components over the PCB and it allows you to manually lay out components using the "Move Exact" tool see below more easily.
Duplication is done by using the hotkey which defaults to Ctrl-D or the duplicate item option in the context menu, icon. The "Move Exact" tool allows you to move an item or group of items by a certain amount, which can be entered in Cartesian or polar formats and which can be entered in any supported units. This is useful when it would otherwise be cumbersome to switch to a different grid, or when a feature is not spaced according to any existing grids. To use this tool, select the items you wish to move and then use either the hotkey defaults to Ctrl-M or the context menu items to invoke the dialog.
You can also invoke the dialog with the hotkey when moving or duplicating items, which can make it easy to repeatedly apply an offset to multiple components. The checkbox allows you to switch between Cartesian and polar co-ordinate systems.
Whatever is currently in the form will be converted automatically to the other system. Then you enter the desired move vector. You can use the units indicated by the labels "mm" in the images above or you can specify the units yourself e.
Pressing OK will apply the translation to the selection, and cancel will close the dialog and the items will not be moved. If OK is pressed, the move vector will be saved and pre-filled next time the dialog is opened, which allows repeated application of the same vector to multiple objects. Pcbnew and the Footprint Editor both have assistants for creating arrays of features and components, which can be used to easily and accurately lay out repetitive elements on PCBs and in footprints.
The array tool acts on the component under the cursor, or, in GAL mode, on a selection. It can be accessed either via the context menu, icon for the selection or by a keyboard shortcut defaults to Ctrl-N. The array tool is presented as a dialog window, with a pane for the types of arrays. There are two types of arrays supported so far: grid, and circular.
Each type of array can be fully specified on the respective panes. Geometric options how the grid is laid out go on the left; numbering options including how the numbers progress across the grid on the right. Grid arrays are arrays that lay components out according to a 2-dimensional square grid.
This kind of array can also produce a linear array by only laying out a single row or column. Horizontal spacing : the horizontal distance from item to the item in the same row and next column. If this is negative, the grid progresses from right to left. Vertical spacing : the vertical distance from one item to the item in the same column and the next row. If this is negative, the grid progress bottom to top. Horizontal offset : start each row this distance to the right of the previous one.
Numbering Direction : Determines whether numbers proceed along rows and then moves to the next row, or down columns and then to the next column. Note that the direction on numbering is defined by the sign of the spacing: a negative spacing will result in right-to-left or bottom-to-top numbering.
Reverse numbering on alternate rows or columns : If selected, the numbering order left-to-right or right-to-left, for example on alternate rows or columns. Whether rows or columns alternate depends on the numbering direction. This option is useful for packages like DIPs where the numbering proceeds up one side and down the other. Coordinate : the numbering uses a two-axis scheme where the number is made up of the row and column index.
Which one comes first row or column is determined by the numbering direction. Circular arrays lay out items around a circle or a circular arc.
The circle is defined by the location of the selection or the centre of a selected group and a centre point that is specified. Below is the circular array configuration dialog:. Horizontal center , Vertical center : The centre of the circle. The radius field below will update automatically when you adjust these. Angle : The angular difference between two adjacent items in the array. Set this to zero to evenly divide the circle with "count" elements.
Rotate : Rotate each item around its own location. Otherwise, the item will be translated but not rotated for example, a square pad will always remain upright if this option is not set. Circular arrays have only one dimension and a simpler geometry than grids.
The meanings of the available options are the same as for grids. Items are numbered clockwise - for an anticlockwise array, specify a negative angle.
The measurement tool is a linear ruler that can be used to visually check sizes and spacings on a PCB. It is accessible via the calipers icon in the right hand toolbar, in the "Dimension" menu and with the hotkey Ctrl-Shift-M by default. When active, you can draw a temporary ruler over the canvas, which will be marked with the current units.
You can snap to degree angles by holding the Ctrl key. Units can be changed without leaving the tool using the ususal hotkey Ctrl-U by default. Scripting allows you to automate tasks within KiCad using the Python language.
Also see the doxygen documentation on Python Scripting Reference. Footprint Wizards : To help you build footprints easily filling in parameters. See the dedicated section Footprint Wizards below. Actions ' experimental ': Associate events to scripting actions or register new menus or toolbar icons. Command Line Scripts : scripts that can be used from the command line, load boards or libraries, modify them, and render outputs or new boards.
It shall be noted that the only KiCad application that supports scripting is Pcbnew. It is also planned for Eeschema in the future. All the pcbnew API is provided from the "pcbnew" module in Python. GetBoard method will return the current pcb open at editor, useful for commands written from the integrated scripting shell inside pcbnew or action plugins.
LoadBoard filename : loads a board from file returning a BOARD object, using the file format that matches the filename extension. BOARD contains a set of object lists that can be accessed using the following methods, they will return iterable lists that can be iterated using "for obj in list:".
GetFullRatsnest : Returns the list of ratsnest connections still not routed. The footprint wizards are a collection of python scripts that can be accessed from the Footprint Editor. If you invoke the footprint dialog you select a given wizard that allows you to see the footprint rendered, and you have some parameters you can edit.
If the plugins are not properly distributed to your system package, you can find the latest versions in the KiCad source tree at gitlab. Action plugin associate events to scripting actions. Currently only register a new menu is implemented. Toggle navigation Docs. Reference manual. Publication date and software version. Principal design features The smallest unit in pcbnew is 1 nanometer.
All dimensions are stored as integer nanometers. In full or outline. With or without track clearance. Footprints can be rotated to any angle, with a resolution of 0. Fast pad numbering by simply dragging the mouse over pads in the order you want them numbered. Semi-automatic aligning of rows or columns of pads. General remarks Due to the degree of control necessary it is highly suggested to use a 3-button mouse with pcbnew. Installation Installation of the software The installation procedure is described in the KiCad documentation.
Modifying the default configuration A default configuration file kicad. This configuration file can be modified to change the libraries to be loaded. Select Preferences - Libs and Dir. Edit as required. Managing Footprint Libraries As of release 4. All other formats are read only. There are two footprint library tables: the global one and the project one. Global Footprint Library Table The global footprint library table contains the list of libraries that are always available regardless of the currently loaded project file.
Project Specific Footprint Library Table The project specific footprint library table contains the list of libraries that are available specifically for the currently loaded project file. It can be time consuming to have many libraries, especially if they are only found online such as the Github libraries. The colon : character cannot be used anywhere in the nickname.
Paths can be defined as absolute, relative, or by environment variable substitution see below The appropriate plug in type must be selected in order for the library to be properly read.
Environment Variable Substitution One of the most powerful features of the footprint library table is environment variable substitution. Adding Table Entries using the Library Wizard There is an interactive wizard that can assist you adding libraries to your library tables.
It can also be launched from the library manager, using the "Append With Wizard" button. After a set of libraries is selected, the next page validates the choice:. Adding Existing Local Libraries You might have local libraries already on your computer.
For example:. Adding Libraries from Github The wizard can also add libraries from Github with the "Github repository" option. You need to specify the Github account that contains the repositories you want to add.
A KiCad library is a directory that contains some number of. Sending pull requests via Github will allow the automatic library standards checker to verify your proposed changes. See KiCad Library Conventions for details of the library conventions. Using the GitHub Plugin The GitHub plugin is a special plugin that provides an interface for read-only access to a remote GitHub repository consisting of.
The table below shows a footprint library table entry with the default options no COW support :. You can also contribute to library developement using local Git clones of the relevant libraries using the KiCad plugin and submitting pull requests to the library maintainers. Caching Github requests The Github plugin can be slow, as it must download all the libraries from the Internet before they can be used. Usage Patterns Footprint libraries can be defined either globally or specifically to the currently loaded project.
A common practice is to copy all the footprints you use to a separate version-controlled location, so that this project is not unexpectedly affected by changes to system or user libraries. General operations Toolbars and commands In Pcbnew it is possible to execute commands using various means:. Text-based menu at the top of the main window. Top toolbar menu. Right toolbar menu. Left toolbar menu.
Mouse buttons menu options. Specifically: The right mouse button reveals a pop-up menu the content of which depends on the element under the mouse arrow. The screenshot below illustrates some of the possible accesses to these operations:.
Mouse commands Basic commands Left button Single-click selects and displays the characteristics of the element under the cursor in the lower message panel. Single-click hold and drag starts a block selection operation. Right button Displays a pop-up menu with the operations permitted on the element under the cursor. Force display of disambiguation pop-up menu. Blocks Selection behavior The block drag behavior determines how elements are selected.
Dragging left to right selects only elements fully contained within the block. Dragging right to left selects elements fully contained within and intersect the block. Operations on blocks Operations to move, invert mirror , copy, rotate and delete a block are all available via the pop-up menu. Move block to new position and operate left mouse button to place the elements. Selection of grid size During element layout the cursor moves on a grid. Adjustment of the zoom level The zoom level can be changed using any of the following methods:.
Open the pop-up window using the right mouse button and then select the desired zoom. Displaying cursor coordinates The cursor coordinates are displayed in inches or millimeters as selected using the 'In' or 'mm' icons on the left hand side toolbar. The current zoom setting. The absolute position of the cursor. Keyboard commands - hotkeys Many commands are accessible directly with the keyboard. Available only if the Footprint mode or the Track mode is active V : if the track tool is active switches working layer or place via, if a track is in progress.
Space : reset relative coordinates. Operation on blocks Operations to move, invert mirror , copy, rotate and delete a block are all available from the pop-up menu. Units used in dialogs Units used to display dimensions values are inch and mm. Spaces between the number and the unit are accepted.
Only the first two letters are significant. Top menu bar The top menu bar provides access to the files loading and saving , configuration options, printing, plotting and the help files.
The File menu. Edit menu Allows some global edit actions:. Display Library browser and 3D viewer. Zoom functions Setting grid and units Select Drawing mode and Contrast mode. Here is a sample:. Setup menu Provides access to 2 dialogs:. Setting Layers number, enabled and layers names Setting Design Rules tracks and vias sizes, clearances.
Size of texts and the line width for drawings. Dimensions and characteristic of pads. Setting the global values for solder mask and solder paste layers. Place menu Same function as the right-hand toolbar. Route menu Routing function. List nets Measure function Design Rules Checker. The Preferences menu. Selection of the footprint libraries. Management of general options units, etc. The management of other display options.
Creation, editing and re-read of the hot keys file. The Help menu Provides access to the user manuals and to the version information menu Pcbnew About. Using icons on the top toolbar This toolbar gives access to the principal functions of Pcbnew. Auxiliary toolbar Selection of thickness of track already in use. Selection of a dimension of via already in use. Selection of the grid size. Selection of the zoom. Right-hand side toolbar This toolbar gives access to the editing tool to change the PCB shown in Pcbnew.
Placement of footprints, tracks, zones of copper, texts, etc. Net Highlighting. Creating notes, graphic elements, etc. Deleting elements. Pop-up windows and fast editing A right-click of the mouse opens a pop-up window. Changing the display center display on cursor, zoom in or out or selecting the zoom.
Setting the grid size. Available modes There are 3 modes when using pop-up menus. Normal mode Pop-up menu with no selection:.
Footprint mode Same cases in Footprint Mode enabled. Tracks mode Same cases in Track Mode enabled. Schematic Implementation Linking a schematic to a printed circuit board Generally speaking, a schematic sheet is linked to its printed circuit board by means of the netlist file, which is normally generated by the schematic editor used to make the schematic. Procedure for creating a printed circuit board After having created your schematic in Eeschema:. Generate the netlist using Eeschema.
Procedure for updating a printed circuit board If the schematic is modified after a printed circuit board has been generated , the following steps must be repeated:.
Generate a new netlist file using Eeschema. Reading netlist file - loading footprints Dialog box Accessible from the icon. Available options Footprint Selection Components and corresponding footprints on board link: normal link is Reference normal option Timestamp can be used after reannotation of schematic, if the previous annotation was destroyed special option Exchange Footprint: If a footprint has changed in the netlist: keep old footprint or change to the new one.
Unconnected Tracks Keep all existing tracks, or delete erroneous tracks Extra Footprints Remove footprints which are on board but not in the netlist. Single Pad Nets Remove single pad nets. Loading new footprints With the GAL backend when new footprints are found in the netlist file, they will be loaded, spread out, and be ready for you to place as a group where you would like.
Move the mouse cursor to a suitable free of component area, and click on the right button:. Automatically Place New Footprints, if there is already a board with existing footprints.
Automatically Place All Footprints, for the first time when creating a board. Layers Introduction Pcbnew can work with 50 different layers:. Between 1 and 32 copper layers for routing tracks.
Layer Description Copper Layers Copper layers are the usual working layers used to place and re-arrange tracks. Paired Technical Layers 12 technical layers come in pairs: one for the front, one for the back.
Adhesive F. Adhes and B. Adhes These are used in the application of adhesive to stick SMD components to the circuit board, generally before wave soldering. Solder Paste F. Paste and B. Paste Used to produce a mask to allow solder paste to be placed on the pads of surface mount components, generally before reflow soldering.
Silk Screen F. SilkS and B. SilkS They are the layers where the drawings of the components appear. Mask and B. Mask These define the solder masks. Courtyard F. CrtYd and B. Fabrication F. Fab and B. Fab The fabrication layers are primarily used for documentation purposes to convey information to, for example, the PCB maker or the assembly house. Independant Technical Layers Edge. Cuts This layer is reserved for the drawing of circuit board outline. Layers for general use These layers are for any use.
This codebase is under active development, and while we try our best, may contain more bugs than usual. New features added to KiCad can be tested in these builds. Donating to KiCad via The Linux Foundation provides funds for project development and the developers behind it.
The Linux Foundation is a c 6 non-profit organization in the US. Your country's tax laws may provide you with a benefit for this donation. Your donations helped make successful! See what your donation helped us to do in The KiCad Fund Drive is here! Books to Borrow Open Library. Search the Wayback Machine Search icon An illustration of a magnifying glass.
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