Getting Began in KiCad | 7.0 | English | Documentation
The everyday workflow in KiCad consists of two most important duties: drawing a schematic
and laying out a circuit board.
The schematic is a symbolic illustration of the circuit: which elements are
used and what connections are made between them. Schematic symbols are pictorial
representations of digital elements in a schematic, comparable to a zigzag or
rectangle for a resistor or a triangle for an opamp. The schematic incorporates
symbols for each element within the design, with wires connecting pins within the
symbols. The schematic is often drawn first, earlier than laying out the circuit
board.
The board is the bodily realization of the schematic, with element
footprints positioned on the board and copper tracks making the connections
described within the schematic. Footprints are a set of copper pads that match the
pins on a bodily element. When the board is manufactured and assembled, the
element shall be soldered onto its corresponding footprint on the circuit
board.
KiCad has separate home windows for drawing the schematic (“Schematic Editor”),
laying out the board (“PCB Editor”), and enhancing symbols and footprints (“Image
Editor” and “Footprint Editor”). KiCad comes with a big library of excessive
high quality, person contributed symbols and footprints, however it is usually easy to create
new symbols and footprints or modify current symbols and footprints.
Lastly, you will need to perceive that KiCad has a project-based workflow.
A KiCad venture is a folder with a venture file, a schematic, a board format,
and optionally different related information comparable to image and footprint libraries,
simulation information, buying info, and so on. Many project-related settings,
together with web courses and design guidelines, are saved on the venture stage. Opening
a board exterior of its related venture might end in lacking design
info, so you’ll want to hold all information related to a venture collectively.
PCB Design Workflow
Usually, the schematic is drawn first. This implies including symbols to the
schematic and drawing the connections between them. Customized symbols might must
be created if acceptable symbols will not be already out there. At this stage
footprints are additionally chosen for every element, with customized footprints created
as crucial. When the schematic is full and the design has handed an
electrical guidelines examine (ERC), the design info within the schematic is
transferred to the board editor and format begins.
The schematic describes which elements are within the design and the way they’re
linked; the board editor makes use of this info to make format simpler and to
forestall mismatches between the schematic and PCB. The format course of requires
cautious placement of every footprint on the circuit board. After element
placement, copper tracks are drawn between elements primarily based on the connections
within the schematic in addition to different electrical concerns, comparable to hint
resistance, managed impedance necessities, crosstalk, and so on.
Typically the schematic will should be up to date after format has begun; the
schematic modifications may be simply pulled into the board design. The reverse can
usually occur: any design modifications made within the board format may be pushed again to
the schematic to maintain the 2 constant.
When the board format is full and the board has handed the Design Guidelines
Examine (DRC), fabrication outputs are generated in order that the board may be
manufactured by a PCB fabricator.