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// FREE MINI-COURSE · PCB

PCB Design with KiCad

Design Your Own Circuit Board — From idea to a real board in your hands with free KiCad: schematic, footprints, routing, Gerbers and ordering.

0 of 17 lessons out · next: What is a PCB?

  1. 02 PLANNEDWhy KiCad? The free tool the pros useKiCad is free and open-source: schematic editor, symbol + footprint libraries, PCB editor and 3D viewer in one.
  2. 03 PLANNEDYour first schematic: battery, resistor, LEDPlace symbols, wire them, give values: the schematic is the map of what connects to what.
  3. 04 PLANNEDPower symbols and net labels: wires without wiresTwo pins with the same label (or the same GND / +5V symbol) are connected, even with no wire drawn.
  4. 05 PLANNEDERC: let KiCad find your wiring mistakesThe Electrical Rules Check flags unconnected pins, outputs shorted together and power pins with no source.
  5. 06 PLANNEDSymbol vs footprint: one part, two drawingsThe symbol is how it looks in the schematic; the footprint is the copper pads it needs on the board (through-hole or SMD like 0805).
  6. 07 PLANNEDFrom schematic to board: ratsnest and board outlineUpdate the PCB from the schematic: thin ratsnest lines show what must connect; draw the board shape on Edge.Cuts.
  7. 08 PLANNEDPlace parts like a proConnectors at the edges, the decoupling capacitor right next to the chip's power pin, short paths for important signals.
  8. 09 PLANNEDRouting traces: how wide should a track be?More current needs a wider track (a trace-width calculator tells you); power tracks are wider than signal tracks.
  9. 10 PLANNEDVias and 2-layer boardsA via is a plated hole that lets a track jump to the other side, so two tracks can cross without touching.
  10. 11 PLANNEDGround pour: why boards are full of copperA copper zone tied to GND fills the empty space: a short return path for every signal and less noise.
  11. 12 PLANNEDDRC: check your board before you orderThe Design Rules Check finds tracks too close or too thin for your PCB maker's limits.
  12. 13 PLANNEDSilkscreen: labels, logo and your namePart names, + marks, pin labels and a logo on the white silkscreen layer make the board easy to build and debug.
  13. 14 PLANNEDThe 3D viewer: see your board before you buy itKiCad renders the board with its parts in 3D, so you can check sizes and fit.
  14. 15 PLANNEDGerber files: what you send to the factoryPlot one Gerber file per layer plus a drill file, zip them, upload them to a PCB maker.
  15. 16 PLANNEDOrder it, solder it, test itA few days later the boards arrive: solder the parts, check for shorts with the continuity beep, then power up.
  16. 17 PLANNEDProject: an Arduino LED shield from scratchThe whole flow in one project: schematic, footprints, routing, ground pour, DRC, Gerbers, a real shield on an Uno.