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LESSONPCB Design with KiCad · Part 3EP.148 · 24 s

PCB Design with KiCad Part 3: Your first schematic — battery, resistor, LED

Cover of the lesson: PCB Design with KiCad Part 3: Your first schematic — battery, resistor, LEDComing to YouTube soon
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// WHAT YOU WILL LEARN

Press A to add symbols (battery BT1, LED D1, resistor R1 470 Ω), press W to wire one loop; the LED's triangle points toward minus.

// LESSON NOTES

Every circuit board starts as a drawing. ✏️ Here's your first one in KiCad (free!)

1️⃣ Open the Schematic Editor and press A (add symbol):
🔋 a battery (BT1, 9 V)
💡 an LED (D1)
〰️ a resistor (R1, 470 Ω) — it protects the LED by limiting the current: (9 V − 2 V) ÷ 470 Ω ≈ 15 mA ✅

2️⃣ Press W (wire) and join them in one loop.

3️⃣ Which way does the LED go? Its triangle points toward minus — the way current flows. Put it in backwards and it stays dark. ❌

Read the voiceover (transcript)
  1. This glowing board started as a drawing!
  2. In KiCad's schematic editor, press A to add parts:
  3. a battery, an LED, and a resistor to protect it.
  4. Press W and wire them in one loop.
  5. Which way does the LED go?
  6. The triangle points to minus, the way current flows!
  7. Wrong way round? It stays dark!
  8. Next, Part four: power symbols and labels. Follow for Part four!

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