Prototyping with PCBs
Coppersmith
© Lead Image © Eduard Peter, 123RF.com
Prototype your products with your own PCB designs.
In part 1 of this series on PCB design [1], I covered schematic capture in KiCad [2]. The schematic embodies the logical part of the design, which components are used, and how they are interconnected. To complete the information required for PCB layout, the component symbols are annotated with data that describes the physical layout of the component pins, otherwise known as a footprint.
Other symbols represent mechanical features required by the design, such as mounting holes and any markings on the silkscreen layer. These elements can be added directly to the PCB layout without having a reference in the schematic. You can also mark such things as logos, copyright warnings, and revision numbers to be excluded from the bill of materials (BOM) in the symbol's properties.
In this second, concluding part of the series, I walk you through the process of laying out and tracking your PCB and producing manufacture-ready files.
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