UPC EETAC Bachelor's Degree in Telecommunications Systems and in Network Engineering EEL

 

  

Installing KiCad and customised libraries

DEE

KiCAD

Let us follow several steps to install KiCad and start a project copying and adapting from another sample project. Try to avoid starting your projects from scratch as it is quite complicated and entertaining. Besides, after long training sessions you will certainly end fixing some parameters and constrains for most of your designs. Thus, in CSD and DEE this initial setup is already done and ready to use; you will find several introductory example PCB for students and hobbyists.

The key idea is to let KiCad upgrade as soon as new versions are available, and at the same time, keep our libraries secured and organised always in the same folders.

1. KiCad installation

Download the software and proceed with a typical installation.

Example project

Fig. 1. Software KiCad and a typical project.

Now that you have completed the installation you can browse several example projects. Check that you can open the schematic, the PCB and also its 3D view.

Schematic, PCB and 3D view

Fig. 2. Example project from KiCad: schematic, PCB and 3D views.

2. Copy the custom symbol library DEE_Symbols.kicad_sym

Let us unzip the DEE_libraries.zip file and copy our customised symbols library DEE_Symbols.kicad_sym to the indicated directory. Configure the location relative to the environment variable KICAD_DEE_LIBRARIES as shown in Fig. 3.

Custom libraries location

KiCad

Environment variables

Symbol library

Fig. 3. This is the folder location for our DEE_Symbols library once the environment KICAD_DEE_LIBRARIES variable is added.

 

3. Copy the custom Footprints.pretty library

Let us unzip and copy our customised footprints library Footprints.pretty. Make it it relative to the same environment variable.

Footprints

Fig. 4. This is the folder location for our  Footprints.pretty library. The library nickname is DEE_Footprints

 

4. Copy the custom 3D models library DEE

Let us unzip and copy our customised 3D models library to the 3D_models folder. Make it it relative to the environment variable. 3D models are associated to components as another footprint property. They are visualised using the 3D view window.

3D models

Fig. 5. This is 3D_models folder location for our 3D models library.

 

5. Start a new project copying and adapting from one of our samples

For example, to start our own projects, we can imagine a GPIO expansion prototype to be connected to the DE10-Lite board through the expansion connector and a 40-pin flat cable. We add nine switches, one push-button and an array of seventeen LED. We enumerate these components continuing DE10-Lite references. We can use several tuned symbols, footprints and 3D models. Specially long pads for easy soldering. This is the full project GPIO_EXP.zip.

Schematic capture

Fig. 6. GPIO schematic capture and FPGA pins assigned through the 40-pin expansion header.

 

pin assignments

Fig. 7. FPGA pin assignments.

 

Silkscreen

Fig. 8. PCB silkscreen showing component placements.

 

·D view

Fig. 9. 3D view showing the 3D models attached to components' footprints.

From now on you can copy and adapt your design. The key idea is to go step by step modifying only one or very few components at a time, running ERC and keeping zero errors and zero warnings while working in your project. Keep the three, schematic, PCB and 3D synchronised.

Parameters

Fig. 10. Some important board parameters.

 

6. Useful KiCad tools for updating or changing components

You can massively change symbols library links using the tool shown in Fig. 11. As beginners, we recommend to use only global KiCad symbols and your own modified ones, stored in our symbols library indicated in Fig. 3.

Modifying symbol libraries

Fig. 11. Modifying symbol libraries.

You can massively update or modify footprints using the tool:

Updating footprints

Fig. 12. Modifying footprint libraries.

You can maintain your customised 3D models using the footprint editor tool, and clicking footprint properties.

·D models

Fig. 13. Assigning 3D models to customised footprints.