OpenTube

Boost Your KiCad Skills: 10 Essential PCB Layout Design Tips

made by morten

28,671 views

Thanks PCBWay for sponsoring this video - https://pcbway.com/g/i8683S - Use this link for $5 new user free credit.

In this video I'll show you 10 tips and tricks that could help you to improve your skills designing a PCB layout in KiCad.
These tips and tricks will make you more efficient and help you make your designs even faster.

If you have other tips and tricks up you sleve, please reach out to me, maybe we could make yet another video with more helpful insights.

0:36 Tip #1 : Origins and Axes
2:37 Tip #2 : Rounded Corners
4:04 Tip #3 : Draw Rule Area
6:12 Tip #4 : Schematic Editor Integration
7:20 Tip #5 : Constraints
8:22 Tip #5a : Ordering from PCBWay using the plugin
10:03 Tip #6 : Align Text
11:14 Tip #7 : Interactive Router
12:40 Tip #8 : 3D Models
15:01 Tip #9 : Net Classes
16:36 Tip #10 : Cheat Sheet

▶ Subscribe: @made.by.morten.laboratories
Click the Bell Icon to get notifications about my future videos!

▶Refererral link:
https://pcbway.com/g/i8683S

Wondering how you can support the channel?
https://ko-fi.com/mortenslab

Links to sites mentioned in the video:

KiCad documentation
https://docs.kicad.org/

KiCad cheat sheet
https://forum.kicad.info/t/kicad-v8-c...

KiCad Hotkeys
https://forum.kicad.info/t/kicad-9-co...

Links to hardware and tools that i use:

Tool (MHP50 - Mini Hot Plate Preheater)
https://pcbway.com/s/h9X3VF

Tool (AMTECH VS-213-A-TF Flux)
https://northridgefix.com/product/amt...

Tool (AMTECH NC-559-V2-TF Flux)
https://northridgefix.com/product/amt...

Tool (CAMERA BUNDLE)
https://northridgefix.com/product/mic...

TOOL (ANTI GLARE LIGHT)
https://northridgefix.com/product/mic...

Hardware:
https://www.ti.com/product/MSPM0C1104...
https://www.ti.com/tool/LP-MSPM0C1104...
https://www.sparkfun.com/sparkfun-qwi...
https://www.sparkfun.com/sparkfun-hum...

Like!
Comment!
Subscribe!
Share!

#KiCad #Tutorial #Layout

20 Comments

@mihaitruta9742 3 months ago (edited)

0:36 Tip #1 : Origins and Axes
2:37 Tip #2 : Rounded Corners
4:04 Tip #3 : Draw Rule Area
6:12 Tip #4 : Schematic Editor Integration
7:20 Tip #5 : Constraints
8:22 Tip #5 a : Ordering from PCBWay using the plugin
10:03 Tip #6 : Align Text
11:14 Tip #7 : Interactive Router
12:40 Tip #8 : 3D Models
15:01 Tip #9 : Net Classes
16:36 Tip #10 : Cheat Sheet

thank you for the video!

@campbellmorrison8540 2 months ago

Im just starting, have completed the schematic and now in the process of creating the board, these tips a very useful thank you

@sekt1953 12 days ago

Tak for dine gode videoer

@waynoswaynos 9 months ago

I can tell by the quality of this video and the view count that learning KICad is definitely 'the path less travelled'. I'm just a rookie but find it such an amazing tool. I have tens of thousands of hours in adobe apps. So different to this, but a great extension of capabilities by learning it. Thank you and good luck every one!

@coertlangkemper8862 1 year ago

Great tips and editorial format! Thank you for sharing to the Kicad community.

@LimBo3500 1 year ago

Nice Tips!
Thanks. I liked your board stack and build table in the first example view it's like a hidden tip😉.

@KQ4NWD_Rob 6 months ago

Thank you for the cheat sheet!!

@ChazzDerby 1 year ago

Looks really good. Thank you for sharing

@Tntdruid 1 year ago

Thanks for the tips 👍

@rayfiore7779 8 months ago

Very well done!

@doulos5322 1 year ago

Thanks for the video good stuff

@stebusinesselectronics 10 months ago

Thank you .

@AKaramLawyer 6 months ago

thank you

@leov4689 6 months ago

There is also U to select the wire "extended"

@ugurambarc3735 1 year ago

I have designed a board inspired by your ESP-IoT-Thing, and I wanted to power it either via a USB-C connector or with 24V (using an LM2596 for the 24V input).
My goal was to let the user choose between the 5V coming from USB VBUS and the 5V output from the LM2596. To achieve this, I added a 01x03 pin header at the 5V input of the 3.3V LDO:

If the system is powered with 24V, the LDO input is connected to the LM2596 output.

If powered via USB, it uses the 5V coming directly from the USB connector.

Important note: I did not connect the LM2596 5V output and USB VBUS together in any way. The selection is only done through the jumper on the header.

I noticed that for such applications, power mux ICs are often used, but I wanted to implement a solution without using a power mux. Do you think my approach is correct? Thank you.

@VishalY-h1c 9 months ago (edited)

Awesome video...Why don't you use hotkeys for simple tasks like rotating, 3d view etc?

@mojaveartifacthunters339 5 months ago

Biblically accurate LED PCB.

@harryjjh 1 year ago

Are those board characteristics at 0:48 are automatically generated?

@stefanopassiglia 6 months ago

How do you compare PCBWay to JLCPCB? How does part sourcing work? I was not able to find their parts catalogue, so I'm not sure how to build a proper BOM.