Up to ​KiCAD Notes

Table of Contents

• Starting a new layout
• Component Placement

Starting a new layout in KiCAD 5:

Board Setup

Select the "in" icon at the top left to switch the units to inches.

Click the "Board Setup" Icon under the word "Edit" in Pcbnew

1. Start with Layers. Set the number of copper layers (usually 2 or 4)

2. Select Design Rules and fill in as below

3. Select Layers->Text & Graphics.

Set it something like the example below:

4. Select Design Rules->Net Classes

5. Select Design Rules->Tracks & Vias

This depends a bit on the design, but the selection below is a good start.

Component Placement

Please use a grid when placing components. There are a few exceptions.

When you start a layout, you should decide if the grids will in general be in mm (metric) or inch (imperial/English) units. We prefer inches here in the USA.

When placing parts, follow these rules, in order of priority:

1. Place components with known locations (e.g. connectors where you are given an exact location from a mechanical drawing). This is rare.

2. Set the grid to 0.1" (100 mils) and place "large" components. Generally this includes connectors and any component with one dimension larger than about 0.5" (500 mils). Do your best to plan a logical signal flow when placing parts. Align similar components vertically and horizontally in neat rows if there is no other consideration.

3. Set the grid to 0.025 (25 mils) and place smaller components. This would include anything down to about an 0805 or maybe 0603 passive or things of similar size. Place smaller components so as to minimize trace length and crossings. Again, align similar components in rows and columns where possible.

4. Finally, for "tiny" parts (0402) you can use an 0.005" (5 mil) grid, but be careful to align parts relative to each other vertically and horizontally.

Some other general considerations:

• Think about power and ground connections. If you are doing a two-layer board, you need to consider this carefully so that the ground in particular can be well-connected, either with traces or a copper area.

• For ICs and connectors, locate pin 1 consistently (e.g. in upper left). For passives (R's and C's) this is less important, and they should be rotated to minimize trace crossing and length.

• Leave some space between components for routing.

• Don't place components closer than 0.05" (50 mils) from the board edge in general.

• Leave the corners of the board free for mounting holes