#kicad — Public Fediverse posts
Live and recent posts from across the Fediverse tagged #kicad, aggregated by home.social.
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> Wir freuen uns Dir mitzuteilen, dass wir Deine Einreichung „FreeCAD Workshop“ für die MRMCD 2026 akzeptiert haben.
Dieses Jahr also ein #FreeCAD Workshop anstatt dem sonst üblichen #KiCad Workshop.
Zielgruppe sind beinhaltet Menschen die noch nie 3D CAD gemacht haben, als auch Leute die auf open-source umsteigen wollen.
#MRMCD2026 -
> Wir freuen uns Dir mitzuteilen, dass wir Deine Einreichung „FreeCAD Workshop“ für die MRMCD 2026 akzeptiert haben.
Dieses Jahr also ein #FreeCAD Workshop anstatt dem sonst üblichen #KiCad Workshop.
Zielgruppe sind beinhaltet Menschen die noch nie 3D CAD gemacht haben, als auch Leute die auf open-source umsteigen wollen.
#MRMCD2026 -
Ok. It's time to roast this circuit.
My tonneau cover has buttons on the rear of the truck that only operate IF it detects a remote OR a smartphone is actively connected to it via BLE. The BLE app requires you to have the app front and centre to work.
I also have no way WITHIN the truck to open or close the rear - unlike my previous unit, which used Homelink.
I have Phone as a key (PAAK) and keyless entry in to the vehicle, so I want a solution that doesn't rely on the phone or physical keys.
The idea: I'm going to use an ESP32 and CAN Transceiver to monitor my vehicle for CAN status messages indicating the vehicle is unlocked. Then, I can use the ESP32 to mimic a smartphone connection to a tonneau cover I have that ONLY works with a remote and/or smart phone app.
When the CAN bus sees the vehicle is unlocked, the ESP32 will connect to the BLE connection on the tonneau as if it's a mobile phone, using BLE pairing (key/pass handshakes).
Then it will allow the rear physically wired buttons to operate the tonneau cover, because the tonneau cover will go "There's an active phone connected”.
(I have already done a proof of concept with this and an ESP32 sat inside my truck, but without CAN authorization it won't be secure).
This circuit is specifically that. It's a “Disconnect from the cover as soon as the doors are locked" and “ONLY connect when the doors are unlocked”
But wait, there's more. Using the HomeLink buttons on my sun visor, I want to enable IN-VEHICLE control of the cover. That's what the 433 MHz circuit is for. Again, it will ONLY work WHEN the vehicle is unlocked and will ignore presses when the truck is locked.
For the future, I'll also implement the work done here: https://github.com/jantman/ford-f150-gen14-can-bus-interface/tree/main to have the rear tonneau cover light illuminate when the rear bed lights are activated.
Tell me I'm crazy. ;)
AND Yes, I know, PAAK is only as safe as the next update, or the next vulnerability. And I know that's an attack vector. But the beauty of this is that it will *also* work if I have to turn off PAAK, and use the old-school remote, without carrying around an extra remote.
AND yes, there are risks there too. I'm thinking of setting a Lock Out mode. I discovered the other day that if the ESP32 is connected, it AUTOMATICALLY rejects other pairings. Which could be a bonus for a ‘lock it down' mode.
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Ok. It's time to roast this circuit.
My tonneau cover has buttons on the rear of the truck that only operate IF it detects a remote OR a smartphone is actively connected to it via BLE. The BLE app requires you to have the app front and centre to work.
I also have no way WITHIN the truck to open or close the rear - unlike my previous unit, which used Homelink.
I have Phone as a key (PAAK) and keyless entry in to the vehicle, so I want a solution that doesn't rely on the phone or physical keys.
The idea: I'm going to use an ESP32 and CAN Transceiver to monitor my vehicle for CAN status messages indicating the vehicle is unlocked. Then, I can use the ESP32 to mimic a smartphone connection to a tonneau cover I have that ONLY works with a remote and/or smart phone app.
When the CAN bus sees the vehicle is unlocked, the ESP32 will connect to the BLE connection on the tonneau as if it's a mobile phone, using BLE pairing (key/pass handshakes).
Then it will allow the rear physically wired buttons to operate the tonneau cover, because the tonneau cover will go "There's an active phone connected”.
(I have already done a proof of concept with this and an ESP32 sat inside my truck, but without CAN authorization it won't be secure).
This circuit is specifically that. It's a “Disconnect from the cover as soon as the doors are locked" and “ONLY connect when the doors are unlocked”
But wait, there's more. Using the HomeLink buttons on my sun visor, I want to enable IN-VEHICLE control of the cover. That's what the 433 MHz circuit is for. Again, it will ONLY work WHEN the vehicle is unlocked and will ignore presses when the truck is locked.
For the future, I'll also implement the work done here: https://github.com/jantman/ford-f150-gen14-can-bus-interface/tree/main to have the rear tonneau cover light illuminate when the rear bed lights are activated.
Tell me I'm crazy. ;)
AND Yes, I know, PAAK is only as safe as the next update, or the next vulnerability. And I know that's an attack vector. But the beauty of this is that it will *also* work if I have to turn off PAAK, and use the old-school remote, without carrying around an extra remote.
AND yes, there are risks there too. I'm thinking of setting a Lock Out mode. I discovered the other day that if the ESP32 is connected, it AUTOMATICALLY rejects other pairings. Which could be a bonus for a ‘lock it down' mode.
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Ever wondered how an electronics project goes from a schematic to a professionally manufactured circuit board?
Join us at TOG Hackerspace on Friday 14 August, from 7:30 pm to 9:00 pm, for PCB Design from Scratch.
Roman will give a live demonstration using KiCad, covering:
• Creating a schematic
• Turning it into a PCB layout
• Preparing the manufacturing files
• Ordering the finished boardThis is a demonstration rather than a hands-on workshop, with time for questions.
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Ever wondered how an electronics project goes from a schematic to a professionally manufactured circuit board?
Join us at TOG Hackerspace on Friday 14 August, from 7:30 pm to 9:00 pm, for PCB Design from Scratch.
Roman will give a live demonstration using KiCad, covering:
• Creating a schematic
• Turning it into a PCB layout
• Preparing the manufacturing files
• Ordering the finished boardThis is a demonstration rather than a hands-on workshop, with time for questions.
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@green_bens I waited as long as I could in the hope that the AI bubble would burst and prices drop but it wasn't going to happen any time soon.
Only reason I'm going for the memory is the combination of Kicad 10 and Firefox plus the usual assortment of other programs keeps pushing me into swap on my Linux laptop whereupon treacle mode is enabled.
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@green_bens I waited as long as I could in the hope that the AI bubble would burst and prices drop but it wasn't going to happen any time soon.
Only reason I'm going for the memory is the combination of Kicad 10 and Firefox plus the usual assortment of other programs keeps pushing me into swap on my Linux laptop whereupon treacle mode is enabled.
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#KiCad + Dorota = plugin.
https://opencommit.eu/dcz/kyperspace
It helps you route tracks using 0Ω resistors. Because doing that manually is way too much clicking and accidentally lost work.
I've been told what I'm doing is fighting KiCad, but if the plugin gets me through this project, then I don't have to find another tool for a while.
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#KiCad + Dorota = plugin.
https://opencommit.eu/dcz/kyperspace
It helps you route tracks using 0Ω resistors. Because doing that manually is way too much clicking and accidentally lost work.
I've been told what I'm doing is fighting KiCad, but if the plugin gets me through this project, then I don't have to find another tool for a while.
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I have a dilemma with the `*_Small` symbols in the #kicad library: Their default text size (50mil) is not ideal.
So recently I decreased the size of the value field of R_Small to 40mil, allowing to put it into the rectangle body like shown in the image.
Now people that use 'autoplace fields' (default setting) complain about uneven text size.
I am just not sure what to do. There is also C_Small which does not work well with 50mil text. And most likely more... What would you do?
-> Poll below
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I have a dilemma with the `*_Small` symbols in the #kicad library: Their default text size (50mil) is not ideal.
So recently I decreased the size of the value field of R_Small to 40mil, allowing to put it into the rectangle body like shown in the image.
Now people that use 'autoplace fields' (default setting) complain about uneven text size.
I am just not sure what to do. There is also C_Small which does not work well with 50mil text. And most likely more... What would you do?
-> Poll below
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We just fixed the _worst_ bug to ever exist in the #kicad symbol libraries.
Clearly a 5/7 CVSS:One line in `C_Small` was 13mil instead of 12mil
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We just fixed the _worst_ bug to ever exist in the #kicad symbol libraries.
Clearly a 5/7 CVSS:One line in `C_Small` was 13mil instead of 12mil
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Il faut encore réparer cette réparation ? Patchons le clavier du #Minitel 1 !
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Il faut encore réparer cette réparation ? Patchons le clavier du #Minitel 1 !
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@fullywoolly Redone. Oh my hat. It’s like navigating a maze. Go so far, then back, go so far, then back. Must admit, I have a better strategy now. 4 layer must be so much easier to route. #retrocomputering #macintosh #kicad
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@fullywoolly Redone. Oh my hat. It’s like navigating a maze. Go so far, then back, go so far, then back. Must admit, I have a better strategy now. 4 layer must be so much easier to route. #retrocomputering #macintosh #kicad
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Petit live Twitch improvisé histoire de discuter et de concevoir un petit circuit imprimé pour un projet à venir 😁
Ça commence dans quelques minutes sur https://twitch.tv/virtualabs
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Petit live Twitch improvisé histoire de discuter et de concevoir un petit circuit imprimé pour un projet à venir 😁
Ça commence dans quelques minutes sur https://twitch.tv/virtualabs
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Except maybe not? This only happens in my #Vivaldi browser. Not in Safari. Not in Webkit. Not from curl even when forcing the DNS resolution to go to the same IP Vivaldi claims its talking to.
Oh and no, clearing caches doesn't fix anything.
I am stumped as to what in the world could be driving it, but it's late, and i have a 5:30am meeting.
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Except maybe not? This only happens in my #Vivaldi browser. Not in Safari. Not in Webkit. Not from curl even when forcing the DNS resolution to go to the same IP Vivaldi claims its talking to.
Oh and no, clearing caches doesn't fix anything.
I am stumped as to what in the world could be driving it, but it's late, and i have a 5:30am meeting.
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Have I mentioned I’m working on #synthseqr 3.0? Things are getting really serious. I have all my parts in my inventory and my order of five #pcb are arriving Friday. I #3dprinting’d a stand in for the pcb since #kicad will let you do that, and I did a test fit of the physical interface parts. It’s starting to feel real!
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Have I mentioned I’m working on #synthseqr 3.0? Things are getting really serious. I have all my parts in my inventory and my order of five #pcb are arriving Friday. I #3dprinting’d a stand in for the pcb since #kicad will let you do that, and I did a test fit of the physical interface parts. It’s starting to feel real!
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UPDATE UPDATE: It appears to be related to some Cloudflare AI blocker nonsense and is _entirely_ User Agent string dependent. Fuck you every single AI company ruining the Internet.
UPDATE: More details in reply, but this seems... inconclusive.
well, it looks like someone got #kicad KiCad.org.
What dicks.
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UPDATE UPDATE: It appears to be related to some Cloudflare AI blocker nonsense and is _entirely_ User Agent string dependent. Fuck you every single AI company ruining the Internet.
UPDATE: More details in reply, but this seems... inconclusive.
well, it looks like someone got #kicad KiCad.org.
What dicks.
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9月7日(月)-9日(水)に、オープンソースのプリント基板CADソフト #KiCad ( https://www.kicad.org/ ) が欧州コンファレンス KiCad Conference #KiCon Europe 2025 を開催。ドイツ・ボーフムにて。詳細は https://kicon.kicad.org/europe2026/ に。
#Conference #Europe #PCB #CAD -
🎉🎉 Part-DB 2.14 has been released: It contains #MCP tool support so #AI agents can access Part-DB data (read only for now), CSV export for project BOM, Improved search, more control over which parameters fields get visible inside #kicad and more.
See full release notes on #github: https://github.com/Part-DB/Part-DB-server/releases/tag/v2.14.0
#electronics #opensource #webdev #hackerspace #makerspace #maker #make #selfhosted
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🎉🎉 Part-DB 2.14 has been released: It contains #MCP tool support so #AI agents can access Part-DB data (read only for now), CSV export for project BOM, Improved search, more control over which parameters fields get visible inside #kicad and more.
See full release notes on #github: https://github.com/Part-DB/Part-DB-server/releases/tag/v2.14.0
#electronics #opensource #webdev #hackerspace #makerspace #maker #make
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@fullywoolly #retrocomputing #pcbdesign #kicad #vintageapple Okay, so by some twist of fate, just before I was going to put the final touches on my Rom Simm, I found that a PCB, same idea, from the same source (Doug Browns 2MB dip version schematic), has already been done, in 2018 by a Francis Cap. Aaaargh! (1/3)
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@fullywoolly #retrocomputing #pcbdesign #kicad #vintageapple Okay, so by some twist of fate, just before I was going to put the final touches on my Rom Simm, I found that a PCB, same idea, from the same source (Doug Browns 2MB dip version schematic), has already been done, in 2018 by a Francis Cap. Aaaargh! (1/3)
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Oops. I wish that when I had copied a symbol to make a new part in #KiCad, and then proceeded to forget to update the pinout, that I had at least used a symbol that had the pinout that 95% of the SOT23-5 buck converters on the market seem to use. But no, of course I copied the symbol with a pinout that only a few chips even used. And those are all asynchronous buck converters. 🙄
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Oops. I wish that when I had copied a symbol to make a new part in #KiCad, and then proceeded to forget to update the pinout, that I had at least used a symbol that had the pinout that 95% of the SOT23-5 buck converters on the market seem to use. But no, of course I copied the symbol with a pinout that only a few chips even used. And those are all asynchronous buck converters. 🙄
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KiCad Developers released #KiCad version 10.0.5. https://kicad.org/download/
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KiCad Developers released #KiCad version 10.0.5. https://kicad.org/download/
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Summoning @concretedog to compete in the CAD-Showdown today at 5pm, Bodgeham village, #EMFCamp to show of his #FreeCAD skills.
Signup here
https://md.ccc.ac/EMF2026-CAD-ShowdownObviously everyone else that likes to compete in #FreeCAD is also invited. After FreeCAD is done, we will also have a #KiCad competition as well.
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Summoning @concretedog to compete in the CAD-Showdown today at 5pm, Bodgeham village, #EMFCamp to show of his #FreeCAD skills.
Signup here
https://md.ccc.ac/EMF2026-CAD-ShowdownObviously everyone else that likes to compete in #FreeCAD is also invited. After FreeCAD is done, we will also have a #KiCad competition as well.
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What makes creating a hardware project so fun is that it's incredibly easy to do it wrong! #kicad
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Are you somewhat proficient in #FreeCAD or #KiCad? And at #EMFCamp? Then you **must** register for the CAD Showdown! It will run on Sunday 5pm..7pm in the Bodgeham village.
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Show off your awesome CAD skills in this competition. This is the new and upcoming esports category. We will do mCAD and eCAD, open-source tools only:
1. #KiCad
2. #FreeCADSign up by adding your name to the pad. It also has some simple challenges for training.
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I wonder when it makes sense to break a #KiCad symbol into multiple units? I've typically done this either if it has multiple duplicate pieces (quad opamp), but thinking more about just the number of pins on things like large MCU/MPU. 32? One symbol usually. 48+? Typically separate out power, configuration, and GPIO, so 3 at least.
