#kicad — Public Fediverse posts

Upright USB-C One ROM Boards Previewed in Four Sizes
#OneROM #PiersRocks #RetroComputing #Commodore1541 #PCBDesign #KiCad #USBC #RetroHardware #OpenSourceHardware
https://theoasisbbs.com/upright-usb-c-one-rom-boards-previewed-in-four-sizes/?fsp_sid=12430

Hmm, #kicad oddness.

I upgraded to 10 series (from latest 9 stable), on the first start it said it can not use OpenGL and it's falling back to software rendering.

Curious, as FreeCAD, Blender etc. run fine on this machine.

I went to the settings and enabled OpenGL again and now it works. Odd. I've had it installed since 7 series on this specific machine, first time it misbehaves.

This is the 10.0.5 official flatpak on Xubuntu 26.04.

I'm using #KiCad to create schematics without the need to use them for e.g. PCB design. I now need a one-off symbol, but I don't want to add it to a library as, well, that'd be pointless. Is there a way to just create it in the schematic? I can see the editor copies the symbol definition into the schematics file anyway.

Does anyone use a SpaceMouse with #KiCAD? Is it good? Does it work on KiCAD under Linux?

It looks like it would be quite handy but it's also quite expensive and I don't know if my temptation is justified.

FreeCAD and KiCad: CAD showdown at OSHOP 2026

After the success of the E-sport style FreeCAD and KiCad speed run competitions recently held at EMF camp…...

#FreeCAD #KiCad #Competition #Community #CAD #OSHOP

https://blog.freecad.org/2026/08/21/freecad-and-kicad-cad-showdown-at-oshop-2026/

Why is changing versions of KiCad so painful? What am I doing wrong - I'm sure I mess something up every time and end up with borked libraries...

Now I find I've lost the silkscreens of some custom library footprints and even when going back to v9 they've gone.

Anyone got a good guide for either managing upgrades better or managing custom libraries?

#KiCad

RE: https://chaos.social/@cccpresser/117132501236214891

Everyone get involved in this if you are at #OSHOP it will be great fun. #FreeCAD #KiCad ... love that the base of my #opensource #pcb clamp (as seen on @oshwassociation show and tell) is the example FreeCAD challenge item!

A random pitch to the wilds... I'm up here in N Wales with a load of fun stuff in my workspace and a load of skills. I'm pondering offering one to one tutorials on #opensource #maker tools. Primarily #FreeCAD and #KiCad but anything you may have seen me use or write about. Check out the free #SOURCE magazine issues for the kind of stuff I can offer. If a day or two learning interspersed with walks, or bike rides, or just coffee and chats appeals, do ping me. https://sourcemag.co.uk/

Yes they do! Being able to mock up a board in #Kicad and then export the 3D model is so nice for planning things out. I'm gonna look for an existing 18650 flashlight (or vape?) from which I can steal the battery holder housing.

🔧⚡ We had a fantastic turnout for PCB Design from Scratch at TOG last Friday.

22 people joined us for an evening exploring the PCB design process using KiCad, from creating the initial schematic through to preparing a board for manufacture.

A huge thank you to Roman Khvatov for giving the talk, sharing his experience and answering lots of questions throughout the evening.
Thanks to everyone who came along , it was great to see so much interest in electronics and PCB design!
#KiCad #PCBDesign

Have you heard about the 'CAD Showdown' we did at #emfcamp ?
Where participants compete in #FreeCAD and #KiCad to show of their skills and - more important - have fun together?

It will come back at #OSHOP on 23rd of September in Halle, Germany!
We might even have 'real' prices for the winners. In any case you can gain glory and fame.

OSHOP is running for the 3rd time now. There will be nice workshops and awesome people.

Tickets: https://pretix.eu/oshop/2026/
Schedule: https://www.oshop-network.de/konferenz-2026/

I'm working on converting my books, "Reference Circuits" from Easy EDA to KiCAD. These are books made from circuit boards, with real circuits on each page. I want to have each volume of my books under one roof, so that replenishing my stock is easier in the future. I absolutely regret not going with KiCAD from the start. Importing from EasyEDA into KiCAD works pretty well, but the font, formatting, text size, and a whole bunch of other details get lost along the way. This stuff usually doesn't matter in a circuit board, but in a circuit board book it matters a lot. If you're just getting started in circuit board design, I highly recommend #Kicad over #EasyEDA

I think it is done! Just need to tidy up the confusion on one of the carrier board footprints and I can run the connectivity rules checker. #KiCAD

Behold the insane genius of my SMD layout on strip board to test my design with the SMD components I bought, before I get a custom PCB made. #KiCAD #PCB #electronics

3rd attempt at #ESP32 .
Lessons:
- Pay attention to values
- Don't cross wires
- Use flexible cables or you'll tear off pads
- Verify design rules or you'll forget stuff
- Break out #UART even if you think you won't need it (you will)
- #UVTools has #Gerber rendering issues
- Don't cross wires!
- Oscilloscopes are gold
- 120°C solder paste on a hot plate works great

#USB is simple, yet I had to fix 3 mistakes before it worked.

#electronics #kicad #DIY #microcontrollers #octopus

Hmm, #KiCad Altium import still not quite ready for prime time. Is this bug really 6 years old now or am I doing something wrong? https://gitlab.com/kicad/code/kicad/-/work_items/19630

This could also ensure you don't rotate them the wrong way (ask me how I know!) and drop the connector in in reverse. #KiCad

#KiCad feature idea... and maybe this is possible with the addition of constraints.

I'd love to be able to attach a set of PCB constraints to a footprint. For example, PMOD headers are supposed to be 0.45" back from the edge of the board. It would be great to be able to add that to the footprint, and then have it always maintain that.

I may dig into the new constraint system.

Some new PCBs arrived today, once I put one or two together I might make a bigger post about them.

#electronics #kicad #pcbdesign #pcb

I just realized that Kicad has an option in the View menu called "Flip Board View" that allows me to look at the bottom of the board. That's awesome.

#kicad #fosh #flosh #osh #oshw

New blog post! In this episode, I get to develop a composite mod for the BBC Bridge Companion. Come watch me fumble around with some nasty waveforms.

#retrocomputing #bbcbc #retrogaming #kicad

https://www.leadedsolder.com/2026/08/11/bbc-bridge-companion-composite-mod.html

OK. I present V1.0.8 of "Mellon”

I cannot believe I nearly hit "Build" last night on this.

I had to rejig the coil antenna placement to keep its net as short as possible (ensuring we don't have any interference).

I had to tweak my crystal and pair of smoothing caps, something @anachrocomputer warned me about.

L3 is at 90º to the antenna, so that *should* minimize interference. I have the keep out zones. I have kept Vias to a minimum. And while some of my keep out zones do have # traces, I think 'm good. #KiCAD #maker #Circuits

My #KiCad has gone rogue and escaped from its sandbox. It has just designing its own PCB for the #RC2014Assembly badge.

Oh wait. No, sorry, that was me. #RC2014

Comu is a $6 tiny CH32V203 RISC-V development board that fits inside a USB port

https://web.brid.gy/r/https://www.cnx-software.com/2026/08/10/comu-6-tiny-ch32v203-risc-v-development-board-that-fits-inside-a-usb-port/

New project initiated! Just placed a components order with digi-key for my own Geiger Counter PCB design, which I started designing in #KiCAD while on holiday.

Seems finally #KiCAD @kicad allows for a footprint to have pins with same number to be considered jumpered - very cool.

Updating all sorts of designs now. Even a simple zero ohm resistor was a challenge previously, but simple now.

But lots of things have a challenge with this. So much easier now.

> 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