@akscr.bsky.social

I'm working on a small PCB which features a BLE module, a USB-C port, a power management chip (PMIC), some buttons and a couple of connectors: one for connecting a touchpad and one for a rechargeable battery. @kicad.org is a very convenient EDA! #KiCad

The PCB layout in the KiCad PCB Editor showing the top-most layer.PCB in KiCad 3D Viewer

In KiCad you can organize your schematics in a hierarchy. This allows to abstract out components, define clear interfaces and connect them on a higher level in a top-level sheet, while keeping details of every component in their separate subsheets. #KiCad

A hierarchical schematic which consists from a top-level sheet which has three subsheets - one for each component. These subsheets are connected through hierarchical labels and buses.

@aisler.net, why can't I order electronic components (Simple Simply) from the same project from which I ordered PCBs (Beautiful Boards)? The form says that the service is not available for the current project (created by Push for KiCad) and I must create a separate electronic components project.

I following the following guidelines when routing traces for the 32.768 kHz oscillator crystal circuit when designing a PCB: place the crystal and external capacitors as close as possible to the pins, keep routes short, have a separate local ground plane and a guard ring.

The section of the schematic with a circuit of the 32.768 kHz crystal oscillator and matching external capacitors.

Starting a new PCB project 🧵 I’m designing a portable device with a display and wireless connectivity, with navigation as the long-term goal. This is my first time building something like this from scratch, so I’ll share the progress and lessons learned along the way.