It's not needed anymore. After finishing the schematic (or after making a change), save and go to the PCB editor. From there you can click on 'Update PCB from Schematic' from the Tools menu.
As others have said, this tutorial was just what the doctor ordered! I designed a couple of PCBs decades ago, and remembered it being fairly simple. I probably watched a half dozen or more tutorials before watching this one, and started a project, but I simply did not feel like I was getting anywhere. This 5 minute tutorial was better than the other 3 or 4 hours of tutorials I watched put together. There is a big difference between knowing how to do something and knowing how to teach it. Nicely done.
Thanks for the great tutorial! Have always been intimidated by PCB layout programs, but with your tutorial, I was able to make my first PCB. Really appreciate it!
I'm coming to KiCAD after using Fusion 360's electronics design software. This tutorial was exactly what I needed. A bit of the functionality has changed since 2018 but I was still able to follow the tutorial with no problem in 2022. One nice change is you no longer seem to need to export and then import the net list in order to turn the schematic into a circuit board. Props on the great tutorial it's held up really well!
This was what I was looking for. There many videos on TH-cam for doing this but the way they do it in their code...just really isn't how you would/should do it if you were a professional. My belief is this video is how it should be done and how a professional would do it. Thank you.
I've been looking for circuit design software for making reference schematics. I was drawn to Fritzing because of the visuals, but KiCad stood out as I heard it was better to learn in the long term (more professional use cases, and better for PCB manufacturing). Even though I'm not yet looking to make custom PCBs, great to know it's so easy to get started. Thanks for breaking it down so well. I'll be trying out KiCAD because of your tutorial.
Hey Oyvind, this video was a life-saver! I had KiCad install for about a month and I never used it until I saw your video. You spared me a lot of headaches - again! :) Thanks a lot!!
Fantastic video - everything I needed to know to get working on my (much larger) project in just over 5 minutes. This was exactly what I was looking for!
Great video, short and to the point. Regarding Kicad itself - I have little to no experience with PCB design, but Kicad leaves me with the impression of being several programs "under one roof", rather than one program.
@@Ohmify Here's an example of what I mean (please correct me if I'm wrong): when you go from Eeschema to Pcbnew, you have to explicitly import your circuit (together with footprints) by doing Tools -> Update PCB from Schematic. Why isn't this done automatically? What happens if I decide to go back to Eeschema and switch a footprint or five? Does this mean I have to redo Update PCB from Schematic again? Eeschema and Pcbnew behave as if they're two separate applications, when they make the user manage this data exchange between them manually. IMO this shouldn't even be visible to the user, should be and automated process running under the hood.
This was perfect as I was actually designed a very similar board (just replace the resistor with a mosfet, the battery with a JST connector, and move things around a bit). Checking out how to get it made next!
Most likely it's because the component you use does not have a 3d model defined - or that the 3d model can't be found. Click on a footprint and go into Footprint Properties. Choose the 3D Settings tab and look at the 3D model(s) defined there. If there is one there, look at the location of it and verify if that file actually exists.
Great tutorial, short and to the point. A couple of things I would like to mention though - in my version of KiCad ("5.0.0+dfsg1-2, release build", running on Kubuntu 18.10:1) resistor value is printed next to the resistor, not inside it;2) "LED" and LED annotation are printed horizontally, not vertically;3) I don't have PIN headers library, but I do have several libraries named "Connector_PinHeader_1.00mm", "Connector_PinHeader_1.27mm", "Connector_PinHeader_2.00mm", "Connector_PinHeader_2.54mm", they must have changed that for whatever reason.4) 3D preview of the PCB shows just the board, without components - no resistor, LED or battery connector.
The reason this is happening is because this tutorial was made with KiKad version 4 and you're using version 5. I fell into the same problems you did. The last point about the PCB not being populated in the 3d viewer didn't happen to me though...
@@randomviewer896 I'm not sure, but it seems I do - (here's the list of KiCad packages I have on my system) $ sudo apt list | grep kicad kicad-common/cosmic,cosmic 5.0.0+dfsg1-2 all kicad-demos/cosmic,cosmic,now 5.0.0+dfsg1-2 all [installed,automatic] ... skpped kicad docs, etc ... kicad-footprints/cosmic,cosmic,now 5.0.0-1 all [installed,automatic] kicad-libraries/cosmic,cosmic,now 5.0.0+dfsg1-2 all [installed,automatic] kicad-packages3d/cosmic,cosmic 5.0.0-1 all kicad-symbols/cosmic,cosmic,now 5.0.0-1 all [installed,automatic] kicad-templates/cosmic,cosmic,now 5.0.0-1 all [installed,automatic] kicad/cosmic,now 5.0.0+dfsg1-2 amd64 [installed] kicad/cosmic 5.0.0+dfsg1-2 i386 I must have missed a step somewhere along the way when creating my first PCB, but never mind, i'll figure it out eventually. Just need to play with KiCad more.
@@randomviewer896 Actually, I have looked at those packages again, and this time I have noticed that kicad-packages3d does not have "installed" next to it. So I did a quick 'sudo apt install kicad-packages3d', and voila! Components are now in 3D viewer too. Who would have guessed you _can_ have the viewer installed, but not its assets. So thank you for your suggestion!
I really appreciate your videos and have downloaded KICAD based on how helpful and well you demonstrate the use of KICAD. I found it really easy to draw the first schematic, however, when I go into PCB mode I have problems with the wire not connecting to the component. So the components cannot be connected. It seems like the wire is sticking to the mouse cursor. I would really appreciate any advice or even a youtube clip on how to resolve this issue. Again, thank you for your fantastic videos.
In the PCB mode, you need to connect it the same way as in the schematics. You should see lines that show which point should be connected to another. If you try to connect things that are not connected in the schematics, you'll get the behavior that it seems you have.
Really great video and very informative, thank you. Just one small thing however, and I know I'm being picky, but why do you have that very annoying 'music' in the background whilst you're speaking? I know some don't mind it but I find it very distracting. Thanks for the information.
at 3:30 "perform electrical rule checker" in KiCad 7.02 it is giving me like 11 errors at every corner of the wire and at every connection, and the dashed line between the cells of the batter and even the line inside the LED.. what gives?
Perform electrical rules check generates 9 warnings in this example. We are snapping everything to the grid, so how does anything generate a "Warning: Symbol Pin or Wire End Off Grid" error? And moving symbols or wire ends anywhere on the grid does nothing, the Warnings persist.
I remember a student of mine had a similar problem. It was caused by importing a project from kicad 6 into kicad 7. His solution was to just redraw the circuit. But might be better solutions out there.
Does the size of the board rapidly increases the cost? Lets say a simple circuit like yours, just with a board 4x the size of yours. How much more will it cost?
I wouldn't say rapidly. But you can check for the size and quantity you are curious about by entering size and quantity into for example PCBWay's calculator: www.pcbway.com/
@@Ohmify No need to apologize, I just thought it would be nice to see the real product, and I was wondering if you ever had that manufactured. It´s still a great video.
The footprint library in DipTrace is far better! You can also see the footprint AND the pad and their numbering. With KiCad not. I just get freaking errors 29 of them!!! R3 Pad not found in footprint. It had pads when I made it.
@@Ohmify It was created with a different grid setting. I need to check my components first to see if all the leads snap to the grid before connecting them.
Thanks!
Mine doesn't have "Generate NET list". Is that not needed anymore?
It's not needed anymore. After finishing the schematic (or after making a change), save and go to the PCB editor. From there you can click on 'Update PCB from Schematic' from the Tools menu.
This 5 minute tutorial gave me a better undersanding of kicad than another 25 minute tutorial I watched beforehand. Very well done!
Yessss
Yes. Some know how to just get to the point, and most do not… oh BOY do they not!
fr
Yess
A TH-cam tutorial that gets right to the point without any fluff or other distractions. You are a hero, my friend!
As others have said, this tutorial was just what the doctor ordered! I designed a couple of PCBs decades ago, and remembered it being fairly simple. I probably watched a half dozen or more tutorials before watching this one, and started a project, but I simply did not feel like I was getting anywhere. This 5 minute tutorial was better than the other 3 or 4 hours of tutorials I watched put together. There is a big difference between knowing how to do something and knowing how to teach it. Nicely done.
Thats how tutorials should be done! Well done!
Oliver Suuster ☝️This 👍
I agree so much i really appreciate his work ^^
Short, fast, essential, this is the only way tutorials for beginners should be done.
Thanks for the great tutorial! Have always been intimidated by PCB layout programs, but with your tutorial, I was able to make my first PCB. Really appreciate it!
That's really cool to hear!
Thank you, I tried Ki-Cad a while ago and was stumped. This give a basic idea of how to start and finish a basic project. Thank you again!
Glad you liked it!
Thanks for the quick tutorial! As total newbie to KiCAD it helped me a lot to design a NE555 based PWM fan controller circuitboard.
I'm coming to KiCAD after using Fusion 360's electronics design software. This tutorial was exactly what I needed. A bit of the functionality has changed since 2018 but I was still able to follow the tutorial with no problem in 2022. One nice change is you no longer seem to need to export and then import the net list in order to turn the schematic into a circuit board. Props on the great tutorial it's held up really well!
Thanks! =)
Actually Dylan I need help finding the Pin Headers library. I cant find it in 6.0 version of KiCad.
@@okaytree7711 i found it under Connector_PinHeader_2.54mm
it was the 6th option for me.
@@mr.curlyfri thank you for responding! I looked it up too, I guess you gotta see how things change from version 4 to version 6
Maybe the most concise well organized informative tutorial I've ever seen
This was what I was looking for. There many videos on TH-cam for doing this but the way they do it in their code...just really isn't how you would/should do it if you were a professional. My belief is this video is how it should be done and how a professional would do it.
Thank you.
I've been looking for circuit design software for making reference schematics. I was drawn to Fritzing because of the visuals, but KiCad stood out as I heard it was better to learn in the long term (more professional use cases, and better for PCB manufacturing). Even though I'm not yet looking to make custom PCBs, great to know it's so easy to get started. Thanks for breaking it down so well. I'll be trying out KiCAD because of your tutorial.
OMG! You just made the best KiCAD intro ever. Bravo!
Haha, thanks! Glad you liked it!
Straight to thepoint, no more no less. I knew there were numerous steps necessary to make a PCB, but your video makes them less intimidating. Great!
Hey Oyvind, this video was a life-saver! I had KiCad install for about a month and I never used it until I saw your video. You spared me a lot of headaches - again! :) Thanks a lot!!
Adam Kotnik Hey Adam, that's great to hear!
Fantastic video - everything I needed to know to get working on my (much larger) project in just over 5 minutes. This was exactly what I was looking for!
This is such a concise and complete guide, I had to pause a lot but followed along! Subbed
Thank you so much! I've been struggling to learn the basics of EAGLE, but after this tutorial I think I'll be using KiCAD instead
Highly recommended! =)
Great video, short and to the point.
Regarding Kicad itself - I have little to no experience with PCB design, but Kicad leaves me with the impression of being several programs "under one roof", rather than one program.
Thanks! Yes, it is. But it feels like just one program when you use it.
@@Ohmify Here's an example of what I mean (please correct me if I'm wrong): when you go from Eeschema to Pcbnew, you have to explicitly import your circuit (together with footprints) by doing Tools -> Update PCB from Schematic.
Why isn't this done automatically? What happens if I decide to go back to Eeschema and switch a footprint or five?
Does this mean I have to redo Update PCB from Schematic again?
Eeschema and Pcbnew behave as if they're two separate applications, when they make the user manage this data exchange between them manually. IMO this shouldn't even be visible to the user, should be and automated process running under the hood.
@@Booruvcheek You're right that it works like that. I actually prefer to have control over this. I don't want my PCB layout to change until I say so:)
Hey Oyvind, your tutorials are absolutely amazing, I owe you a lot for getting started with electronics!
Very useful tutorial, thanks! Never used PCB design software before, but this helped me design one very quickly.
Very short and informative. Thank you.
Dude...you're a lifesaver.
This was perfect as I was actually designed a very similar board (just replace the resistor with a mosfet, the battery with a JST connector, and move things around a bit). Checking out how to get it made next!
Kicad for the impatient. Great job! I needed some basic steps to transition from Eagle.
Glad I could help!
I thought Eagle was to choice to ask for job ?
Thank you! Great short tutorial. Please make more kiCAD tutorials.
Perfect to get me started tx!
Thank you sir, for such a nice explanation 🙂
Thank you! Just made my first project. Thank you!
Vote up, nice video clip, thanks for sharing :)
Exactly what I needed to get started. Thank you!!
I suggest you do a little update as v6 is slightly different. KiCad is really good!
It's on my todo list!
@@Ohmify Don't waste time, v7 coming out end of January, hopefully.
@@C00ltronix Yeah, I just heard. Won't have time before then anyway.
Thank you!
Very well done! Short and to the point while still covering the main points.
THANK YOU. i've been trying to graduate from EasyEDA, and I could just not work out how to get my components on the PCB!
Thank you so much brother. This was simple but powerful tutorial👌
Nicely done. I now have a small board, my first. Love it, thank you.
Anyone who reads this comment, use JLCPCB to order ur board, its the cheaoest option i could find, easy to order, and fast shipping
But not cheap shipping, so no.
@Alejandro Pérez well depends what country
Great tutorial! I finally understand KiCad design
Ok that was awesomely simple and to the point
That's awesome, thank you!!! Concise and packed with info.
This is golden, thanks a lot!!
great video! so concise but also thorough.
Thanks to you a lot !! Simple and clear ❤
thanks bro for the video
Good video, but in the 3D viewer it doesn't show the models, even doe they are turned on for the render. Why is that?
Most likely it's because the component you use does not have a 3d model defined - or that the 3d model can't be found. Click on a footprint and go into Footprint Properties. Choose the 3D Settings tab and look at the 3D model(s) defined there. If there is one there, look at the location of it and verify if that file actually exists.
Short & Sweet!😊
Congratulations!! Very nice tutorial!
thanks a lot, you+your video have been VERY HELPFUL, DANKE !!! please STAY HEALTHY !!!
WOW! Thanks a ton for this!!! This is extremely useful and easy to understand!! Thank you!
perfect! Great tutorial. Great video! thanks!
Solid video i still use this as reference.
Perfect tutorial. Right to the point. Thumbs up!
Thank you very much for this helpful video.
I love this tutorial so much..
good job, guys..
Wow, that was efficient! Thank you!
Glad it helped!
Is there part 2 of this pls? Thanks for a clear tutorial.
Sorry, there isn't. What would you like to see in part 2 if I were to make one?
Thanks , very informative
Excellent tutorial - thanks
Thank you for a superb video.
What if you don't have components and just want to design a fanout?
Great tutorial, short and to the point.
A couple of things I would like to mention though - in my version of KiCad ("5.0.0+dfsg1-2, release build", running on Kubuntu 18.10:1) resistor value is printed next to the resistor, not inside it;2) "LED" and LED annotation are printed horizontally, not vertically;3) I don't have PIN headers library, but I do have several libraries named "Connector_PinHeader_1.00mm", "Connector_PinHeader_1.27mm", "Connector_PinHeader_2.00mm", "Connector_PinHeader_2.54mm", they must have changed that for whatever reason.4) 3D preview of the PCB shows just the board, without components - no resistor, LED or battery connector.
The reason this is happening is because this tutorial was made with KiKad version 4 and you're using version 5. I fell into the same problems you did.
The last point about the PCB not being populated in the 3d viewer didn't happen to me though...
@@randomviewer896 Thank you for this information. As for missing 3d models of components, I guess I'll find out why eventually :)
@@Booruvcheek Do you have the Kicad 3d library installed?
@@randomviewer896 I'm not sure, but it seems I do -
(here's the list of KiCad packages I have on my system)
$ sudo apt list | grep kicad
kicad-common/cosmic,cosmic 5.0.0+dfsg1-2 all
kicad-demos/cosmic,cosmic,now 5.0.0+dfsg1-2 all [installed,automatic]
... skpped kicad docs, etc ...
kicad-footprints/cosmic,cosmic,now 5.0.0-1 all [installed,automatic]
kicad-libraries/cosmic,cosmic,now 5.0.0+dfsg1-2 all [installed,automatic]
kicad-packages3d/cosmic,cosmic 5.0.0-1 all
kicad-symbols/cosmic,cosmic,now 5.0.0-1 all [installed,automatic]
kicad-templates/cosmic,cosmic,now 5.0.0-1 all [installed,automatic]
kicad/cosmic,now 5.0.0+dfsg1-2 amd64 [installed]
kicad/cosmic 5.0.0+dfsg1-2 i386
I must have missed a step somewhere along the way when creating my first PCB, but never mind, i'll figure it out eventually.
Just need to play with KiCad more.
@@randomviewer896 Actually, I have looked at those packages again, and this time I have noticed that kicad-packages3d does not have "installed" next to it.
So I did a quick 'sudo apt install kicad-packages3d', and voila! Components are now in 3D viewer too. Who would have guessed you _can_ have the viewer installed, but not its assets.
So thank you for your suggestion!
Its motivational.. Thanks alot
Thanks, my friend!
I really appreciate your videos and have downloaded KICAD based on how helpful and well you demonstrate the use of KICAD.
I found it really easy to draw the first schematic, however, when I go into PCB mode I have problems with the wire not connecting to the component. So the components cannot be connected. It seems like the wire is sticking to the mouse cursor.
I would really appreciate any advice or even a youtube clip on how to resolve this issue. Again, thank you for your fantastic videos.
In the PCB mode, you need to connect it the same way as in the schematics. You should see lines that show which point should be connected to another. If you try to connect things that are not connected in the schematics, you'll get the behavior that it seems you have.
Thank You so much for the tutorial!
Thanks, indeed, short and very useful. Now, how do I use the layout to generate gcode for my milling machine?
Hi, I haven't done that. But here are some answers from other people: www.reddit.com/r/KiCad/comments/5zbaa8/kicad_to_gcode_for_pcb_milling/
Really great video and very informative, thank you. Just one small thing however, and I know I'm being picky, but why do you have that very annoying 'music' in the background whilst you're speaking? I know some don't mind it but I find it very distracting. Thanks for the information.
Well done. Your tutorial makes my first use of Kicad much less intimidating
at 3:30 "perform electrical rule checker" in KiCad 7.02 it is giving me like 11 errors at every corner of the wire and at every connection, and the dashed line between the cells of the batter and even the line inside the LED.. what gives?
What does the error say?
Is there an easy way to design a circuit with 50 components using KiCad? The ground leads need to be kept short as it is a radio receiver.
Wow thank you for a great intro
I am unable to find the "Layout Printed Circuit Board" option under "Tools" in the menu (3:49) Any help would be appreciated.
Thanks.
It's now called "Open PCB Editor"
@@Ohmify ah alright, tysm.
Great vid btw
thanks
Perform electrical rules check generates 9 warnings in this example. We are snapping everything to the grid, so how does anything generate a "Warning: Symbol Pin or Wire End Off Grid" error? And moving symbols or wire ends anywhere on the grid does nothing, the Warnings persist.
I remember a student of mine had a similar problem. It was caused by importing a project from kicad 6 into kicad 7. His solution was to just redraw the circuit. But might be better solutions out there.
bro...you are amazing
Can you show me how to start off with the ground plane first, on the pcb? ALL on one side of the pcb!
To create a ground plane, use the Zone option from the Place menu.
Awesome man thankyou very much
Cant find the Pin header library in KiCad 6.0.
How do you find the same stuff in a new version?
Help pls.
They've updated the names. A pin header with 2 pins is called Conn_01x02. Try searching for conn_ to see the available options.
@@Ohmify OMG you actually responded. You the best. Thank you! (I think you should mention some of these changes in the description).
Any plans to do further videos on this theme? E.g. how to export data so it can be sent to a board manufacturer
No immediate plans, but comments like this makes me want to.
very helpful thanks
Great tutorial..👍
Very well explained !
Does the size of the board rapidly increases the cost? Lets say a simple circuit like yours, just with a board 4x the size of yours. How much more will it cost?
I wouldn't say rapidly. But you can check for the size and quantity you are curious about by entering size and quantity into for example PCBWay's calculator: www.pcbway.com/
Man you rock! Thanks a lot
Do you have a video with the real product? Thanks!
No, sorry I don't.
@@Ohmify No need to apologize, I just thought it would be nice to see the real product, and I was wondering if you ever had that manufactured. It´s still a great video.
How laborious for simple projects. May be OK for cookie-cutter common components. Can't just skip to layout board?
Yes, you could go directly to PCB. It's not as intuitive. You'd have to add footprints for the components.
when i put the option "3d viewer", Does the pcb apears with all the components?
Yes, as long as you are using components with 3D models (which almost all of them have now)
The footprint library in DipTrace is far better! You can also see the footprint AND the pad and their numbering. With KiCad not. I just get freaking errors 29 of them!!! R3 Pad not found in footprint. It had pads when I made it.
straight forward! Thank you!
Wonder why we have to wire the components twice in Kicad. It does not suit the purpose and ease of a computer design.
I use easyeda, and it is easyer for me and works great.
Great introduction!
Thanks! =)
Why do wires sometimes not snap to the component leads in Schematics?
I don't know, but my best guess is that the component was created with a different grid setting that you're using to create the schematic.
@@Ohmify It was created with a different grid setting. I need to check my components first to see if all the leads snap to the grid before connecting them.
Very informative, but missing the final touch: the ground plane...
Thanks! A ground plane video will come soon...
Noob question: Why is the ground plane important?
Cheers, very useful!
Hi thanks for the video it great. But can you please tell the name if the background music used
It's made by Valentina Vogelman and is called "Big Start". I got it specially made for my videos by Valentina.
Thank you so much
Cant see anything in PCB editor, just background. using MAC m1. i have saved the schematic, closed reopened etc, nothing helps
Check out the kicad forum for troubleshooting help: forum.kicad.info/