Prototyping with PCBs
Coppersmith
© Lead Image © Eduard Peter, 123RF.com
Prototype your products with your own PCB designs.
In part 1 of this series on PCB design [1], I covered schematic capture in KiCad [2]. The schematic embodies the logical part of the design, which components are used, and how they are interconnected. To complete the information required for PCB layout, the component symbols are annotated with data that describes the physical layout of the component pins, otherwise known as a footprint.
Other symbols represent mechanical features required by the design, such as mounting holes and any markings on the silkscreen layer. These elements can be added directly to the PCB layout without having a reference in the schematic. You can also mark such things as logos, copyright warnings, and revision numbers to be excluded from the bill of materials (BOM) in the symbol's properties.
In this second, concluding part of the series, I walk you through the process of laying out and tracking your PCB and producing manufacture-ready files.
[...]
Buy this article as PDF
(incl. VAT)
Buy Linux Magazine
US / Canada
UK / Australia
Subscribe to our Linux Newsletters
Find Linux and Open Source Jobs
Subscribe to our ADMIN Newsletters
Support Our Work
Linux Magazine content is made possible with support from readers like you. Please consider contributing when you’ve found an article to be beneficial.
News
-
Linux Mint 22.2 Beta Available for Testing
Some interesting new additions and improvements are coming to Linux Mint. Check out the Linux Mint 22.2 Beta to give it a test run.
-
Debian 13.0 Officially Released
After two years of development, the latest iteration of Debian is now available with plenty of under-the-hood improvements.
-
Upcoming Changes for MXLinux
MXLinux 25 has plenty in store to please all types of users.
-
A New Linux AI Assistant in Town
Newelle, a Linux AI assistant, works with different LLMs and includes document parsing and profiles.
-
Linux Kernel 6.16 Released with Minor Fixes
The latest Linux kernel doesn't really include any big-ticket features, just a lot of lines of code.
-
EU Sovereign Tech Fund Gains Traction
OpenForum Europe recently released a report regarding a sovereign tech fund with backing from several significant entities.
-
FreeBSD Promises a Full Desktop Installer
FreeBSD has lacked an option to include a full desktop environment during installation.
-
Linux Hits an Important Milestone
If you pay attention to the news in the Linux-sphere, you've probably heard that the open source operating system recently crashed through a ceiling no one thought possible.
-
Plasma Bigscreen Returns
A developer discovered that the Plasma Bigscreen feature had been sitting untouched, so he decided to do something about it.
-
CachyOS Now Lets Users Choose Their Shell
Imagine getting the opportunity to select which shell you want during the installation of your favorite Linux distribution. That's now a thing.