KiCad Notes

The Europi PCBs and front panels have all been designed using the totally brilliant KiCad.

Importing 3D Models

KiCad ships with a fairly extensive collection of footprints & 3D Models but, sometimes, you just cannot find the 3D Model you need.

When this happens, I usually head over to http://www.3dcontentcentral.com and have a search through their massive collection of 3D Models.

KiCad needs 3D Models to be in VRML 2.0 format (.WRL) and, whilst 3DContentCentral appears to be able to export models in VRML format, for some reason they don't display in KiCad so, I convert them as follows:

1. Install freeCAD - an open source CAD program

2. Download the Object you want from 3DContentCentral in STEP format, using the default AP214 version.

3. Import this into freeCAD (file -> Import and select "step with colours" as the import file type)

4. Click on Edit -> Select All to select the whole model

5. Click on File -> Export and select VRML V2.0 as the Export file type

This seems to preserve colours and surface textures, though means that you have to spend a while re-sizing and rotating them in KiCad to get them to fit the footprint.

I usually find I have to scale the X,Y & Z dimensions by 0.3937 which is the ratio of 1/10ths of an Inch to mm, then rotate them around one axis. Anyway, the process is worth it, as the results are pretty good.

Importing Graphics into the Silk Screen layer

Logos have to be imported as White on Black .BMP (bitmap) images

They need to be quite high resolution, because you scale them by changing the dpi settings within KiCad.

Save it somewhere.

1. In the main KiCad project Pane, click on the Bitmap2Component icon.

2. In the 'Original Picture' tab, click on [Load Bitmap] navigate to where you saved the BMP and open it.

3. At the default resolution of 72dpi, the box in the top right-hand corner will show you the size of the resulting image:

4. It will doubtless be too large. So, start increasing the DPI values, and the Size will start to shrink.

5. Click on export, and saveit as a .kicad_mod file, with a suitable name.

6. In the Footprint editor, set the Europi library as the current library,, then import the foot print and update it in the current library.

7. You can now import it into the Current schematic using the Place Footprint icon

Importing graphics into the Copper layer

By default, using the process above, KiCad will only import these graphics into the Silk Screen layer. However, if you want them to be on, say the Front Copper layer, all you have to do is edit the footprint file my_footprint.kicad_mod

This is a plain text file, so all you have to do is a search and replace, and change any instances of

F.SilkS

to

F.Cu

And save it with a new name!!