From schematic to a board you can hold

• What a PCB actually is
• The KiCad toolset
• Schematic capture & ERC
• Footprints & netlist
• Placement, routing & design rules
• Ground planes & best practices
• DRC, 3D view & Gerber export
• Ordering from a fab

Copper carries signals, FR-4 fiberglass insulates, soldermask protects copper, silkscreen prints labels. Vias connect layers.

Most hobby boards are 2-layer: copper on top and bottom of one FR-4 core.

A finished PCB — green soldermask, copper traces, and components soldered to pads. By the end of this track you can design one yourself.

• Copper traces replace jumper wires
• Compact, durable, repeatable
• Order 5 from a fab for a few dollars

• Trace — a copper "wire" etched onto the board
• Pad — where a component leg solders down
• Via — a plated hole connecting top & bottom copper
• Footprint — the physical pad pattern a part lands on
• Net — a named electrical connection (e.g. GND, +5V)

No license cost, no node limits, industry-capable.

• Schematic Editor: Draw the logical circuit — symbols and wires.
• Symbol/Footprint libs: Thousands built in; create custom parts too.
• PCB Editor: Place footprints and route copper traces.
• 3D Viewer: See a realistic render of the finished board.
• Gerber export: Generate the manufacturing files for any fab.

1. New project: File → New Project. KiCad keeps schematic (.kicad_sch) and board (.kicad_pcb) together.
2. Place symbols: Press A to add symbols — resistors, the MCU, connectors. Symbols are logical, not physical yet.
3. Wire them up: Press W to draw wires. Use labels for nets like GND and +3V3 instead of long wires.
4. Annotate & values: Give every part a reference (R1, U1) and value (10k, ESP32).

Good habit: power symbols and net labels keep big schematics readable. Avoid crossing wires everywhere.

The Electrical Rules Check catches unconnected pins, conflicting outputs, and missing power. Fixing it now is free; fixing it after fabrication costs a re-order.

• Assign footprints — a resistor symbol → 0805 SMD or through-hole footprint
• Match the real part — check the datasheet package — wrong footprint = unsolderable board
• Update PCB from schematic — pushes the netlist into the PCB editor as a "ratsnest"

The ratsnest is the thin lines showing what must connect — your routing to-do list.

1. Define the board outline: Draw the edge cut on the Edge.Cuts layer — this is the physical shape & size.
2. Place components: Group related parts; put connectors at edges; keep the MCU central. Short critical paths.
3. Route traces: Press X to route. Follow the ratsnest, turn thin lines into real copper traces.
4. Width matters: Signal traces ~0.25 mm; power traces wider to carry more current.

wider + thicker copper = more current, less heat

• Signals — 0.2–0.3 mm is plenty
• Power/GND — 0.5–1 mm+, or use a pour

Example: Rule of thumb (1 oz copper, 10 °C rise): ~0.25 mm ≈ 0.5 A, ~0.5 mm ≈ 1 A. Use a calculator for real designs.

A solid ground pour is the single biggest "pro" upgrade a beginner board can get.

• Run DRC — zero clearance/width violations before export
• 3D view (Alt+3) — spot overlaps, wrong footprints, mechanical fit
• Re-check connectors & mounting holes — the things that are painful to fix later

1. Plot Gerbers: File → Plot. Generate the copper, mask, silkscreen & edge-cut layers.
2. Drill files: Generate Excellon drill files for the holes & vias.
3. Zip & upload: Zip the Gerbers and upload to a fab — JLCPCB, PCBWay, or NextPCB.
4. Order & assemble: Pick size/color/quantity, order, then solder (or use the fab’s assembly service).

KiCad 7+ also has a one-click Fabrication Toolkit/plugin for JLCPCB that bundles Gerbers + BOM + placement.

• Schematic first; pass ERC
• Assign correct footprints; update PCB
• Draw board outline, place, then route
• Power traces wide; add a ground pour
• Set design rules to your fab; pass DRC
• Plot Gerbers + drills → zip → order