Printing PCBs
An introduction to PCB
Maybe you have heard about PCB previously. In simple words, it is a board that connects electronic components together. It is used in every computer today.
PCB stands for Printed Circuit Board: a rigid structure with electrical circuitry made up of wires (named traces) and bigger metal wires (planes).
We use this electronic circuit in different devices in order to provide mechanical support to its electronic components.
Since this is something almost every computer and electronic device has, there are lots of companies that provide this service.
For example, QueenField. Briefly, it works with integrated circuits, such as ASIC & FPGA, described in VHDL & Verilog; verified and synthesized with open source tools; and printed with open standard cells. But it also works with drawing PCBs, printing PCBs, verifying PCBs and testing ICs+PCBs. We will return to this later.
More than 5 year experience in Hardware and Software Systems
Integrated Circuits (ASIC & FPGA) described in VHDL & Verilog; verified and synthesized with open source tools; and printed with open standard cells.
Printed Circuits Boards drawn, printed, verified and tested with open source tools.
Printing Printed Circuit Boards
We offer Printed Circuit Board Mask Layouts printed with open source tools such as KiCad or gEDA.
Create PCBs up to 16 layers with KiCad
As we said before, one of the softwares we are going to use is KiCad. It can be implemented and operated on lots of computer platforms. It is an open source tool suite for EDA. It also facilitates the design of schematics for electronic circuits, as well as their conversion to PCB designs.
Something especially useful about KiCad is that it does not have a board-size limitation. You can easily make up to 16 copper layers and 12 technical layers.
KiCad independent software tools
This program we are talking about, KiCad, includes four independent software tools: Eeschema, Cvpcb, Pcbnew and Gerbview. In addition, it comprises three utilities: Bitmap2Component, PcbCalculator and PLEditor.
Schematic capture
The schematic editor of KiCad is Eeschema. An advanced electronic sheet or a group of ranked sheets can be created. With KiCad you have some components by default. Also there is an Electrical Rules Check (ERC).
Component association
Cvpcb will let you associate each schematic component to its footprint component. KiCad has a huge component footprint library.
PCB layout
The Pcbnew board editor can control up to 12 technical layers and 16 copper layers, and allows you to layout the final PCB.
What can you do with KiCad?
Some information you might find useful about KiCad is the following:
- Type: EDA
- Initial release: 1992
- Latest stable release: 5.1.10 / 3 May 2021
- Coded in: C++
- Licence: GNU GPL v2, GNU LGPL v2.1
- Disk space required: 197MB (for Windows), 268MB (for UBUNTU)
- Operating systems: Linux, Microsoft Windows and Mac OS X (experimental)
We already said that KiCad does not have any board-size limitations. The reason is KiCad is mature and you can achieve complex electronic boards. Not only this, but it can also create all the files that you need in order to print boards like Gerber files for component location files or photo-plotters.
This is how the program describes itself: “being open source KiCad represents the ideal tool for projects oriented towards the creation of electronic hardware with an open source flavour”.
It does not matter if you are a professional or this is your hobby, KiCad is for you (mostly because commercial software tends to be expensive and prohibitive for hobbyists and students).
Eeschema
You can start your creation by launching Eeschema, which takes you fast and directly to the component documentation.
This is a complete package and it has all the functionalities you are going to need: library management, layout, drawing and control.
Also, Eeschema gives essential functions like:
- Design Rules Check (DRC)
- Export of the layout files to POSTSCRIPT or HPGL format
- Printing the layout files on a local printer
- BOM generation
- Exclusive list generation for PCB layout or simulation software
Component libraries
KiCad has a large set of open source library components. The format used in schematic and PCB components is text-based, which allows you to edit directly your library files with any text-based software.
Eeschema and Pcbnew have a library manager and a library component editor in case you want to modify or create components and footprint parts. This way you are able to create, edit, delete and exchange library items in an easy process.
Another really exciting aspect of KiCad is that library components for PCB and schematic are plain text files.
Principle of use
If you want to manage a KiCad project, as well as schematic files, PCB files, supplementary libraries, manufacturing files for photo-tracing, drilling and automatic component placement files, we recommend you to create a project this way:
- Create a working directory for the project
- In the same directory, create a project file (the extension is .pro) using the “Start a new project” icon
Some advice is that you use the same name for both, files and directory.
Graphical user interface
The main KiCad window has a project tree view, a launch panel which contains buttons that are used to run the software tools and a message window. The menu and the toolbar can be used to create, read and save project files.
Also, KiCad lets you run all its independent software tools. The launch panel is made of the buttons that correspond to the commands that follow:
- Eeschema
- Cvpcb
- Pcbnew
- Gerview
- Bitmap2component
- Pcb calculator
- Pl Editor
QueenField’s services
QueenField is one of the many companies that works with PCB. But QueenField is different, because of its experience and human capital.
This company has 5 years of experience in Hardware and Software Systems. As we said before, it has mixed implementations (digital designs implemented in VHDL and System Verilog), UVM and Formal Verification (digital designs simulated and verified using universal and formal methods) and 100% Open Hardware (open source hardware descriptions and open source tools used).
But you should know about the hardware/software engineer that runs QueenField. He is Paco Reina Campo, the founder and electronic engineer at the company, since September 2004. In addition, he has five-year experience in hardware and software systems. Paco Reina is specialized in digital design and verification (ASIC, FPGA), with emphasis on Hardware Description Languages (Verilog, VHDL). He is focused on the design, verification, and simulation of Integrated Circuits and Printed Circuit Boards.
