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KiCad Design Workflow
The steps for designing PCBs using an open-source and free ECAD tool
The steps for designing PCBs using an open-source and free ECAD tool
In order to use schematic symbols imported from the web or custom created for your project (very common), you must create a custom symbol library in which to save them. It is good practice to create a custom library for each project that you work on to save your schematic symbols. To create a custom library, do the following:
A padstack is a design for the exposed copper surface area for each hole or pad on the board where the component is mounted and soldered (see example, Figure 1). You may need to create a custom padstack when creating custom parts to ensure that the pad and hole are big enough to be reliable. This tutorial describes the manual creation of custom padstacks using the Pad Designer application.
A padstack is a design for the exposed copper surface area for each hole or pad on the board where the component is mounted and soldered (see example, Figure 1). You may need to create a custom padstack when creating custom parts to ensure that the pad and hole are big enough to be reliable. This tutorial describes the manual creation of custom padstacks using the Pad Designer application.
A PCB footprint is the physical layout on a PCB to which a component is soldered. Usually, you must create a custom PCB footprint for each custom schematic symbol that you create. Footprints can be made for many standard components (e.g., basic ICs) using the Package Symbol Wizard (see the Creating a PCB footprint using Package Designer in Cadence page), but more complex components (like switching power supply ICs with thermal reliefs) must be created by hand. This tutorial details the manual creation of a custom footprint.
A PCB footprint is the physical layout on a PCB to which a component is soldered. Usually, you must create a custom PCB footprint for each custom schematic symbol that you create. This tutorial details the easiest way to make custom footprints using the Package Symbol (Wizard).
In most designs, some components will not be available in built-in libraries. The purpose of this tutorial is to show how to make a custom schematic symbol that can be used in the design of schematics in Cadence.
This tutorial will walk through the creation of a custom surface-mount device (SMD) footprint manually. A MCH3382 Power MOSFET from ON Semiconductor will be used as an example.
A ground plane is a large area of copper in a printed circuit board design that is connected to ground on the power supply.
Creating a new project in Cadence
In Windows, open the Design Entry CIS program. This program allows you to edit schematics, and will be used to export a netlist describing your schematic into the PCB Editor.
You can try to find existing footprints for components, but most components will require custom footprints.
