Suppose you've fully entered the world of electronics, but you're starting to feel a bit bored with the “prototype look” in your designs. Inevitably, the next step is to start designing your own PCBs, and if there's a program to “get your feet wet,” it's KiCad. With over 25 years of experience, cross-platform support, and a massive community, KiCad is one of the best programs of its kind, without limits or trials.

KiCad: Designing Your Own Circuits
KiCad

They say practice makes perfect, and if I had to compare that to my electronics skills, I'd probably need to train a couple of years on a mountain. I consider myself a breadboard addict, and I don't get along well with perfboard, so I've always been interested in creating PCBs at home.

The famous iron-on method, preparing the chemicals… let's say the process requires some care, but before that, you need to have your circuits ready. Enthusiasts and professionals alike have found a powerful ally in software. The technical term that defines the category of these programs is “Electronic Design Automation,” and despite the many commercial options available, KiCad remains free and open source.

KiCad: Designing Your Own Circuits
A small sample of KiCad's potential

Main Features

  • Schematic capture, where you start shaping your circuit.
  • PCB generation, with support for up to 32 copper layers.
  • A 3D viewer, which can give you an idea of how the piece will look once finished.

KiCad experienced a notable quality leap when the people at CERN began collaborating on the project, and its latest stable version is from November 27, 2019, which includes several fixes. Another detail we can't ignore is its broad multiplatform compatibility. Windows, Linux (in various flavors), OS X, and even FreeBSD appear on the list.

Community and Tutorials

As you can imagine, KiCad is not a program to be taken lightly. In fact, it's advisable to go through its tutorials and get to know several essential points closely. Luckily, KiCad's community is quite large, and if you want to get in touch with Spanish-speaking users, you can start in forums like this one.

In short: if you feel you need to make your own PCBs and go beyond casual designs, sooner or later you'll cross paths with KiCad. Don't hesitate to explore it.

Official site and download:

https://old.neoteo.com/programas-diagramar-circuitos-electricos/