KiCad 5.0.2, a program for the automation of electronic design

In the next article we are going to take a look at KiCad. It is a program for the electronic design automation (EDA) and that it is open source. It is a cross-platform program, written in C ++ with wxWidgets to run on Gnu / Linux, FreeBSD, Microsoft Windows and Mac OS X.

KiCad was originally developed by Jean-Pierre Charras. This program offers the user an integrated environment for schematic and layout capture of PCB. There are different tools within the software to create a bill of materials, illustrations, Gerber files, and 3D views of the PCB and its components.

The latest release of the KiCad project is stable version 5.0.2. It contains critical bug fixes and other minor improvements over version 5.0.1. Also includes enhanced symbol libraries, 3D models, translations and documentation.

A list of all bugs fixed since version 5.0.1 can be found in the launchpad page of KiCad 5.0.2. This version contains several critical bug fixes, so if you are already a user of this software, you should consider updating as soon as possible. To make version 5.0.2 the branch lp: kicad / 5.0.

KiCad 5.0.2 General Features

• KiCad is a package of free software for the automation of electronic design (Electronic Design Automation, EDA). It facilitates the design of schematics for electronic circuits and their conversion to a printed circuit board.
• The program uses a integrated environment for all stages of the design process: schematic capture, PCB layout, generation / display of gerber files and component library editing.
• Schematic capture. With the schematic editor you can create your design without limit. An official schematic symbol library and built-in schematic symbol editor help users get started quickly with designs.
• We will be able to make professional PCB designs with up to 32 layers of copper. KiCad now has a push router which is capable of routing differential pairs and interactively adjusting trace lengths.
• This software includes a 3D viewer that can be used to inspect the user's layout on an interactive canvas. It can be rotated and panned to inspect details that are difficult to locate in a 2D view.
• All the multiple rendering options They allow you to modify the aesthetic appearance of the board. It will allow us to hide and show features to facilitate inspection.
• Many component libraries can be found available and users can add custom components. Custom components can be available by project or installed for use in any project.
• Configuration files are in plain text (plane text). They are well documented, which helps interconnect version control systems as well as automated component build scripts.
• The program is available in multiple languages.

Install KiCad 5.0.2

To install KidCad you can consult the download page for guidance. The latest version so far is KiCad 5.0.2. Ubuntu users will be able to install it easily, either from the Ubuntu software option, where an old version can be found at the moment (i think 4.x), Or using the js-reynaud PPA.

To install this latest version, all you have to do is open a terminal (Ctrl + Alt + T). When it opens, first add the PPA with the following command:

sudo add-apt-repository ppa:js-reynaud/kicad-5

Now you can install the program typing in the same terminal:

sudo apt update; sudo apt install kicad

Once the installation is finished, we can look for the launcher in our team:

Uninstall KiCad 5.0.2

For remove KiCad from the system, run the following command in the terminal (Ctrl + Alt + T):

sudo apt remove --autoremove kicad kicad-*

For remove added PPA, open the option Software and updates and go to the tab Other software. There you can easily remove it.

Another option is to open a terminal (Ctrl + Alt + T) and write in it:

sudo add-apt-repository -r ppa:js-reynaud/kicad-5

For get more information about this software and all the possibilities it offers, users can resort to the official documentation which is available on the project website.