The Complete Course of KiCad

Name: The Complete Course of KiCad
Rating: 4.1 (91 reviews)

Learn KiCad in a Professional way. Become an expert in PCB design, Digital Circuit Design, Digital Electronics...

Created byDigital Courses

Last updated 1/2025

English

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What you'll learn

At the end of the course you will fully master KiCad, to be able to conduct out your own PCB design and electronics projects from scratch
You will become familiar with its interface, toolbars and basic commands, and you will master all the phases of the design, layout and configuration process
You will be able to use step by step the Schematic Editor Environment, understanding all the logic and ending with advanced practical examples
You will learn in a professional way the PCB Editor Environment, going deep into every detail
You will understand the fundamental concepts to be able to work with Manufacturing Files (BoM, CPL, Gerber, Drill...) in a professional way
You will learn how to make your own library, and above all, understanding their interpretation
You will master all the KiCad Spice Simulation, using all options of the software
You will be able to practice the content learned in a practical way by following all the steps in the complete exercises
You will start with the basics and progressively carry out more complex steps until you reach an advanced level and absolute mastery at the end of the course

Course content

6 sections • 20 lectures • 7h 59m total length

KiCAD and course introduction2:31
Explore KiCad, the open-source tool for PCBs and schematics, including libraries and manufacturing files, and learn its environment, Gerber viewer, 3D viewer, and a 555 timer Knight Rider LED circuit.
Quiz
Download and installation of KiCad3:17
Download KiCad from the official website, select your operating system, run the installer as administrator, complete the setup, and launch KiCad with default settings to explore its menus and tools.
KiCad features and interface familiarization42:54
Learn KiCad features and interface, start projects from templates or blank, explore schematic and PCB editors, symbol and footprint editors, Gerber viewer, image converter, and essential tools and hotkeys.
Folders and files explanation7:49
Explore KiCad folder structure from 3d models to footprints, plugins, scripting, and symbol libraries; learn how wrl and step 3d formats integrate with footprints and third party libraries.

Schematic Editor Environment16:34
Discover KiCad's schematic editor by building a simple 555 timer circuit, creating a new project, and navigating the editor interface, toolbars, grid options, pins, wires, buses, labels, and hierarchical sheets.
Schematic Component Placement & Wiring31:32
Learn to create a KiCad schematic for a printed circuit board by placing components, wiring nets, and applying labels and boundaries for a neat, team-friendly design.
Add Footprint Library19:03
Learn to attach footprints to symbol libraries in KiCad, ensuring every component has a footprint before PCB design; includes selecting footprints and importing external footprints via SnapEDA.

PCB Editor Environment18:42
Learn to navigate the PCB editor environment, update PCB with schematic changes, place footprints, route tracks and vias, and use zones, keepouts, and length tuning tools.
Board set-up20:09
Configure the PCB board editor by setting the board stack-up and copper/non-copper layers, including silkscreen and solder mask. Define design rules and net classes to match manufacturer capabilities.
Make custom board outline/edge cut18:23
Learn to create custom pcb outlines in KiCad with edge cuts for various shapes. Use dxf imports or image footprints to generate, adjust, and preview in the 3D viewer.
PCB Design Layout1:05:21
Learn KiCad pcb design with component placement and routing, grouping by function, edge connector placement, space for traces, vias, edge cuts, and text mirroring for a two-layer board.
Finishing touch and Inspecting Board (DRC)26:00
Finish a KiCad PCB by adding mounting holes and silkscreen labels, then run DRC to fix violations and verify clearance, constraints, and net integrity.
3D Viewer and 3D Design18:01
Learn how to use the KiCad 3D viewer to navigate, render, and export 3D representations of boards, including adjusting grid, bounding boxes, highlighting components, and importing missing 3D models.

Bill of Materials - BoM32:45
Discover how KiCad generates a bill of materials, listing parts, quantities, footprints, and costs, from pcb or schematic editors, exportable as csv or xml for ordering.
Components Placement List - CPL9:02
Generate a CPL file from Kicad, detailing component reference designators, the X or Y coordinates, rotation, and top or bottom layer placement for PCB manufacturing.
Gerber Files21:21
Learn how Gerber files encode copper, solder mask, silkscreen, and edge cuts for PCB fabrication, and how to generate, view with the KiCad Gerber viewer, and prepare for manufacturing.
Drill Files10:00
Generate and inspect drill files with hole locations, sizes, and tooling, then zip the Gerber and drill files and upload to a pcb manufacturer like Jlcpcb.

Making our own Schematic Symbol29:37
Learn to create a custom schematic symbol in KiCad by building a symbol library, defining pins and electrical properties, and saving symbols in a writable library.
Making our own Footpring Library54:21
Learn to create and manage your own KiCad footprint library, attach schematic symbols to footprints, and build accurate 555 through-hole footprints using the footprint editor, wizard, and checks.

Requirements

Having basic notions of any PCB software and Electronics can help, but the course starts from scratch
Download and install KiCad (if you don't know how, don't worry, it's very easy, free and I'll explain it to you in the course! -latest version-)
A decent computer and of course, desire to learn!

Description

Become a KiCad professional and learn one of employer's most requested skills nowadays!

This comprehensive course is designed so that students, engineers, electronics hobbyists... can use KiCad software from scratch to use it in a practical and professional way. Never mind if you have no experience in the software, you will be equally capable of understanding everything and you will finish the course with total mastery of the subject.

After several years working as an Engineer, I have realized that nowadays mastering KiCad for the PCB (Printed Circuit Board) design is very necessary in engineering, electronics or other industrial applications. KiCad is an open source software (it works without commercial licenses), and that is why it is one of the leaders in the industry and its demand is increasing. Knowing how to use this software can give you many job opportunities and many economic benefits, especially in the world of engineering and digital electronics.

The big problem has always been the complexity to perfectly understand the software it requires, since its absolute mastery is not easy. In this course I try to facilitate this entire learning and improvement process, so that you will be able to carry out and understand your own projects in a short time, thanks to the step-by-step and detailed examples of every concept.

With 8 exclusive hours of video, this comprehensive course leaves no stone unturned! It includes both practical exercises and theoretical examples to master KiCad. The course will teach you PCB design in a practical way, from scratch, and step by step.

We will start with the installation of KiCad software on your computer, regardless of your operating system and computer.

Then, we'll cover a wide variety of topics, including:

Introduction to KiCad and course dynamics
Download and Install KiCad latest version
General familiarization with the user interface and KiCad features
Complete project setup and basic KiCad Commands and Preferences
Design Schematic
Comprehensive focus on Design PCB Board, from zero to advanced (set-up, wiring, 3D view, routing, Design Rule Check - DRC...)
Working with Manufacturing Files (BoM, CPL, Gerber, Drill...)
Making our own library
Full use of KiCad Spice Simulation
Mastery and application of absolutely ALL the functionalities and tools of the software
Practical exercises and much more!

In other words, what I want is to contribute my grain of sand and teach you all those things that I would have liked to know in my beginnings and that nobody explained to me. In this way, you can learn to solve a wide variety of projects quickly and make versatile and complete use of KiCad. And if that were not enough, you will get lifetime access to any class and I will be at your disposal to answer all the questions you want in the shortest possible time.

Learning KiCad and PCB design has never been easier. What are you waiting to join?

Who this course is for:

Beginners who have never used KiCad before
Electronics hobbyists, engineers, students... who want to learn a new PCB design and Digital Electronics software
Intermediate or advanced KiCad students/users who want to improve their skills even more!

The Complete Course of KiCad

What you'll learn

Explore related topics

Course content

Introduction4 lectures • 57min

Design Schematic3 lectures • 1hr 7min

Design PCB Board6 lectures • 2hr 47min

Manufacturing Files4 lectures • 1hr 13min

Making our own Library2 lectures • 1hr 24min

KiCad Spice Simulation1 lecture • 32min

Requirements

Description

Who this course is for: