Awesome. I've been cranking out a board every couple of months for various work and fun related purposes, but my brain generates ideas at a board per week clip. I had been meaning to fire up KiCad autorouter for the longest time, now I'm armed and dangerous!
Thank you for your request, I am not a PCB layout expert, but I could not find a simple instruction myself, after figuring out how to use KiCAD I realized it is a great PCB tool and made the video based on what I wanted to have before I started to use KiCAD ;-)
WOW ! This is my very first time trying to design a PCB. Your tutorials helped me so much I am so grateful for your clear explanations and generosity with knowledge share. Thank you.
Excellent instructions & perfect timing! Thank you! Just in the middle of laying out tracks on my 1st SMD PCB, with analogue audio op amps, a digital Teensy 4.1 MCU with an I2S CODEC IC, with 6 ADC inputs + 6 DAC outputs. IOW, I'm already in way over my head, have yet to learn about creating a ground plane or pour. This video explains everything I need to know (I hope) in order to complete the PCB. WooHoo!!🥳👏👏👏👏
Excellent input we both liked the screaming, My Wife said that looked like my boards. We had a nice laugh. You move fast for this old brain but i usually get on the third round. Thank You I just knew this should be a feature. Dennis
Thank you for your nice comments, the video pace is fast to make sure the younger guys do not get bored, not so young myself;-). I use these breadboards a lot but they really cause a lot of problems, old school soldering is the best ;-)
Excellent. You made this easy for me to understand. I use EasyEda cuz I got so frustrated by KiCad. Now I am willing to give KiCad a second try. Well done sir. Can you do another video about component library and BOM generation. As novice I find EasyEda simple to use but too many jumping around to produce PCB with KiCad.
Wow, lots of helpful KiCAD 7/8 Autorouter information. I wonder how similiar the 3 methods are in making the tracks? 😎 Something to play with on the next PCB. Thank you.
If possible, please do more KiCAD tutorial like how change thickness of PCB, add multiple layers, add a 3d model, add an already made PCB in an ongoing project in 3d viewer just to show connections(if possible) and so on. Thank you in advance!
Good video, clear concise and does a good job presenting the information so someone who has used autorouting before can apply immediately. I am wondering if you can use the autorouter to only route selected tracks interactively? This used to be a feature of the autorouter in the older PCB package on Linux/Unix where you could select one or more tracks to autoroute. I used this for boards that I wanted to route some tracks manually while routing others (such as bus lines) using the autorouter. Anyone know if this is a feature and if so how to perform such routing?
Hello. Can you tell me how to choose an arbitrary orientation for my track in kicad, for me it is always at an angle of 45 degrees and I want it to be at an angle of 90 degrees, is it possible to do something so that I can change the angle of the track over time? work, for example, like in Sprint Layout when you press the space bar?
Hi Maxichannel, when you are placing a track you can right click and change the track angle mode. Or (better) use the shortcut: press + to change the track angle mode, it will toggle from 45 degree to rounded, to 90 degree.
This is almost perfect BUT is there a way to specify a "no route zone" on a specific copper layer in autorouter so it doesn't try to put any lines across? there's a specific footprint I'm using which autorouter keeps putting lines over or across and i cant seem to make it stop doing that i'm ok with it using layer 2 to route but not layer 1 edit: answered my own question, you can do it by using a rule area (keepout) and specifying which layer to be excluded. the autorouter will respect it
Hi Rykachoo! You you can create a keep out zone in the pcb editor before you start the autorouter: In PCB editor: place, add rule area (or crtl+shift+K) 1-select the layours to be kept out (e.g. F.Cu,B.Cu) 2-select what to keep out: e.g. tracks, vias, pads, fills) 3-click OK and draw the keepout zone shape 4-finish drawing with double click (cancel with esc) I never used it with the autorouter, please let me know if that worked!
@@smartpowerelectronics8779 it only sorta of worked, it seems to block everything in the auto router, meaning if it's placed directly over pads the router can't even make a connection I do wonder if there's a way to allow for connection bu, prevent traces from traveling alongside long lines of pads
Hello, I have installed Freerouting as you showed in your video but if a start Freerouting in Kicad 7.0 I see a short time (6 sec) a rounded blua screen and the PCB is not routed. What can be wrong ?
I think so, just do not use top layer, so no ttracks, vias and pin through holes. Not sure how to deal with pin through holes in footprints, you can chnage the footprints or jiust remove the layer from the gerber file ;-) pls confirm with your PCB vendor that you want single layer, default is 2-layer.
