Easy Front Panels with KiCad

RE: Easy Front Panels with KiCad

HKPhysicist — Sat, 09 Mar 2024 16:51:39 GMT

Hello Friend,

Who did the polishing, customising enclosure for batch production for you if you buy stock enclosures on Element14?

Extruded aluminium case is almost perfect for PCB mounting as you can get several PCB rails while the case is being formed.

RE: Easy Front Panels with KiCad

Andrew J — Wed, 08 Feb 2023 21:24:15 GMT

Ah, just JLC. I should have looked it up properly but I wasn't actually by the computer.

RE: Easy Front Panels with KiCad

shabaz — Wed, 08 Feb 2023 19:58:48 GMT

Found it here.. I'm going to remember is as 4 JLC's... also need to click on "Specify a Location".

I wish they would optionally accept a file (e.g. JSON, YAML or whatever) with all their config settings in the zip file. I made an error not specifying ENIG at time of ordering, and I had to order a second time : (

RE: Easy Front Panels with KiCad

Andrew J — Wed, 08 Feb 2023 18:03:16 GMT

Typically, they will just put it "wherever they can fit it". On any board you can tell them the location you want it using that string; alternatively you can pay a little more and not have it at all. You're lucky someone decided to play nice with you - if you check out the DC-500kHz panel you had made, you'll see the reference in one of the corners so they clearly weren't doing so then.

RE: Easy Front Panels with KiCad

shabaz — Wed, 08 Feb 2023 15:40:09 GMT

Hi Andrew,

Thanks for these tips! I had been wondering how to get the serial number moved. Interestingly on a recent order, JLCPCB placed the serial number on the bottom layer without being prompted, and it was intended to be a front panel, so I guess one of the manual inspectors was attentive there! I'll be adding that text from now on though, to eliminate the risk.

RE: Easy Front Panels with KiCad

cstanton — Wed, 08 Feb 2023 10:27:32 GMT

[quote userid="123345" url="~/products/pcbprototyping/f/forum/52431/easy-front-panels-with-kicad/205671"]Is it possible to change it[/quote]

Unfortunately not.

[quote userid="123345" url="~/products/pcbprototyping/f/forum/52431/easy-front-panels-with-kicad/205671"]is it fixed as a forum entry?[/quote]

Unfortunately so.

RE: Easy Front Panels with KiCad

Andrew J — Wed, 08 Feb 2023 09:47:34 GMT

I created 4 different panels in this way following your earlier effort. It’s such a good idea and the finished results look great. Range of colours with JLCPCB too. I have two tips if using JLCPCB;

On the hidden side of the panel, put the text ‘JLCPCBJLCPCBJLCPCB” without the quotes. This is where they will print a serial number and you don’t really want it on the front side. I can’t remember the exact number of iterations of JLCPCB but it says on their gerber import web page. Also make sure to tick the right option on that page.
If there is no copper on the hidden side - highly likely as you are just creating cut outs, but there may be a grounding point for example - Kicad will generate an empty gerber file for that and JLCPCB gerber import will flag up a problem. It’s perfectly valid to have an empty file but there must be a bug on their website. You will need to drop them a note to tell them this is correct, or wait for someone to contact you for clarification.

RE: Easy Front Panels with KiCad

Jan Cumps — Wed, 08 Feb 2023 09:31:13 GMT

If moving is not possible, you can copy the source code (Edit -> Tools -> Source code), copy

Then create a blog, follow the same steps, paste

RE: Easy Front Panels with KiCad

baldengineer — Wed, 08 Feb 2023 03:37:17 GMT

Agreed. V6 made some significant improvements with graphics handling. And from what I've read, V7 takes a few more steps forward as well.

RE: Easy Front Panels with KiCad

shabaz — Wed, 08 Feb 2023 03:33:07 GMT

Hi James,

I saw some DXF decode failure artifacts too, I wonder what causes them. For the front panel use-case it wasn't an issue since I was only concerned with the outline, but it would be nice if that was resolved. Inkscape managed to read the DXF file perfectly, so it wasn't a faulty DXF file. The main benefit of the DXF was that the measurements were accurate, since it was the manufacturer's file, so no scaling needed. I much prefer SVG for vector too!

It's awesome how easy graphics are with KiCad. It was a lot harder with EAGLE. I've been using the graphics import for high-voltage symbols today; they might already exist but it was quick to do it anyway:

RE: Easy Front Panels with KiCad

shabaz — Wed, 08 Feb 2023 03:12:09 GMT

Hi Doug,

I believe it could, and would be a better way for those familiar with (say) Inkscape or any CAD package.

In my case, I don't have any 2D CAD package that I know how to use (and I can barely do anything with FreeCAD or Inkscape) so preferred to do as much in the KiCad editor, i.e. just use the enclosure manufacturer's DXF file imported in as a drawing layer and overlay with my own cut lines and silkscreen where needed.

I liked old AutoSketch and old AutoCAD, and the excellent Generic CADD (it was a DOS application) but I've forgotten how to use them (and don't have copies of them any longer).

RE: Easy Front Panels with KiCad

baldengineer — Wed, 08 Feb 2023 02:49:40 GMT

I usually import SVG instead of DXF in KiCad. In the past, I had trouble with it not handling curves very well.

SVG hasn't been perfect either, however. I sometimes have to apply a scaling factor. So I always add a 10 mm line so I can scale correctly.

Also, here is a tip I recently learned and REALLY liked. Don't import your graphic directly into the PCB. Instead, create it as a footprint. That way, if you need to update the artwork, it is much easier to replace it in the footprint and update the footprint on the PCB.

RE: Easy Front Panels with KiCad

dougw — Wed, 08 Feb 2023 02:48:17 GMT

Presumably the entire drawing could be done as a DXF, including text.

It brings up the age old question - should the mechanical design accommodate the electrical design or should the electrical design fit the mechanical design?

RE: Easy Front Panels with KiCad

shabaz — Wed, 08 Feb 2023 01:16:17 GMT

(This should really be a blog, but I accidentally made it a forum entry. Is it possible to change it cstanton or is it fixed as a forum entry? (I looked at Move, but I think that doesn't change to a blog). If it's not possible that's fine, but if it is possible, that would be good!