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Would You Be Interested in Roadtesting KiCad EDA?

rscasny

KiCad has a following on the element14 Community, so we figured it would be a good thing to roadtest. It's a little different than what we usually roadtest, so we have a few questions. KiCad is free, so we were wondering what the potential roadtesters would like to see in the roadtest kit. There was a suggestion for the roadtesters to design a Raspberry Pi HAT. But we could also use a Pi/Ardunio library or even someone's own design. 

I have some polls below. I'd appreciate you voting. Thanks.


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  • I presume the objective is to increase the number of people using KiCad, more than trying to increase the complexity of PCBs designed by existing users. Showcasing the learning experience of new users and entry level tutorials would be good for this, and both new users and seasoned veterans could do one or other of these approaches. I also like learn-by-doing methods because they add extra motivation to the exercise, so a real working PCB has more appeal to me. It shouldn't be too complex, as learning the tool is hard enough for a contest. 

    PCB fabrication is pretty low cost these days, with some suppliers even offering the first proto order for free. So I don't think the logistical nightmare of element14 supplying board shop vouchers is worth it.

    As for supplying multiple spins of fabrication, that would make schedules too long, without adding much value. Everyone knows if you spin it enough times eventually you will get it right. If you have to hack up your prototype a bit to get it to work, that is interesting too, especially if you designed it to be hackable.

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  • I presume the objective is to increase the number of people using KiCad, more than trying to increase the complexity of PCBs designed by existing users. Showcasing the learning experience of new users and entry level tutorials would be good for this, and both new users and seasoned veterans could do one or other of these approaches. I also like learn-by-doing methods because they add extra motivation to the exercise, so a real working PCB has more appeal to me. It shouldn't be too complex, as learning the tool is hard enough for a contest. 

    PCB fabrication is pretty low cost these days, with some suppliers even offering the first proto order for free. So I don't think the logistical nightmare of element14 supplying board shop vouchers is worth it.

    As for supplying multiple spins of fabrication, that would make schedules too long, without adding much value. Everyone knows if you spin it enough times eventually you will get it right. If you have to hack up your prototype a bit to get it to work, that is interesting too, especially if you designed it to be hackable.

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