Advice needed for KiCad beginner

Community
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Hello!

I am a 2nd year engineering student just moving up to my first year in electrical engineering after my 1st year of general engineering. I am very new to to all of this - creating circuit schematics - and I was wondering where I could find some helpful links/sources that could help me ease into this program!

Thank you,

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From the main KiCAD web page ( www.kicad.org ) select “Documentation” > “Getting Started” ( https://kicad.org/help/documentation/ ), and “Tutorials” ( https://kicad.org/help/tutorials/ ). As with many open-source software packages, a lot of the documentation is out of date, so when the documentation does not agree with what you see on your computer screen, bring your questions here and somebody will help you get back to the proper path.

Dale

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Well using the tool is only part of designing a pcb.
(I know from experience its the easy part.)

You may also search for pcb design guidelines.
As soon as you are a bit experienced you might want to look into emi (emc) design guidelines. (Yes this is often overlooked. And it is very hard to get it right.)

A good beginners guide i found is:


It describes all important terms.

For EMC design, i found this webside quite usefull:
http://learnemc.com/pcb-layout

A tip i would give all students (with a bit of self-interest):
Maybe there is a student team (formula student, eco racing, robocup, solar racing, …) that can help you out. (Naturally they want a bit of your time as exchange for teaching you vital skills. ;))
They normally also have production capabilities or good contacts to pcb manufacturers.
Another option is your local fablab.

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They have my old links up on the KiCad site, here is my “getting to blinky” tutorial, redone for the 4.0 KiCad verison: https://contextualelectronics.com/learning/getting-to-blinky-4-0/

Whatever you try, just be sure to have something tangible as the end goal (a blinky or similar). It is important to have a reason to use the tool instead of a desire to mess around with the tool.

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[quote] The world can only be grasped by action, not contemplation…The hand is the cutting edge of the mind.
(Dr. Jacob Bronowski, 20th Century Scientist, in “The Ascent of Man”)
[/quote]

Dale

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Thank you for all your tips and advice everyone! I’ll make sure to check the tutorial manuals and videos!!