Set up a project with more than one PCB

[tarik]

I am dealing with a tiny little application consisting of a processor board and a sensor board. My question:
How would one handle this properly?
Currently I see two possibilities:

• 2 different KiCad projects. Technically all simple and would do the job. Although one feels that as long as it is one application, it should somehow … be one KiCad project
• 1 project, 1 board, both parts separated by a paneling (V-paneling, in the given case).

Thanks!

[paulvdh]

This is a recurring question.

Is there a way could split a schematic into different pcb?

Search for V-cut and pcb mouse bites. Both methods snap apart.

Which leads to my older thread:

Multi PCB Project Idea

Every now and then a question about multiple PCB projects pop up on this forum, and usually the answer is that this is not implemented in KiCad. So I’ve been toying with this idea in my head of making a hierarchy of projects. The Idea is that each PCB has it’s own project, but there is also a project that binds them all. So today I did an experiment and documented it, and it seems to work quite well. This it not meant to be a totorial for people new to KiCad, so stuff like Footprint assignme…

But as long as the projects are easy to split, then just using two separate projects is probably the best way. You can also export a 3D model of the “Sensor PCB” and use that for the bigger PCB.

[tarik]

Hello Paul,

thank you very much for your quick reply.
I will take your advice and use 2 projects, but I plan to play a bit with the “Multi PCB Project Idea” once I have stable designs.

Thank you,
Tarik

[Piotr]

@tarik

1 project, 1 board, both parts separated by a paneling (V-paneling, in the given case).

For me the most against that solution is that I have to use separate GND and VCC symbols at both parts of PCB if I don’t want to left some not connected lines to get no DRC errors.
Because of this for me one KiCad project = one PCB.

[Simon_Peacock]

Hi All
Try a different perspective… If you look at "DirtyPCB or “pcbgogo” you have a 100mm x 100mm board size for $5. If you panel 2 boards, it goes up to $36 … so If it was me, I’ld always do 2 separate PCB’s, pcbgogo will ship the 2 boards together so you don’t pay extra freight charges.
If you ever go commercial with the product, then the PCB/PCA house will panel it up to suit their machines.
If you don’t mind cutting them yourself, then you can stick both on the same board, you just need a hacksaw or guillotine to split them (but a routed edge is way nicer.)

Simon

[yaqwsx]

This is my workflow for multi-board projects: https://github.com/yaqwsx/KiKit/blob/master/doc/multiboard.md