0. Overview

Blinky Boards are printed circuit boards (PCBs) that contain a light that blinks at the speed set by the position of the dial (Potentiometer). Blinky boards were initially designed for use in soldering practice (see Soldering 101). This article uses the same schematic to teach KiCad and PCB skills.

Example of a finished blinky board:

IMG_3215.jpg

Front Side

IMG_3216.jpg

Back Side

This tutorial guides you through the process of using KiCad to design a custom Blinky Board and exporting the PCB for use with the Mercer XLab PCB Printer.

Example deliverables are pictured below:

0.1. Table of Contents

1. Install KiCad

Estimated Time: 20 minutes

KiCad is a Cross-Platform and Open-Source Electronics Design Automation Suite. This tutorial utilizes KiCad to create schematic diagrams, design PCBs, and export job files for PCB Printing.

1.1. Download

  1. Navigate to KiCad’s download page via their website. Provided below is a link to the download page.

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    KiCad Download: https://www.kicad.org/download/

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  2. Follow the KiCad-provided download instructions for your operating system.

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    This article suggests using the “Worldwide/Github” download option if available.

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