Guide

KiCad project generator does not generate PCBs ready for fabrication. User needs to design microcontroller circuit and route everything together.

In this guide I'm using Default 60% preset from keyboard-layout-editor.

Recommended workflow contains following steps:

• Download json layout of your design (attention: this is not data from Raw data tab. Use Download JSON button).

• Go to keyboard-tools's KiCad Project Generator tab (1), choose project options (2) and upload keyboard layout (3).

  In this example I decided to use Cherry MX footprints and I enabled routing. Because I did not used key annotations (see this) I used Automatic matrix option.

  If everything succeed, after few seconds, PCB preview and Download project button (4) should appear:

  

• Download and unzip project. Open project located in keyboard directory. It should contain following structure:

  

  TIP

  Generated project has entire selected switch library bundled in. This makes footprint replacement easy.

  keyboard.kicad_pcb file should have switches and diodes placed according to provided layout like this:

  

  • Run DRC check. In this example, there is one invalid track.

    

    In order to fix it, simple remove faulty track segment and route it manually, for example:

    

    Also check if DRC report any unconnected items. For some layouts, current router implementation does not attempt to connect items (mainly diodes with different Y coordinate).

    TIP

    Always run DRC check on imported projects. Implemented router does not guarantee that rules are met, for details see this.

• From this point onward, PCB needs to be finished by user.

  • Open Schematic Layout Editor, because schematic is not generated there will be following prompt:

    

    Select yes.

  • Design microcontroller circuit, for example:

    

    For connecting key matix rows/collumns use Global Labels with following name convention: ROW{number}/COL{number}

    TIP

    Generating MCU circuitry is planned in future releases.

  • Generate netlist (Tools->Generate Netlist File). Remember to rename it, otherwise key matrix netlist will be overwritten (by default, KiCad names netlist same as project).

  • Open keyboard.kicad_pcb and load microcontroller netlist.

    

    Click Upadate PCB and Close. New components will appear on PCB.

  • Finish placement and routing.