The KiCad project is proud to announce the latest series 5 stable
release. The 5.1.7 stable version contains critical bug fixes and
other minor improvements since the previous release. It also includes
improved footprint, symbol, and 3D model libraries, translations, and
documentation.
The 3D Viewer has seen a few incremental improvements during the course of V6 development.
Not all changes to KiCad have to large by themselves to improve KiCad.
Roberto Fernandez Bautista had a growing desire at his workplace to migrate away from CADSTAR. After trying and finding migration paths to other EDA tools inadequate and poorly supported, he has leveraged the open source nature of KiCad to create just what he needs and contribute to the greater community :D
Thanks to his hard work in MR#279,KiCad is now able to import CADSTAR PCB files! With the schematic importer coming soon.
The KiCad project is proud of our role as the electronic design application used by the Open Ventilator project. The Open Ventilator project is based on a release of the Medtronic PB560 ventilator mentioned in this Make article.
The Open Ventilator project clearly demonstrates the potential of open hardware. The project was started by KiCad Services lead developer Seth Hillbrand early in the COVID-19 pandemic. It quickly gained more than 100 contributors from all over the world.
The KiCad project is proud to announce the latest series 5 stable
release. The 5.1.6 stable version contains critical bug fixes and
other minor improvements since the 5.1.5 release. It also includes
improved footprint, symbol, and 3D model libraries, translations,
and documentation.
As a preview of a feature available in the nighty builds, a large change was made to how KiCad stores and loads settings that not only fixes a few headaches with the old system but lays the groundwork for more customization in KiCad such as color themes.
This was thanks to the work of Jon Evans in MR#68
Since KiCad 4.0, work has been progressing to overhaul all the various project
file formats that among many benefits, make them far more human friendly, easier to parse and allow easier addition of new features.
As a preview of a feature coming in the next major release, the ability to import Altium PcbDoc files is now available in the latest nightly builds. This was thanks to the work of Thomas Pointhuber in MR#60
The board import option can be found under the File > Import > Non-Kicad Board File option and changing the file type filter
After which in the import file dialog you must change the file filter
The first ever Learn to Code KiCad event happened in Brussels, BE on Friday, Jan 31. We had 15 new KiCad developers from Europe and the United States in attendance. 12 unique issues were addressed by the participants, ranging from OpenGL display on ARM hardware to cursor offset bugs to Eeschema rubberbanding.
Wayne, Ian, Jon and Seth served as sounding boards for user questions and provided some guidance on where to find needed information.
The KiCad project is excited to announce the project leader, Wayne Stambaugh, has joined the KiCad Services Corporation. A video interview with KiCad Services Corporation founder Seth Hillbrand is available for viewing. This new position will allow the project leader to continue work on KiCad as much as possible when not working on behalf of the corporation. On behalf of The KiCad development team and its users, we would like to say thank you to the KiCad Services Corporation for its commitment to the project.
Donating to KiCad via The Linux Foundation provides funds for project development and the developers behind it. Donations are accepted via credit card and purchase order (US$ only). The Linux Foundation is a 501(c)(6) non-profit organization in
the US.
CERN is a long time supporter of KiCad. Donating money via CERN will pay KiCad developers for software development. Donations are accepted via credit card and PayPal (€, US$, CHF). Your country's tax laws may provide you with a benefit for
this donation.