Blog | KiCad EDA

KiCad 5.1.9 Release

Published 2020-12-28

The KiCad project is proud to announce the latest series 5 stable release. The 5.1.9 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.

Project Lead Developer Interview on Fedevel Academy

Published 2020-12-17

The KiCad project lead developer was recently interviewed by Robert Feranec of Fedevel Academy about the viability of using KiCad in corporate environments. The discussion includes addressing the concerns of corporate users, feature comparison to proprietary products, the feature set of of the upcoming version 6 release, and the future of KiCad development. If you are considering or are already using KiCad in corporate environment or you are just interested in KiCad development in general, click on the link above to hear all about KiCad development.

KiCad's 2020 End of Year Fund Drive

Published 2020-12-16

As 2020 draws to a close, the KiCad Project would like to express our deep gratitude to our community for your support and engagement over the past year. Now, more than ever, the benefits of a truly open and free EDA design platform are needed to share ideas, designs and support, inside your team and around the world. Community Development Many opportunities to connect in person have had to be postponed, canceled or changed.

KiCad 5.1.8 Release

Published 2020-11-05

The KiCad project is proud to announce the latest series 5 stable release. The 5.1.8 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.

kicad.org, the permanent internet home of KiCad

Published 2020-10-29

Thanks to a generous donation by Digi-Key, the KiCad project is now found at the kicad.org domain. The kicad.org domain provides a stable, clear home for the KiCad project. We are extremely grateful to Digi-Key for their support of KiCad. kicad-pcb.org is now under control of an unknown entity the project has no relationship with. All previous links are unforunately broken.

Development Highlight: PCBNew Layers, DRC and Toolbar Palettes

Published 2020-10-04

Some great workflow improving changes were made to PCBNew in this Development Highlight for the future KiCad V6 😄 Layer Management Jon Evans introduced a brand new Appearance control in commit bd14f8a82. The entire Appearance control which is on the right hand side of Pcbnew has received a visual and functional overhaul In addition to the existing functionality, there is now the ability to Show all Layers, Dim non-selected layers and Hide non-selected Layers

KiCad 5.1.7 Release

Published 2020-09-30

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.

Development Highlight: 3D Viewer Improvements

Published 2020-09-26

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.

Development Highlight: CADSTAR PCB Importer

Published 2020-09-22

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.

KiCad and the Open Ventilator Project

Published 2020-05-20

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.

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