Embedded Developer

A few weeks ago I promised an update on my experience using the PCBWay and Round Tracks plugins for KiCAD.

Well the boards are back and I must say they are looking good.

Rounded Tracks Plugin

The rounded tracks plugin certainly gives the 1970s feel to the PCBs. The batch ordered had a gloss black finish and this made the rounded effect a little difficult to see, a matt finish may have looked better or maybe even a green PCB for that real 1970s vibe.

This plugin has seen a little more use since the first order and here are a few things I have picked up:

• Apply teardrops after using the plugin
• Keep the original PCB layout

Adding teardrops to the board really does give the retro feel to the board. I have found that rounding the tracks after adding teardrops can leave a disjoint connection between the track at the teardrop connection to the pad.

So here is a section of the board with the rounded tracks applied after the teardrops:

Rounded Track Applied After Teardrop

This shows that the track exits the corner of the teardrop which is not ideal. Next we have the same pad with the rounded tracks applied before the teardrops:

Rounded Track Applied Before Teardrop

The second case is certainly more aesthetically pleasing.

The plugin asks if you want to apply the changes to the current PCB or if it should create a copy. I went for the halfway house and applied the changes to the PCB, reviewed and ordered the boards and then reverted the changes. This worked well as the plugin ran in under a second and allowed the retention of the original design. It is always going to be easier to apply any changes to the PCB on a board with angular tracks than it is to apply the changes to a board with rounded tracks.

PCBWay Plugin

This plugin really made ordering the PCBs a dream. The only thing to remember is to login to your PCBWay account before attempting to use the plugin. If you do this the plugin will create and upload a ZIP file with the gerbers directly to your PCBWay account. This allows the plugin to set all of the parameters for board dimensions and layers all seamlessly.

Finished Boards

Here is a photo of the finished board connected to a Meadow F7 Micro board running a sok test:

Meadow and OLED Display

Conclusion

The Rounded Tracks plugin is only really of interest if you want the retro 1970 look and feel to the final PCB. The PCBWay plugin is really useful as it streamlines the ordering process and removes the need to manually create the gerber files and upload them to the PCBWay website.

Tags: Electronics, KiCad