The latest iteration of KiCad, the world's best free-to-use Printed Circuit Board tool, is packed with features usually found only in expensive commercial CAD tools. This modern, cross-platform application suite built around schematic and design editors, with auxiliary applications is a stable and mature PCB tool. KiCad 6 is a perfect fit for electronic engineers and hobbyists. Here are the most significant improvements and features in KiCad 6, both over and under the hood: Modern user interface, completely redesigned from earlier versionsImproved and customizable electrical and design rule checkersTheme editor allowing you to customize KiCad on your screenAbility to import projects from Eagle, CADSTART, and moreEnhanced bus handlingFull control over the presentation of information by the layout editorFilters define selectable elementsEnhanced interactive router helps you draw single tracks and differential pairs with precisionNew or enhanced tools to draw tracks, measure distances, tune track lengths, etc.Enhanced tool for creating filled zonesEasy data exchange with other CAD applicationsRealistic ray-tracing capable 3D viewerHuge community of contributors that make KiCad better every dayRich repositories of symbol, footprint, and 3D shape libraries This book will teach you to use KiCad through a practical approach. It will help you become productive quickly and start designing your own boards. Example projects (e.g., a simple breadboard power supply and a PCBA 4×8×8 LED matrix array) illustrate the basic features of KiCad, even if you have no prior knowledge of PCB design. The author describes the entire workflow from schematic entry to the intricacies of finalizing the files for PCB production and offers sound guidance on the process. Further full-fledged projects, of incremental difficulty, will be presented in a second book, together with a variety of advanced recipes.

Dr. Peter Dalmaris is an educator, an electrical engineer and Maker. Creator of online video courses on DIY electronics and author of several technical books. As a Chief Tech Explorer since 2013 at Tech Explorations, the company he founded in Sydney, Australia, Peter's mission is to explore technology and help educate the world.