Introduction: Importing Logos Into KICAD PCB Editor
Intro to KICAD
KICAD is a free software designed for electronic design automation; it provides a schematic editor to draw the schematic diagram for electric circuits and also provides a PCB editor to convert the schematics into a printed board supplying the user also with the capability to simulate the electric circuit.
Step 1: Create Your LOGO
At first, you must create your LOGO in an SVG format, then convert the SVG to Bitmap which is another image file format, Kicad has the utility to convert Bitmap extension to components that can be imported to the PCB design.
A) Creating SVG
For the most efficient results, you can use Inkscape which is a free, open-source vector graphics editor used to create vector images, primarily in Scalable Vector Graphics format. You can find here a link to download the application and also a link to series of tutorials to learn to use it.
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLqazFFzUAPc...
It’s very important to put in mind that the logo should be in black and white, without the colors mirrored. Also, the design should be as large as possible, perhaps 5 to 10 times the size you expect in the PCB. The larger the design, the better results when it’s converted to a bitmap.
B) Convert the Vector drawing into a Bitmap
-Open Gimp and load your SVG image. A window will pop out asking you for some parameters; Don't change any of them as it will affect the size of your image
-to convert the image to a bitmap go to the main menu then File->Export (or for short, ctrl+e). Give it a name and location, and choose the new format, BMP(bitmap) of course
-Open the menu list located in the bottom right, from the list choose( All exported images) and select your image and make sure it is in Bitmap extension, then click export.
-When a window shows up, choose 24-bit color, then click export.
Step 2: Create the KICAD Component
-First, open the KICAD converter Utility(the one with the 'a' icon) and load the Bitmap.
-If the LOGO doesn't show up completely, to rescale the image, above the “Load bitmap” button you can see that the image “Resolution” can be edited; however note that the larger the resolution, the smaller the component's side in the PCB.
-If You want a component for the top silkscreen, then choose the “Pcbnew” option.
-Before you click the export button be sure the negative box is not selected.
-Open the Pcbnew program, load your library, look for and place the new component in the board.
Step 3: Refrences and Author
https://www.re-innovation.co.uk/docs/adding-logo-t...
https://fjrg76.wordpress.com/2019/05/22/how-to-ins...
Made by : Abd-ALRAHMAN Alaa
AUC Robotics
