KiCad Skill

Designs PCB schematics and layouts for VanDaemon hardware projects, primarily the ESP32-based 8-channel LED dimmer. KiCad 7+ uses S-expression format for all files. The project follows automotive-grade design practices for reliability in vehicle environments.

Quick Start

Find Hardware Project Files

# Locate KiCad project files
find hw/LEDDimmer -name "*.kicad_*" -type f

# Current project structure
hw/LEDDimmer/
├── led_dimmer_8ch.kicad_sch    # Main schematic
├── led_dimmer_8ch.kicad_pcb    # PCB layout (when created)
└── led_dimmer_8ch.kicad_pro    # Project settings

Read Schematic Structure

# View schematic header and metadata
head -50 hw/LEDDimmer/led_dimmer_8ch.kicad_sch

# Find all component references
grep -E "^\s+\(property \"Reference\"" hw/LEDDimmer/led_dimmer_8ch.kicad_sch

Key Concepts

Concept	Format	Example
Comments	`#` prefix only	`# Power section`
Component reference	`(property "Reference" "R1")`	Resistor R1
Pin connection	`(wire (pts ...))`	Net connection
Symbol instance	`(symbol (lib_id "...")`	Component placement
Net label	`(label "VCC" ...)`	Named net

WARNING: Comment Syntax

KiCad does NOT support semicolon comments. Use # for comments in KiCad files.

# GOOD - Hash comments work
# Power regulation section

; BAD - Semicolons are NOT comments, they become part of the data

Common Patterns

Adding a Component

(symbol (lib_id "Device:R")
  (at 100 50 0)
  (unit 1)
  (property "Reference" "R1" (at 100 45 0))
  (property "Value" "10k" (at 100 55 0))
  (property "Footprint" "Resistor_SMD:R_0603_1608Metric" (at 100 50 0))
)

Creating a Net Connection

(wire (pts (xy 100 50) (xy 120 50)))
(label "PWM_CH0" (at 110 50 0))

Design Guidelines

Parameter	Requirement	Reason
Trace width (power)	≥0.5mm	Handle 2A per channel
Trace width (signal)	≥0.25mm	Manufacturing tolerance
Via size	0.8mm/0.4mm	Thermal dissipation
Clearance	≥0.2mm	Automotive reliability
Copper weight	2oz	Current handling

Related Skills

platformio skill - Firmware for ESP32 hardware
docker skill - Build automation for production

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