Help making gerber file.

I use KiCAD 6.0 to create the schematic, board layout and gerber files.  Very easy to learn/do.

@tensecondsdown

There is a rather steep learning curve for KICAD, but it is well worth it in the long run unless you'll never need another board than the one you are looking to have made at this time.

Could you at least provide a schematic and a parts list?

@tensecondsdown We are always suspicious of those who want to pay.

@codecage @huckohio Ok gentlemen, which is it, one said

Very easy to learn/do.

the other said

There is a rather steep learning curve 

@zander Really? I'm sorry, I am new here and I don't feel comfortable asking people to do something for free.

@codecage I tried Kicad but I only need this one board so I don't have to time to learn it. Parts list and link to layout. PDF is at bottom

https://www.model-engine-ignition.com/model-engine-ignition/ignition-modules/tim6-ignition-module

• (1) TIP42C Transistor

• (1) 2N2907A Transistor

• (4) Resistors

• (1) LED Timing Light

• (1) 3 Amp. 40 volt reverse polarity protection diode

@tensecondsdown It's the other way around in a forum, lots of folks are willing to volunteer. I think you already have one offer from @codecage, do as he asks and see what happens.

It's the students wanting us to write their term paper for a fee that get's our goat, and even worse when it's somebodies job.

@tensecondsdown 

It is definitory a simple board.  But there is a kit listed for $20.00 that in the long run might be cheaper than paying someone, like me, to draw it up, send you the gerbers, then you ordering from PCBway.  The shipping from PCBway will eat up most of a $20.00 bill.  Even the assembled board, if available is only $40.00.

I'd go the kit route right now myself if I needed one of these boards.

@tensecondsdown

And then you still have to source the parts,

Posted by: @zander

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@codecage @huckohio Ok gentlemen, which is it, one said

Very easy to learn/do.

the other said

There is a rather steep learning curve 

Back in the early days of dronebot workshop forum I learnt KiCad to an elementary level helped by @codecage recommending a book to me 👍.   I managed to get a couple of noddy boards designed and PCB's manufactured. But I then switched to using EasyEDA as it was indeed easier to use.

But I decided to move back to KiCad as I find that there appears to be many more KiCad schematics available now then a few years back for things like board layouts, whereas most in the past seemed to be EagleCad layouts.

And a recent desire to build a new PCB, vastly aided by an expert who provided a suitable schematic, has prompted me to get stuck in with KiCad again.

Am I finding it simple or easy? Well Ron, as I know you have an interest in building your own PCB's, rather than let you be guided by my foibles you could get a good flavour of whats involved by having a look at the linked video

It wont take much more time than drinking a fresh cup of coffee as the presenter goes through the process of designing a simple schematic leading to a PCB at a breakneck speed. You will get a good flavour of what you will be up against.

@codecage I was going to order from the website but I need 2 of them and with shipping its 112$ Canadian. No way I'm paying that. I figured this route would be cheaper as I already have all the components. With PCBway, I think min order is 5 and then I will have spares if I decide to build another engine

I am in the middle of a kiCAD with UDEMY tutorial at the moment. What is causing me confusion is hooking up to github to aquire the footprints and figuring out when and where to store / register my project libraries.

The board I am wanting o design is simplicitty it's elf but I figure once I know what I am doing I will probably want to make others. I am in Australia and haven't decided on a Manufacturer yet.

Hi @mark-bolton,

  I recently imported a few parts to the latest nightly build KiCad, albeit I was only interested in schematic symbols, so I don't know what PCB footprints are there.

To minimise the complexity, albeit maybe not the most efficient, I simply downloaded the part from Github .. that is, navigate to place the repo that the part is listed, click the green 'Code' button, and downloaded the zip file to somewhere convenient on my PC that I could find again.

Unzipped the file.

Then imported the relevent stuff into KiCad from my local unzipped file directory... As I don't do it regularly, I used a quick Google to clarify, as there are at least  two formats, one of which includes agreeing to a conversion, but that was just an extra button push.

Sorry this is bit vague, but hope it is enough for you to move forward.

Maybe ask again, if you get stuck.

Best wishes, Dave

Posted by: @mark-bolton

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What is causing me confusion is hooking up to github to aquire the footprints and figuring out when and where to store / register my project libraries.

In the video I linked to a few posts up the presenter briefly goes over footprint assignment and you can jump straight to that chapter. - time 49:25 Footprint Assignment - which may help in the understanding of the subject.

I recently downloaded a part from github (a rpi pico) that came with a symbol and a footprint. (similar to what @davee describes in the preceding post).   I choose to upload the footprint into KiCads footprint library and the symbol into the symbol library.  In the symbol for the pico there is a place to associate a footprint and I linked it to the footprint I had loaded into the footprint library.  

Alternatively to putting these symbol and footprint files into the standard library is to put the files into the project directory and to link to those files instead. (but I did not do it this way so I've not experimented with that, but the video I link to makes it seem easy enough (maybe 🙂 ))