0.7 kicon-europe-2025 2025-09-10 2025-09-12 3 00:05 https://pretalx.kicad.org Europe/Berlin Main KiCon Presentation Space Talk 2025-09-11T09:00:00+02:00 09:00 00:40 Welcome to KiCon Europe! Opening Session kicon-europe-2025-96-welcome-to-kicon en false https://pretalx.kicad.org/kicon-europe-2025/talk/3CNMCB/ https://pretalx.kicad.org/kicon-europe-2025/talk/3CNMCB/feedback/ Main KiCon Presentation Space Talk 2025-09-11T09:40:00+02:00 09:40 00:40 Large Language Models (LLMs) and Vision Language Models (VLMs) are transforming software development, but their application in hardware design is still emerging. To be genuinely useful in electronics design, it requires a structured understanding of the project. This talk presents AmpereBrain, a proof-of-concept that gives a local AI the tools to read and interpret KiCad projects in a structured way. We demonstrate how providing the AI with access to project specifications, schematic diagrams, and component-level details enables it to become a practical assistant. This allows for reliable, AI-powered help with tasks like documentation, component queries, and basic schematic reviews, laying the groundwork for more advanced, structured design modifications. kicon-europe-2025-84-how-can-ai-llms-and-vlms-be-useful-in-kicad Main Hall en This session is a practical demonstration of what is possible when AI is given the right tools to understand a hardware project. We will show how this structured approach moves beyond simple chatbots to create a genuinely useful design copilot. The talk will be structured as follows: **1. Live Demo: An AI Copilot for KiCad (15 min)** We will begin with a live demonstration of the AmpereBrain AI assistant, showcasing its multi-level understanding of a KiCad project: * **High-Level Task (Project Specs):** We'll ask the AI to "Update the specifications to require reverse-polarity protection on the main power input." The AI will read and apply a diff to the `specifications.md` file. * **Structural Analysis (Schematic View):** We'll then ask, "Show me the power input circuit and check if it has a protection diode." The AI will generate a Mermaid diagram of the relevant schematic section for review. * **Detailed Query (Component Data):** Following up, we'll ask, "What is the maximum reverse voltage of diode D1?" The AI will find the component, access its linked datasheet, and provide the specific parameter. * **Basic Design Review:** Finally, we'll ask the AI to "Verify that every IC has a bypass capacitor connected between its power and ground pins," demonstrating its ability to traverse the netlist to perform simple design rule checks. **2. How It Works: A Structured Approach to AI (10 min)** After the demo, we'll briefly explain the core concepts that make this possible: * **The Foundation: Multi-Level Context:** We'll show how the AI builds a holistic understanding by processing the project at three levels: 1. **Intent:** Reading Markdown files (`requirements.md`, `specifications.md`) to grasp project goals. 2. **Structure:** Parsing the schematic to create block diagrams and understand circuit topology. 3. **Detail:** Accessing individual symbol properties and datasheet content. * **Organizing the AI Workforce:** We'll introduce our two agent architectures: a hierarchical "Orchestrator" for delegating simple tasks and a collaborative "Swarm" for solving more complex problems. We'll outline the roles of the specialist agents (circuit expert, documentation writer, calculator). **3. The Future: From Proof-of-Concept to Product (5 min)** This proof-of-concept is the first step. We will conclude by discussing the roadmap to a commercial product: * **The Key to Reliable Editing: Schematics as Code.** We'll explain our core principle: for an AI to safely *edit* a design, schematic elements like placement and wiring must be represented as structured, version-controllable text. * **The Roadmap:** We will outline the path from this POC to a robust design tool. While the core file-parsing engine is open-source, the advanced AI features shown are part of the AmpereBrain commercial offering. Our goal is to build a reliable, professional tool that leverages AI to accelerate the hardware design process. false https://pretalx.kicad.org/kicon-europe-2025/talk/ZWQ7WX/ https://pretalx.kicad.org/kicon-europe-2025/talk/ZWQ7WX/feedback/ Main KiCon Presentation Space Talk 2025-09-11T10:50:00+02:00 10:50 01:00 All things KiCad included version 9 release features and version 10 proposed feature set. kicon-europe-2025-76-kicad-project-status Main Hall en false https://pretalx.kicad.org/kicon-europe-2025/talk/WQLGCX/ https://pretalx.kicad.org/kicon-europe-2025/talk/WQLGCX/feedback/ Main KiCon Presentation Space Talk 2025-09-11T13:00:00+02:00 13:00 00:20 This talk introduces a new, "dead-simple" paradigm for KiCad libraries, powered by AmpereBrain. We will demonstrate a workflow where managing complex, version-controlled libraries becomes as easy as dragging and dropping a file. AmpereBrain automates the entire lifecycle: it ingests component files, organizes them into a Git-backed repository, and automatically searches for, downloads, and processes datasheets. We will showcase how this system creates an intelligent, queryable component database by loading datasheet information into a Large Language Model (LLM), allowing you to ask complex questions in natural language. kicon-europe-2025-85-drag-and-drop-libraries-git-powered-ai-supercharged-component-management Main Hall en This session is a practical demonstration of how to eliminate library management friction and build an intelligent, automated component ecosystem. We will move beyond theory and show you a system that works today. The talk will cover: The "One-Click" Library Setup (5 min): We'll start by configuring a project's library system by linking it to a remote Git repository with a single command. This sets the stage for a robust, version-controlled, and shareable library. Drag-and-Drop Component Ingestion (5 min): A live demo of the core workflow. We will drag a component .zip file into AmpereBrain, and you will see it automatically: Extract the symbol, footprint, and 3D model. Place them into the correct directory structure within the local Git repository and edit the paths accordingly. Commit the new component with a descriptive message and push it to the remote library. The Intelligent Datasheet Engine (5 min): We'll showcase the multi-tiered datasheet system in action. When a component is added or a project is loaded, AmpereBrain automatically: Offer to search for the datasheet if one isn't provided. Downloads and processes the PDF into clean, searchable Markdown for local and custom components. Creates a direct link for global components to save space. Query Your Schematics or Library with an LLM (5 min): We will demonstrate how the processed datasheets are fed to a local Large Language Model. You'll see us ask questions directly like: "What is the maximum operating temperature for U1?" "Find me a capacitor in my library with a value between 1uF and 10uF and a voltage rating of at least 25V." "Does this op-amp have a rail-to-rail output?" This talk is for every KiCad user who wants to spend less time managing files and more time designing. You will leave with a clear understanding of how to build a smarter, more automated library workflow. false https://pretalx.kicad.org/kicon-europe-2025/talk/JMLQLH/ https://pretalx.kicad.org/kicon-europe-2025/talk/JMLQLH/feedback/ Main KiCon Presentation Space Talk 2025-09-11T13:20:00+02:00 13:20 00:20 With ngspice integration in KiCad, simulations have never been more accessible in KiCad. But when the design gets complex, managing the simulations is complex. This talk presents a new methodology, enabled by AmpereBrain, that establishes a single, unified schematic as the source of truth for both design and multiple simulation scenarios. We will demonstrate a workflow centered on logically grouping components within your schematic. By programmatically activating these groups, you can define precise simulation boundaries on the fly, while the tool automatically filters out components irrelevant to the simulation. This structured approach is the key to enabling robust, repeatable simulation and paving the way for a true CI/CD workflow for hardware development. kicon-europe-2025-87-towards-a-unified-schematic-for-simulation-and-design-in-kicad Main Hall en This session will provide a practical guide to eliminating the need for separate design and simulation schematics. We will demonstrate how to use a single source of truth for your design while supporting multiple, complex simulation scenarios. The talk will be structured as follows: The Problem: A Tale of Two Schematics (5 min): We'll begin by outlining the common pain points of the traditional workflow: design-for-layout vs. design-for-simulation, the difficulty of managing simulation-only components, and the risk of the two schematics drifting apart over time. The Solution: Simulation as a View, Not a File (10 min): We will introduce the core concept of our approach: treating simulation setup as a "view" of your main schematic. Instead of editing files, you define logical blocks using KiCad's grouping feature. We'll show how AmpereBrain: Uses these named groups (e.g., "Power Supply," "Amplifier Stage," "Digital Logic") as the building blocks for simulation. Allows you to define a simulation run by simply selecting which groups to include. Automatically identifies and excludes components that are irrelevant to simulation, such as parts marked "DNP" (Do Not Populate), mounting hardware, and fiducials, ensuring a clean netlist without manual intervention. Live Demo: Multi-Simulation Management (10 min): A live demonstration of the workflow in action. We will take a standard amplifier circuit and perform several simulation runs from the same schematic: DC Operating Point: We'll run a baseline simulation including the "Power Supply" and "Amplifier Stage" groups. AC Analysis: We will then define a new simulation view that excludes the "Power Supply" group and includes an "AC Source" group to perform a frequency response analysis on the amplifier. Noise Analysis: Finally, we'll show how to simulate only the "Amplifier Stage" group to isolate and analyze its noise performance without interference from other circuit blocks. The Future: CI/CD for Hardware and AI-Driven TDD (5 min): We'll conclude by connecting this methodology to the future of hardware development. Bringing CI/CD to Hardware: By defining simulation setups as code, we can create a "simulation test suite." This allows for automated, repeatable verification of circuit performance, much like a CI/CD pipeline in software. We can even introduce metrics like "simulation coverage" to ensure all critical blocks are tested, where the results sit as part of the ERC. AI-Generated Tests: The next step is to use AI to automate the creation of this test suite. We envision an AI that reads the project requirements and automatically generates the necessary simulation configurations to verify them, effectively enabling Test-Driven Development (TDD) for hardware design. false https://pretalx.kicad.org/kicon-europe-2025/talk/KFXGHP/ https://pretalx.kicad.org/kicon-europe-2025/talk/KFXGHP/feedback/ Main KiCon Presentation Space Talk 2025-09-11T13:40:00+02:00 13:40 00:30 Lots of open hardware projects are build using KiCad. Those are now being scraped by LLMs and other generative AI companies. Is that even compatible with the common licenses we typically use? How does this relate to EU legislation, and what does this mean in practice? This talk will be focused on EU and related German law and is not applicable to other jurisdictions! kicon-europe-2025-80-licensing-of-hardware-designs-and-ai-llm-learning Main Hall en false https://pretalx.kicad.org/kicon-europe-2025/talk/XTZAPW/ https://pretalx.kicad.org/kicon-europe-2025/talk/XTZAPW/feedback/ Main KiCon Presentation Space Talk 2025-09-11T14:40:00+02:00 14:40 00:40 Design constraints are to many electronic engineers a necessary method to ensure that their designs can be produced reliably and complies to certain quality standards. KiCAD includes simple design rules editing to accommodate rudimentary needs, but for more complex designs, more advanced design rules are needed. This talk will describe methods for implementing constraints between netclasses using custom DRC. kicon-europe-2025-89-implementing-netclass-to-netclass-constraints-using-custom-drc Main Hall en This talk will use an offline converter as its basis for setting up improved constraints. An offline converter is a good example of a design where rudimentary netclass rules are insufficient to ensure correct electrical spacing and clearances. KiCAD allows the user to enter custom constraints which can be used to improve the rudimentary netclass rules, that can be entered via the user interface. The presentation will go through the following topics: * Short introduction to constraints and why they are important * Introduction to the offline converter and why it is necessary to use improved constraint management * A step by step guide to incorporate the constraint management in your designs and entering the needed custom rules * Q & A false https://pretalx.kicad.org/kicon-europe-2025/talk/QV8PEN/ https://pretalx.kicad.org/kicon-europe-2025/talk/QV8PEN/feedback/ Main KiCon Presentation Space Talk 2025-09-11T15:20:00+02:00 15:20 00:40 KiCad variant support in version 10. kicon-europe-2025-93-variants Main Hall en false https://pretalx.kicad.org/kicon-europe-2025/talk/X3ZQCG/ https://pretalx.kicad.org/kicon-europe-2025/talk/X3ZQCG/feedback/ Main KiCon Presentation Space Talk 2025-09-11T16:00:00+02:00 16:00 01:00 Join the KiCad Lead Developers and Librarian Team to discuss the direction of KiCad kicon-europe-2025-95-kicad-developer-roundtable en false https://pretalx.kicad.org/kicon-europe-2025/talk/3EMKDH/ https://pretalx.kicad.org/kicon-europe-2025/talk/3EMKDH/feedback/ Main KiCon Presentation Space Talk 2025-09-12T09:00:00+02:00 09:00 00:40 DFMs are the starting points necessary for any design work for the manufacture of your PCBs by PCB suppliers. This presentation will show you some basics value to follow while making your PCB design on KiCAD. kicon-europe-2025-94-design-for-manufacturability-dfm-best-practices-with-kicad Main Hall en false https://pretalx.kicad.org/kicon-europe-2025/talk/QKSUQQ/ https://pretalx.kicad.org/kicon-europe-2025/talk/QKSUQQ/feedback/ Main KiCon Presentation Space Talk 2025-09-12T09:40:00+02:00 09:40 00:50 Eilbek Research founders Alexander Willer and Augustin Bielefeld share the results of more than one year of work setting up an electronics production business in Germany. They will discuss what it takes to bring manufacturing back to Europe, and the role of KiCAD and open-source technology in this endeavor. kicon-europe-2025-78-setting-up-electronics-manufacturing-from-scratch-one-year-into-the-journey Main Hall /media/kicon-europe-2025/submissions/SLVWNR/pnp-w-mrk_smF9l2Y.jpg en Our work is based on our belief that accessible high-mix/low-volume manufacturing of electronics in Europe is economically viable and depends on small innovative companies. By using open-source hardware and software wherever possible, we strive to solve this challenge in a way that allows us to share the solutions and collectively reclaim ownership of the means of production. Our talk will cover various elements of this concept, including: * The economics of in-house PCB assembly, soldering and testing * Managing design data and component inventory using KiCAD and InvenTree * Handling the boring part: compliance, accounting, etc. * Common pitfalls that creators encounter when trying to produce and sell their PCB projects We will show case examples of how by building our own custom tools, we can gear our entire business towards high-mix/low-volume that enable unique production capabilities. To learn more about Eilbek Research and our mission, read here: https://eilbek-research.de/ false https://pretalx.kicad.org/kicon-europe-2025/talk/SLVWNR/ https://pretalx.kicad.org/kicon-europe-2025/talk/SLVWNR/feedback/ Main KiCon Presentation Space Talk 2025-09-12T11:00:00+02:00 11:00 00:30 The talk will look at the new IPC API for plugin development. It will demonstrate how to write a plugin using the new API in Python to do simple component placement. kicon-europe-2025-77-using-the-new-ipc-for-plugin-development Main Hall en false https://pretalx.kicad.org/kicon-europe-2025/talk/APGM88/ https://pretalx.kicad.org/kicon-europe-2025/talk/APGM88/feedback/ Main KiCon Presentation Space Talk 2025-09-12T11:30:00+02:00 11:30 00:30 In the KiCad libraries, the vast majority of footprints, over half the 3d models, and some of the symbols are generated from code. Come to this talk to learn about how the generators are structured, how they're evolving, and how this affects KiCad users and librarians. kicon-europe-2025-92-generating-the-kicad-libraries-a-recent-history Main Hall en This and last year have seen significant progress with KiCad's generator framework. We've unified the 3d model and footprint generator repositories, made all 11000+ generated footprints able to regenerate in less than a minute, and built testing and continuous integration to be able to make major changes. And now, we're starting to implement some changes and reworks that have been in the pipeline for a while. Last year, we switched pin 1 indicator style across the library. This year, we went from ~30% to over 70% generated footprints delivered to users, and switched all model references to STEP. I want to tell you what is happening behind the scenes and where the generators are going next. false https://pretalx.kicad.org/kicon-europe-2025/talk/3CPMVC/ https://pretalx.kicad.org/kicon-europe-2025/talk/3CPMVC/feedback/ Main KiCon Presentation Space Talk 2025-09-12T13:30:00+02:00 13:30 00:40 Most integrated circuits come safely packaged in epoxy, but not everyone has that luxury. Sometimes, we need to handle bare dies and bond them ourselves. In this talk, I will give a short introduction to the wirebonding process for prototype chips and share some of the unexpected challenges I faced before finally getting my first chip to work. kicon-europe-2025-91-poor-mans-intro-to-wire-bonding Main Hall /media/kicon-europe-2025/submissions/DKJB9Q/Chip_yH0X2GL.jpg en false https://pretalx.kicad.org/kicon-europe-2025/talk/DKJB9Q/ https://pretalx.kicad.org/kicon-europe-2025/talk/DKJB9Q/feedback/ Main KiCon Presentation Space Talk 2025-09-12T14:30:00+02:00 14:30 00:40 SLiCAP: www.slicap.org is a symbolic linear circuit analysis program written in Python. It is intended to set up and solve design equations for analog circuits. It is used in BSc and MSc courses "Structured Electronic Design" at the TU Delft: https://analog-electronics.tudelft.nl. SLiCAP interfaces with KiCad, NGspice, Jupyter notebooks, LaTeX, Sphinx, and a CSV design database. This presentation shows you how to integrate SLiCAP into your analog-design workflow. kicon-europe-2025-90-symbolic-linear-circuit-analysis-with-kicad-schematics Main Hall en false https://pretalx.kicad.org/kicon-europe-2025/talk/9M8PDH/ https://pretalx.kicad.org/kicon-europe-2025/talk/9M8PDH/feedback/ Main KiCon Presentation Space Talk 2025-09-12T15:40:00+02:00 15:40 00:40 In Git, we typically bundle code changes with a commit message explaining the 'what' and 'why.' But commits often relate to broader contexts—issues, features, bugs—that aren't explicitly captured. This talk explores how we can leverage Git to add such context information and maybe learn new ways access information from Git kicon-europe-2025-98-storing-more-information-in-your-git Main Hall en false https://pretalx.kicad.org/kicon-europe-2025/talk/N78GXG/ https://pretalx.kicad.org/kicon-europe-2025/talk/N78GXG/feedback/ Main KiCon Presentation Space Talk 2025-09-12T16:20:00+02:00 16:20 00:40 Thank you for attending KiCon Europe kicon-europe-2025-97-kicon-europe-closing-session en false https://pretalx.kicad.org/kicon-europe-2025/talk/V8NKVL/ https://pretalx.kicad.org/kicon-europe-2025/talk/V8NKVL/feedback/ Workshop Room Workshop 2025-09-12T10:00:00+02:00 10:00 02:00 Thhis workshop is an introduction into simulation with the Eeschema/ngspice interface. Simple circuits, enhanced step-by-step, serve as demonstrators. In a short introduction I will talk about why do we want to simulate. Then the ngspice simulator and its integration into KiCad is discussed. The need for suitable ngspice models will be emphasized, where to find them, where to put them. Then setting up a simulation is introduced by creating a resistive divider, step by step, and running op an dc simulations. An RC network will be used to introduce transient and ac simulations. Then amplifiers and oscillators may follow, using transistors and opamps. The rolle of subcircuit models, and the need for proper pin assigmants, especially for multi unit devices, will be discussed. Depending on the feedback from the participants, more complex circuits (dc/dc converters, class D amplifiers ...) may be demonstrated. kicon-europe-2025-79-circuit-simulation-with-kicad-ngspice Main Hall en false https://pretalx.kicad.org/kicon-europe-2025/talk/HJVMJB/ https://pretalx.kicad.org/kicon-europe-2025/talk/HJVMJB/feedback/ Workshop Room Workshop 2025-09-12T14:00:00+02:00 14:00 02:00 Recently, Linus Torvalds has started to work on a few PCB designs using KiCAD for electric guitar effects. When I saw that, I immediatelly witnessed the opportunity to jump into this project and help out with FreeCAD, turning a PCB into an enclosed device. In this workshop, I will recreate the enclosure, that I designed for that project and create an assembly in FreeCAD, showcasing the interoperability of FreeCAD (mCAD) and KiCAD (eCAD). Everyone who is attending this workshow, is welcomed to follow the steps in FreeCAD. kicon-europe-2025-83-recreating-the-enclosure-for-an-electric-guitar-effect-pcb-in-freecad-from-linus-torvalds-side-project Main Hall en false https://pretalx.kicad.org/kicon-europe-2025/talk/NFCDLN/ https://pretalx.kicad.org/kicon-europe-2025/talk/NFCDLN/feedback/