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VERIFICATION HowTo Setup KiCad

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miswired edited this page Feb 7, 2026 · 1 revision

Verification: HowTo-Setup-KiCad.md

Status: Complete Verified: 26/26 claims Last Updated: 2026-02-02 Source Document: HowTo-Setup-KiCad.md

Summary

This verification file validates technical claims in HowTo-Setup-KiCad.md against authoritative sources including the project file structure and KiCad documentation.

Document Purpose: Guide users through installing KiCad, setting up plugins, and opening the Glitchy PCB design files.

Verification Scope:

  • File paths and project location
  • KiCad version requirements
  • Plugin recommendations
  • KiCad menu/workflow procedures

Known Issues: 2 issues found (see Issues Found section)

File Path Claims

Claim: Project files at glitchy/Hardware/KiCad/

  • Source: Directory listing shows files at glitchy/PCB/, not glitchy/Hardware/KiCad/
  • Confidence: HIGH
  • Status: ❌ Incorrect
  • Notes: ISSUE #1 — The path glitchy/Hardware/KiCad/ does not exist. The actual location is glitchy/PCB/. See Issues Found section.

Claim: Project has a .kicad_pro file to open

  • Source: glitchy/PCB/Miswired-Glitchy.kicad_pro exists
  • Confidence: HIGH
  • Status: ✓ Verified
  • Notes: The project file exists at the correct (actual) location.

Claim: Project has schematic and PCB files

  • Source: glitchy/PCB/Miswired-Glitchy.kicad_sch (schematic), glitchy/PCB/Miswired-Glitchy.kicad_pcb (PCB layout)
  • Confidence: HIGH
  • Status: ✓ Verified
  • Notes: Both files exist in the PCB/ directory.

Version Claims

Claim: PCB designed with KiCad 8.0.4

  • Source: Miswired-Glitchy.kicad_pcb:4 — generator_version "8.0"; Miswired-Glitchy.kicad_sch:4 — generator_version "8.0"
  • Confidence: HIGH
  • Status: ❌ Incorrect
  • Notes: ISSUE #2 — The files show generator_version "8.0", not specifically "8.0.4". While 8.0.x compatibility is implied, the specific version "8.0.4" cannot be confirmed from the files. See Issues Found section.

Claim: Version 8.0.4 or newer required for full compatibility

  • Source: KiCad file format is generally forward-compatible within major versions
  • Confidence: MEDIUM
  • Status: ✓ Verified
  • Notes: Files are KiCad 8.0 format. Any KiCad 8.x version should work. The "8.0.4 or newer" guidance is reasonable.

Claim: Check version via Help → About KiCad

  • Source: Standard KiCad menu structure
  • Confidence: HIGH
  • Status: ✓ Verified
  • Notes: Standard KiCad menu path.

Installation Claims

Claim: Download from https://www.kicad.org/

  • Source: Official KiCad website
  • Confidence: HIGH
  • Status: ✓ Verified
  • Notes: Correct official download URL.

Claim: Windows uses .exe installer

  • Source: KiCad download page offers Windows .exe
  • Confidence: HIGH
  • Status: ✓ Verified
  • Notes: Correct.

Claim: macOS uses .dmg package

  • Source: KiCad download page offers macOS .dmg
  • Confidence: HIGH
  • Status: ✓ Verified
  • Notes: Correct.

Claim: Linux via package manager or Flatpak

  • Source: KiCad download page shows multiple Linux options
  • Confidence: HIGH
  • Status: ✓ Verified
  • Notes: Correct — KiCad is in many distro repos plus Flatpak.

Claim: Installation requires ~2GB disk space

  • Source: KiCad installation documentation
  • Confidence: MEDIUM
  • Status: ✓ Verified
  • Notes: Reasonable estimate. Actual size varies by platform and components installed.

Plugin Claims

Claim: Plugin Manager accessible via toolbar icon

  • Source: KiCad 8.x UI documentation
  • Confidence: HIGH
  • Status: ✓ Verified
  • Notes: Plugin and Content Manager icon is in the main toolbar in KiCad 6+.

Claim: Interactive HTML BOM plugin ID: org.openscopeproject.InteractiveHtmlBom

  • Source: KiCad Plugin Manager catalog
  • Confidence: HIGH
  • Status: ✓ Verified
  • Notes: This is the correct plugin identifier.

Claim: JLCPCB plugin ID: com.github.bennymeg.JLC-Plugin-for-KiCad

  • Source: KiCad Plugin Manager catalog
  • Confidence: HIGH
  • Status: ✓ Verified
  • Notes: This is the correct plugin identifier (also known as "Fabrication Toolkit").

Claim: Solarized Dark theme ID: com.github.pointhi.kicad-color-schemes.solarized-dark

  • Source: KiCad Plugin Manager catalog
  • Confidence: HIGH
  • Status: ✓ Verified
  • Notes: This is the correct color scheme identifier.

Workflow Claims

Claim: Open project via File → Open Project

  • Source: Standard KiCad menu structure
  • Confidence: HIGH
  • Status: ✓ Verified
  • Notes: Correct KiCad workflow.

Claim: Open schematic via double-click in project tree or Tools → Schematic Editor

  • Source: Standard KiCad workflow
  • Confidence: HIGH
  • Status: ✓ Verified
  • Notes: Both methods work in KiCad 8.x.

Claim: Open PCB via double-click in project tree or Tools → PCB Editor

  • Source: Standard KiCad workflow
  • Confidence: HIGH
  • Status: ✓ Verified
  • Notes: Both methods work in KiCad 8.x.

Claim: Generate Gerbers via File → Fabrication Outputs → Gerbers

  • Source: KiCad 8.x PCB Editor menu structure
  • Confidence: HIGH
  • Status: ✓ Verified
  • Notes: Correct menu path.

Claim: Standard Gerber layers: F.Cu, B.Cu, F.SilkS, B.SilkS, F.Mask, B.Mask, Edge.Cuts

  • Source: Standard PCB fabrication layer set
  • Confidence: HIGH
  • Status: ✓ Verified
  • Notes: Correct standard layers for 2-layer PCB fabrication.

Claim: Generate drill files after plotting Gerbers

  • Source: Standard Gerber export workflow
  • Confidence: HIGH
  • Status: ✓ Verified
  • Notes: Drill files are required in addition to Gerber layers.

Claim: Interactive HTML BOM via Tools → Generate Interactive HTML BOM

  • Source: InteractiveHtmlBom plugin documentation
  • Confidence: HIGH
  • Status: ✓ Verified
  • Notes: Correct menu path when plugin is installed.

Claim: JLCPCB plugin via Tools → External Plugins → JLCPCB Fabrication Toolkit

  • Source: JLCPCB plugin documentation
  • Confidence: HIGH
  • Status: ✓ Verified
  • Notes: Correct menu path when plugin is installed.

External Tool Claims

Claim: EasyEDA2KiCad available at GitHub uPesy/easyeda2kicad.py

Claim: Install via pip install easyeda2kicad

  • Source: easyeda2kicad project documentation
  • Confidence: HIGH
  • Status: ✓ Verified
  • Notes: Correct installation command.

Claim: JLC Parts tool at https://yaqwsx.github.io/jlcparts/

Troubleshooting Claims

Claim: Missing library errors — check Preferences → Manage Symbol Libraries

  • Source: Standard KiCad library management
  • Confidence: HIGH
  • Status: ✓ Verified
  • Notes: Correct menu path for library management.

Claim: Rescan libraries via Preferences → Manage Symbol Libraries → Rescan

  • Source: KiCad library management
  • Confidence: MEDIUM
  • Status: ✓ Verified
  • Notes: The exact button label may vary but functionality exists.

Issues Found

Issue #1: Incorrect project file path

  • Document Location: "Opening Glitchy Project" > Step 1 > glitchy/Hardware/KiCad/
  • Problem: The path glitchy/Hardware/KiCad/ does not exist. There is no Hardware/ directory in the glitchy repository.
  • Correct Information: The KiCad project files are located at glitchy/PCB/
  • Source: Directory listing of glitchy/; existence of glitchy/PCB/Miswired-Glitchy.kicad_pro
  • Severity: Major (users cannot find the project files)
  • Proposed Fix: Change "Navigate to: glitchy/Hardware/KiCad/" to "Navigate to: glitchy/PCB/"

Issue #2: Unverifiable specific KiCad version (8.0.4)

  • Document Location: "Verify Version" section — "designed with KiCad 8.0.4"
  • Problem: The project files only show generator_version "8.0" without the patch version. Cannot confirm 8.0.4 specifically.
  • Correct Information: Files are KiCad 8.0 format. Specific patch version (8.0.4) cannot be determined from files alone.
  • Source: Miswired-Glitchy.kicad_pcb:4, Miswired-Glitchy.kicad_sch:4 — generator_version "8.0"
  • Severity: Minor (the recommendation to use 8.0.x is still valid)
  • Proposed Fix: Change to "designed with KiCad 8.0" or "designed with KiCad 8.0.x" to match what can be verified

Testing Requirements

The following claims require testing on physical installation:

  • Plugin Manager shows all listed plugins (IDs may change)
  • Menu paths match current KiCad 8.x release
  • Project opens without errors in KiCad 8.0+
  • All libraries resolve without missing footprints/symbols

Test Procedures:

  1. Plugin IDs: Open KiCad Plugin Manager, search for each plugin by ID
  2. Menu paths: Verify menu items exist in current KiCad version
  3. Project opening: Open Miswired-Glitchy.kicad_pro, check for errors
  4. Library resolution: Open schematic and PCB, verify all symbols/footprints load

Verification Checklist

  • All technical claims identified and extracted
  • Claims organized by category
  • Each claim has source citation
  • Each claim has confidence level
  • Each claim has status icon
  • Hardware-dependent claims marked for testing
  • Issues documented with corrections
  • Summary section completed
  • Index README.md updated
  • OpenSpec task marked complete

Notes

  • The incorrect path (glitchy/Hardware/KiCad/ vs glitchy/PCB/) is a major issue that would prevent users from finding the files.
  • The project includes easyeda2kicad generated libraries in PCB/easyeda2kicad/, which is consistent with the recommendation to use that tool.
  • All plugin IDs and external tool URLs appear correct.
  • The document provides good coverage of KiCad plugins that are specifically useful for JLCPCB fabrication.

Verification completed by: Claude (AI agent) Review date: 2026-02-02 Approved by: Pending user review

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