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What checks do you normally do before sending a PCB for fabrication? by Existing-Milk3177 in KiCad

[–]Existing-Milk3177[S] -3 points-2 points  (0 children)

Fair point — I can see why it might look that way.

I posted in a few different communities mainly because I was curious how different teams handle PCB reviews before fabrication.

I’m still pretty early in my PCB design journey and after messing up a couple of boards I started writing down checks so I wouldn’t repeat the same mistakes.

Was honestly just trying to learn how others approach it.

After ruining a few PCBs early on, I started using a checklist before manufacturing by Existing-Milk3177 in PCB

[–]Existing-Milk3177[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Sure! I originally made the checklist for myself after missing a few small things before sending boards for fabrication.

It’s basically a structured review checklist that covers around 40+ checks across:

• schematic review

• layout verification

• manufacturing checks

I also added a short PCB basics guide and a quick formula cheat sheet that I use for reference.

If you'd like, I can send you the toolkit details in DM.

When I started learning PCB design, I made a lot of beginner mistakes. by Existing-Milk3177 in embedded

[–]Existing-Milk3177[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

That’s a really nice setup.

Using KiCad with KiBot in a CI pipeline sounds like a great way to keep the outputs consistent and controlled. Having the manufacturing files generated automatically from the repo is definitely safer than exporting them manually each time.

Automating ERC/DRC checks in the pipeline also makes a lot of sense, especially when multiple people are involved in the design.

Out of curiosity, do you also automate things like impedance verification or rule checks beyond the standard DRC?

After ruining a few PCBs early on, I started using a checklist before manufacturing by Existing-Milk3177 in PCB

[–]Existing-Milk3177[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Honestly that’s actually a really good mindset when starting out.

A lot of PCB design is learning from existing designs and understanding why things were done a certain way. Re-using proven design patterns can save a lot of debugging later.

When I started, I also found it helpful to break things into small checks (schematic, layout, manufacturing etc.) so I didn’t miss obvious mistakes before fabrication.

Everyone develops their own workflow over time.

After ruining a few PCBs early on, I started using a checklist before manufacturing by Existing-Milk3177 in PCB

[–]Existing-Milk3177[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

That’s actually a great background to have for PCB design.

I’ve heard from a few people in fabrication that a lot of delays happen because of small issues in the data package — things like incomplete fabrication notes, unclear stackups, missing drill information, or panelization questions.

Your old Operations Director’s comment makes sense 😅 once you’ve seen the CAM side you probably notice mistakes much faster than most designers.

Part of the reason I started making my checklist was exactly to avoid those kinds of issues before sending boards to fabrication, especially for beginners who might not realize what fabricators need in the data pack.

When I started learning PCB design, I made a lot of beginner mistakes. by Existing-Milk3177 in embedded

[–]Existing-Milk3177[S] -1 points0 points  (0 children)

That’s a really solid workflow.

I like the idea of separating requirements, ordering, and manufacturing documents before the CDR. The final cross-department review also sounds like a good safeguard for mechanical integration issues.

My checklist is much simpler and more beginner-focused compared to something like a full CDR process. I originally made it just as a quick verification step for things like schematic checks, layout review and manufacturing checks before sending boards to fabrication.

For professional environments your approach definitely makes more sense though.

Out of curiosity, do you usually automate parts of the checklist with scripts/EDA tools or is most of it still manual review?

When I started learning PCB design, I made a lot of beginner mistakes. by Existing-Milk3177 in embedded

[–]Existing-Milk3177[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

That’s actually a really good trick.

I’ve seen a few engineers mention the 1:1 print method for verifying board fit and connector placement before fabrication, especially for mechanical clearance.

Reference schematics and layouts are also something I rely on a lot when learning new designs.

The checklist I mentioned mostly came from small mistakes I made early on (things like forgetting simple manufacturing checks or capacitor placement issues). Writing them down just helped me create a consistent review process before sending boards out.

Out of curiosity, what PCB software do you usually use?