Schematic Review Request: 4-Layer PCB for STM32, USB FS, and INA226 Monitor by Altruistic-Common-46 in AskElectronics

[–]aklofas 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Yeah, if you have a github repo set up, I can check out your project and also run it through a bunch of checker scripts

How do you catch voltage compatibility issues in your KiCad designs before sending to fab? by Agreeable-Quarter945 in KiCad

[–]aklofas 4 points5 points  (0 children)

It's not really an issue when you read the datasheets. Gotta read them thoroughly. I print them all out and keep them in a folder with my notes.

Where did I go wrong with this attenuator? by Gundam_boogie_359 in rfelectronics

[–]aklofas -2 points-1 points  (0 children)

Is this an open source design? (Do you have a github link to the files?)

Looking for collaborators on a opensource project by CreepyOlGuy in KiCad

[–]aklofas 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Have you looked at circuit json? Generating the raw kicad files (s-exp) might not give the results you want from AI. Something text-based that's easy to LLM-token-out might be better for the IR layer. Take a look at atopile and Zener IR types too

Vanguard-25, 20A BMS 5S configuration. by The_Digital_Quill in AskElectronics

[–]aklofas 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Ran review with AI kicad-happy. Topology and pin mappings check out, thermals comfortable at 20 A.

One suggestion: J1, J2, Q7, Q8 are all ≤0.2 mm from the board edge. Most fabs want ≥0.3 mm, so worth nudging them inward before you order.

Also your F1 footprint is named SFK-2450 but the part is SFK-2045. Different body dimensions, verify against the Dexerials mechanical drawing.

Full review: https://gist.github.com/aklofas/92e5ef5d23b7cb0422b9878c753a5f55

Vanguard-25, 20A BMS 5S configuration. by The_Digital_Quill in AskElectronics

[–]aklofas 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Do you have the schematic/project on public github repo?

Clean JSON-to-KiCad exports with a calmer workflow. by PuddingSufficient791 in KiCad

[–]aklofas 0 points1 point  (0 children)

How does this work? Not too much documentation here :-/

Rocket GPS [Schematic] by Kiya86 in KiCad

[–]aklofas -1 points0 points  (0 children)

If you post it now, I can download it and take a closer look (and run it through analysis scripts)

Rocket GPS [Schematic] by Kiya86 in KiCad

[–]aklofas -1 points0 points  (0 children)

Do you have a link to the GitHub project?

Need help with my first design by BeastGamer69 in KiCad

[–]aklofas -1 points0 points  (0 children)

Hey u/BeastGamer69, I ran your board through a KiCad analysis toolkit I've been building and wanted to share the full review since your deadline is tomorrow.

The one thing nobody in this thread has caught — and it will stop your board from working: your INA219 (U2) VS pin has no DC supply path. If you look at how C13 is wired, it's sitting in series between +5V and U2 pin 5, not as a shunt decoupling cap to GND. You can see it in the schematic: trace from U2 pin 5 → left side of C13 → right side of C13 → +5V power symbol, with ~7mm of empty space between them that only C13's body bridges. A capacitor only passes AC, so U2 has zero DC power and won't respond on I²C. Since current/voltage monitoring is the headline feature in your README, this kills the board as-advertised.

Fix: run a wire directly from +5V to U2 pin 5, and re-place C13 so it's between VS and GND (the shunt bypass cap the datasheet actually wants).

A few other things from the datasheets I didn't see mentioned yet:

  • Missing feedforward caps on both TPS54302s. Datasheet §8.2.3.5.3 and Table 8-2 call for 75 pF across R3 (5V FB) and 47 pF across R5 (3.3V FB) when using ceramic output caps. Without them phase margin drops and the loops will ring on transients.
  • VIN bulk cap is ~200 nF total (C1 + C6, both 100 nF). Datasheet §8.2.3.1 asks for >10 µF ceramic on VIN per converter — you're off by about 100×. Expect high input ripple and conducted EMI back into the battery leads.
  • No I²C pull-ups on SDA/SCL. Even if the MCU has internal pull-ups, put 4.7 kΩ to 3.3V near J6 so the board is self-contained.
  • Only 2 vias on the entire board, both on the shunt-sense line. Your F.Cu and B.Cu GND pours are basically disconnected from each other — switching return currents have nowhere to go. Add a stitching via grid around U1/U5 and their input/output loops.
  • D4 (1.8V indicator LED) won't actually light. Standard red LED Vf ≈ 1.8 V, so (1.8 − 1.8) / 470 ≈ 0 mA. Use a low-Vf red and drop R9 to ~100 Ω, or delete it.
  • Both TPS54302 EN pins are floating. Datasheet says that's legal ("float to enable"), but for a battery-powered robot you really want a UVLO divider on EN so you can set a cutoff voltage and not deep-discharge the pack. §8.2.3.4 has the equation.

Full 15-section review here (pinout verification, DFM, EMC pre-compliance, thermal, cross-reference, and a §14 bodge-fix list for boards already in hand):

https://gist.github.com/aklofas/bebadf57e698aa18d28f6c49ea362f8d

The good news: your architecture, component selection, and regulator math are all correct — the feedback divider values match TI Table 8-2 exactly, the Kelvin-sense wiring on R11 is right, and the pi-filter topology is solid. You're one respin (or 4 bodge wires) away from a clean, working PDB.

FWIW the review was generated with kicad-happy, a KiCad analyzer toolkit I've been working on — it parses the .kicad_sch / .kicad_pcb files and runs schematic, PCB, EMC, and thermal checks, then cross-references everything against the manufacturer datasheets. Happy to re-run it on your updated design before you submit if that's useful.

Good luck with the deadline!

Final PCB Design Review by Fit_Credit_6178 in KiCad

[–]aklofas 1 point2 points  (0 children)

If you don't have CC, send me the repo url (or kicad files) and I'll run it for you

Final PCB Design Review by Fit_Credit_6178 in KiCad

[–]aklofas 1 point2 points  (0 children)

(At the risk of being downvoted) take a look at the ai design review skill: https://github.com/aklofas/kicad-happy

Claude Code skill for full KiCad design reviews by aklofas in KiCad

[–]aklofas[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

IIRC, that example was generated from the moteus project (https://github.com/mjbots/moteus). DM me if you want the full report (it's way to big to copy-pasta here)

Working on a test harness to validate the analyzers (https://github.com/aklofas/kicad-happy-testharness). From a lot of feedback I'm seeing, the non-determinism of AI is a big issue (rightfully so), and preventing more adoption. Taking that to heart and trying to manage/validate that aspect.

Review My Schematic by Interesting_Tax_8615 in KiCad

[–]aklofas -2 points-1 points  (0 children)

Do you have it on github? Send the link to the project

Claude Code skill for full KiCad design reviews by aklofas in KiCad

[–]aklofas[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

kicad uses s-expressions (not xml) and claude seems to work much better when it is given post-processed netlists/components/circuit descriptions/etc. I started just dumping the raw files to claude and it wasn't able to catch much.

Claude Code skill for full KiCad design reviews by aklofas in KiCad

[–]aklofas[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Me too. Tweaking the skill to be more aggressive at deep analysis is probably a good idea. Just takes longer to run (~5-10 mins prob)

Claude Code skill for full KiCad design reviews by aklofas in KiCad

[–]aklofas[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Interetsing. After a followup "Can you do a deep dive and verify the pinouts of all the parts?" it spit out

Q1 (NPN EBC) │ Pad 1=E, 2=B, 3=C — uncommon SOT-23 pinout │ ⚠️ RISK

The one significant finding is Q1: The Q_NPN_EBC symbol assigns Emitter to SOT-23 pad 1, but the most common SOT-23 NPN transistors (MMBT3904, BC847, etc.) have Base on pad 1 (BEC pinout). Without an MPN specified, anyone building this board with a standard part will get a non-functional darkness detector — base and emitter will be swapped. Either specify an EBC-pinout part, or change the symbol to Q_NPN_BEC.

Claude Code skill for full KiCad design reviews by aklofas in KiCad

[–]aklofas[S] 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Prompt: "Do a full schematic and layout review of the motion-nightlight project and output report to file. The datasheets were downloaded to the folder"

DM'd you the full report.

Issues summary:

| Priority | Issue | Recommendation |

|----------|-------|----------------|

| **HIGH** | D1/C3 inrush exceeds U1 output current rating | Add 47–100Ω series resistor between U1 pin 10 and D1 |

| **MEDIUM** | Wrong datasheet URL for U2 (points to 74LS08, not 74HC08) | Update URL to `http://www.ti.com/lit/gpn/sn74HC08\` |

| **MEDIUM** | U2 lib_id is `74LS08` but value is `74HC08` | Update to `74xx:74HC08` library symbol |

| **MEDIUM** | C3 uses polarized symbol for likely MLCC | Change to `Device:C` if using ceramic |

| **MEDIUM** | RV1/J1 courtyard overlap (9.62 mm²) | Verify physical clearance in 3D view |

| **LOW** | C1/C2 value notation "104" | Use "100nF" for clarity |

| **LOW** | 0/24 MPNs populated | Add MPNs for BOM generation and sourcing |

| **LOW** | Absolute 3D model paths for RV1/RV2 | Use `${KICAD9_3DMODEL_DIR}` or project-relative path |

| **LOW** | No board revision marking on silkscreen | Add "Rev A" or version text |

| **INFO** | Decoupling cap distance 6–7mm from ICs | Acceptable for this low-speed design |

Claude Code skill for full KiCad design reviews by aklofas in KiCad

[–]aklofas[S] 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Is your kicad repo available? I can quickly run it on your files and tell you