Preparing a KiCad project
BoardLab works from your EDA project, not from pictures of it. This page lists what to upload and how to export it so that the analysis has everything it needs.
The short version
- Upload the KiCad project folder — the folder that holds the
.kicad_profile — or a zip of it with the.kicad_proat the top level. - Make sure every part that matters has a real manufacturer part number (MPN), not just a value.
- If the board is laid out, keep the
.kicad_pcbnext to the.kicad_pro. It enables the PCB review, placement plan, differential pairs and impedance checks.
BoardLab reads all schematic sheets referenced by the .kicad_pro, builds the bill of materials from the symbols' fields and links each part to its datasheet.
Designing in EasyEDA Pro? Upload the project file (.epro or .epro2) instead, or send it from EasyEDA with the BoardLab extension: see the EasyEDA notes below.
Part numbers
BoardLab checks each IC against its own datasheet, so it has to know exactly which part you mean.
- Put the orderable MPN in a symbol field named
MPN,Manufacturer Part Numberor similar.TPS62130RGTRis useful;buck 3Ais not. - LCSC numbers (
C12345) are accepted for passives: BoardLab resolves them to the manufacturer part and its ratings. - Resistors, capacitors and inductors without an MPN are still checked from their value and footprint, but derating needs voltage ratings, which come from the MPN.
- Parts you do not care about (test points, logos, mounting holes) can stay without an MPN; they are listed as skipped.
Datasheets
BoardLab fetches most datasheets automatically. When it cannot, the project wizard asks you to upload the PDF for that part. Uploading the exact revision you designed against gives the most reliable citations.
Per-tool notes
Nothing to export. Upload the project folder, or zip it:
- Keep the
.kicad_pro, every.kicad_schsheet and the.kicad_pcbtogether, with the same folder layout you use in KiCad. - Hierarchical sheets and multi-board projects are supported; the wizard lets you choose which sub-design to analyse.
- Use a recent KiCad release (7 or later) and save the project once before uploading.
Save the project as a local file (.epro, or .epro2 from EasyEDA Pro 3) and upload it on the EasyEDA page to start a project, or on a project's Upload page to replace its board. You can also install the BoardLab extension for EasyEDA Pro and send the open project from EasyEDA's BoardLab menu.
- BoardLab reads the PCB from the file: placement, tracks, vias, copper pours, outline and stackup, plus every pad's net. The schematic and the BOM come from the same file, with the LCSC part codes, manufacturer part numbers and datasheet links EasyEDA keeps for each part. The schematic is converted to a KiCad schematic and analysed like a KiCad project (pin names, power symbols); if it does not match the PCB pin for pin, the analysis uses the PCB's nets and the upload says how many differ.
- Anyone on the project team can download the imported board as a KiCad project (schematic, board, project file and the original EasyEDA file) from the project's Upload page.
- A file with several boards asks which one to review.
- Re-pour the copper areas before saving: a pour without saved copper reaches BoardLab as its outline only, and the upload says so.
- The schematic sheets, silkscreen and 3D models are not read. Findings name parts, pins and nets as they are on the board.
- EasyEDA Standard files are not read: open the design in EasyEDA Pro and save it from there.
- Before anything is stored, BoardLab reads the converted board back and compares every pad's position and net with the file. If anything differs, the upload is refused.
- The stackup used for the analysis follows the project rules, as for KiCad boards: the one you declare in the project settings, otherwise the standard one for that layer count. The report says which one was used.
BoardLab reviews KiCad projects. To bring an Altium design over, use KiCad's importer (File → Import Non-KiCad Project), check that the MPN parameter survived on the symbols, save the result as a KiCad project and upload that folder.
Open the .sch / .brd pair in KiCad with File → Import Non-KiCad Project → EAGLE, add or fix MPN fields where needed, save and upload the KiCad project folder.
Export the design to a format KiCad can import, or recreate the schematic in KiCad. The web app does not take a bare netlist plus spreadsheet BOM: without the schematic, BoardLab cannot cite sheets and pins reliably.
Privacy of your files
Files are stored in your account and are visible only to you and the collaborators you invite. See the privacy notice for details.