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PCB Workshop

A workshop for printed circuit boards, driving the KiCad on your computer.

Arrives in the next build

PCB Workshop needs a Mnemosyne OS newer than 2.2.0. It uses the kicad:run permission, which ships after 2.2.0. On 2.2.0 the workshop opens, but every KiCad job is refused. The cartridge is in beta. It was built on Windows with KiCad 10.0.8. macOS and Linux have not been tried.

You design the board in KiCad. The workshop checks it and prepares what the board maker needs. It reads your KiCad files and never writes them.

The cartridge id is @mnemosyne-plugins/pcb. Its code lives at Mnemosyne-OS/PCB-Workshop, under the MIT licence.

Before you start​

  1. Install KiCad 9 or newer from kicad.org. The workshop looks for kicad-cli where the official installers put it, never on your PATH. The Flatpak build of KiCad on Linux is not found yet.
  2. Add the cartridge. In MnemoHub, choose + Add a cartridge and paste https://github.com/Mnemosyne-OS/PCB-Workshop. Accept its two permissions, kicad:run and vault:write. See Add an external cartridge.

When KiCad is missing, the workshop says KiCad is not installed on this computer. Install it, then bring the window back to the front. It looks again.

First board​

  1. Press Add and pick a .kicad_pro, .kicad_pcb or .kicad_sch file. KiCad's demo boards are a good start. StickHub is a small one, in KiCad's share/kicad/demos folder.
  2. Open Check and press Check. A small board takes a few seconds. A large one can take over a minute.
  3. Try Render, then Order pack.

Level​

Pick your Level at the top of the window.

  • Beginner shows First steps and every explanation open.
  • Maker adds the layers and file lists of the order pack.
  • Pro also shows KiCad's own words next to each explanation.

The views​

  • Board and Schematic are drawn by KiCanvas, with every sheet of a hierarchical schematic.
  • Check runs KiCad's design rules check on the board, Board (DRC), and its electrical rules check on the schematic, Schematic (ERC). Findings are grouped by type. 41 types get a plain sentence that says what is wrong and why it matters. Findings the designer excluded in KiCad are counted apart.
  • Order pack makes the files JLCPCB asks for: Gerber and drill files in one zip, with the bill of materials and the placement file beside it. The JLCPCB part number is read from the LCSC, LCSC Part or JLC field. The screen counts the lines with none. Open the quote page opens JLCPCB in your browser. Nothing is sent or ordered.
  • Render makes a photo-like picture of the board, Top or Bottom.
  • 3D model (STEP) exports the board as a STEP file. You can open it in Parts to take the board apart piece by piece.

A verdict sums up the check: Errors to fix, Warnings to review or Ready to order. Before an order pack, the workshop repeats that verdict.

Where your data goes​

  • KiCad runs on your computer. Your board and schematic are only read. KiCad may add its small .kicad_prl display file next to them when the project has none.
  • What KiCad makes (reports, Gerber zip, BOM, renders, STEP) goes into a work folder of Mnemosyne OS. Show in folder opens it.
  • Keep in memory writes a sheet of the board into the workshop's own vault: what each check found, the order pack, and your note.

For agents​

Nine actions let the chat, the orb or a coding agent drive the workshop: status, projects, openProject, showView, check, orderPack, render, explain and keepSheet.

check, orderPack and render answer started. Follow with status until busy is null, then read the result there. A project is named the way the person says it. Several matches are refused with their names (AMBIGUOUS). KICAD_NOT_FOUND means KiCad is not installed: tell the person, do not retry.

Voice examples: "check my board", "prepare the JLCPCB order", "render the board", "explain the clearance error".