KiCad (pronounced Key-CAD) is the preferred EDA design tool for many makers, because of its open-source ethos, compatibility with multiple operating systems and their various distros, native 3D viewer, and many more features. And of course with the recent announcements of features for version 5 coming down the pipeline many are beginning to ask, “Should I update?” (or perhaps, switch?) Whether you’re considering the switch, or future-upgrade, or just interested in getting started with EDA and PCB design, Shawn Hymel has an ongoing series of videos presented by Digi-Key that uses version 4.0.7 of KiCad for the YouTube videos:

Digi-Key Electronics presents: An introduction to KiCad with engineering superhero Shawn Hymel. In the first part of this series Shawn discusses how PCBs are made and the benefits of utilizing KiCad as a design tool. KiCad is a free and open source platform which makes it great for learning how to make your own PCBs while still being powerful enough to do more complicated design work.

Once version 5 comes out some things will slightly change, even improve, but now is a good time to get started on getting started if you’re interested in diving into this space – never before has there been such a wealth of knowledge and opportunity for makers as right now.