PCB & Case Modification

Tools required

• KiCad 7 — the PCB design is a KiCad 7 project
• A PCB manufacturer account (JLCPCB, PCBWay, etc.)

KiCad project files

All design files are in the PolyKybd hardware repo:

File	Description
poly_kybd/poly_kybd_split72_right.kicad_pro	Right PCB schematic + layout
poly_kybd/poly_kybd_split72_left.kicad_pro	Left PCB schematic + layout
poly_kybd/poly_kybd_split72_plate_right.kicad_pro	Right aluminum plate
poly_kybd/poly_kybd_split72_plate_left.kicad_pro	Left aluminum plate

The backup/ directory contains older revisions for reference.

Exporting gerbers for manufacture

After making changes in KiCad:

1. Open the PCB editor
2. File → Plot — select Gerber format, output to a new folder
3. File → Fabrication Outputs → Drill Files — generate drill files into the same folder
4. Zip the folder contents and upload to your PCB manufacturer

Caution

After exporting, verify the hot-swap socket orientation. The KiCad footprint for the key switch may place the hot-swap socket on the front copper layer. For manufacturing it must be on the back side. Check this in the 3D viewer before ordering.

Exporting BOM and pick-and-place

Python scripts in the root of the repo assist with JLCPCB-format exports:

python bom_csv_jlcpcb.py           # generate BOM
python kicad_csv_pos_to_jlcpcb_cpl_csv.py  # generate CPL (pick and place)

3D case modification

The case source files are in the case/ and parts/ directories. Some are OpenSCAD .scad files which can be modified parametrically:

• parts/cirque23_slim_insert.scad — slim Cirque 23mm trackpad insert (ready STL: parts/cirque23_slim_insert_r8.stl)
• parts/cirque23_insert.scad — high Cirque 23mm trackpad insert (ready STL: parts/cirque23_insert_high_r1.stl)
• parts/cirque35_insert.scad — experimental 35mm trackpad insert (modify source before printing)

Render to STL with OpenSCAD: Design → Render, then File → Export → Export as STL.

AI Assist · investigate-kicad-pcb

The investigate-kicad-pcb skill inspects the KiCad boards with Python — trace what sits on a net, compare two variants or revisions, hunt a suspected design fault (short/open/routing/BOM), or run DRC — which is handy when deciding whether a bring-up symptom is firmware or the board.