X

KiCon Asia 2023 has passed! But don't worry, here are the highlights.

The official schedule for next week's KiCad Conference, KiCon has been released, that will be overseen by lead developers Wayne Stambaugh and Seth Hillbrand.

The world's first Asian KiCad conference, KiCon Asia, sponsored by HQ Electronics (NextPCB), is set to bring together Asian and Western KiCad communities together for an eventful day of talks from professional users, KiCad developers and casual enthusiasts. 

- Talks -

1) KiCad Project Status

Wayne will be leading the talks with an update on the current status of the KiCad project, including features introduced in KiCad 7, upcoming features in KiCad 8 and overall achievements made in the past year.

Speaker: Wayne Stambaugh

Wayne has over 33 years of electronics engineering experience and is a self-taught software developer. He has contributed to KiCad since 2007 and has been project lead developer since 2011 and is currently Project Leader of the KiCad project.

2) How to become a KiCad Contributor

Seth will follow with the history of KiCad, the open source community and show how developers and users can contribute back to the KiCad ecosystem.

Speaker: Seth Hillbrand

Seth is a seasoned hardware engineer and software developer and is one of the earliest KiCad developers. He founded the KiCad Service Corporation and is currently a lead developer in the KiCad project. 

3) Custom Design Rules

Starting from KiCad 7, users can customize PCB Design Check rules, such as net class trace width and spacing, neckdown traces for BGA routing and many more. With custom design rules, users can push their design to the limits and have greater control and flexibility over their designs.

Speaker: Seth Hillbrand

Seth is a seasoned hardware engineer and software developer and is one of the earliest KiCad developers. He founded the KiCad Service Corporation and is currently a lead developer in the KiCad project. 

4) Using AI Techniques to Design PCBs

In this talk, Zhang Jixin summarizes the latest ideas and research into Artificial Intelligence assisted PCB layout and routing (or AI+EDA, PCB-EDA) both domestically and internationally.

Speaker: Zhang Jixin

Zhang holds a PH.D. from Hunan University, with one year spent at the Chinese University of Hong Kong, is a member of CCF/IEEE and is currently teaching at the School of Computer Science, Hubei University of Technology. Zhang has engaged in research and developmental work involving artificial intelligence security and applications and  electronics design automation. Zhang has lead a National Natural Science Foundation Project and multiple provincial and ministerial level projects.

5) Considerations from Digital IC Layout, Heterogeneous Acceleration to Constraints for Mixed-Size Parts PCB Layout

1. The development of digital IC layout, heuristic, analytical, and machine learning methods

2. Digital IC Layout GPGPU Heterogeneous Acceleration Layout Methods with Timing and Congestion Constraints

3. Considering feasible methods for laying out mixed size PCB devices with positional constraints.

4. Feedback on the use of KiCAD in the above analysis

Speaker: Zhu Yanzhen

Yanzhen is part of the AI-EDA group from the School of Integrated Circuits at the Guangdong University of Technology.

6) Applying KiCad in Flip Chip and Wire Bonding Package Design

In this talk, Rui introduces two methods in IC packaging design: Flip chip and wire bonding, and demonstrates how to use KiCad for package design.

Speaker: Huang Rui

Huang Rui is chief architect of AIoT Chips at Nuclei Technology Corporation, the leading RISC-V embedded processor IP vendor in China.

7) How to develop your own KiCad Python Plugin

Jiezhi speaks about his experience helping Chinese enthusiasts participate in maintaining the local KiCad community and contributing back to KiCad. His talk covers how to develop KiCad plugins in Python and how to utilize Python APIs and how to give back to the KiCad community to enable more people to use KiCad, love KiCad, and participate in KiCad development. Here, you will be able to propose your own needs and implement functions you and others in the community desire.

Speaker: Zhuang Jiezhi

Graduating from Sun Yat Sen University with a major in Electronic Information, Jiezhi has engaged in domestic EDA development for many years. Currently working at Huaqiu (HQ) Electronics, Jiezhi is responsible for developing and maintaining Huaqiu’s contributions to KiCad.

Other talks to be confirmed:

How to migrate to KiCad from your existing tool
DFM Rules Electronics Engineer Should Know
 

- Workshops -

After the talks, there will be a workshops using KiCad. Be sure to bring your own laptop with KiCad 7 installed to enjoy the full experience!

1) Design your own SAO hat with KiCad

Put your creative hats on and try your hand at some PCB art. Paul Hamilton will be leading the session sharing his experience with making art with PCBs and the various effects that can be achieved. Be sure to bring some design ideas along.

2) PCB Assembly Soldering Session

Show off your soldering skills or gain some by soldering a KiCon SAO badge on-site. Equipment including reflow plates, soldering irons and components will be provided.

3) Tinkering with the KiCon SAO Badge

Every participant will receive a KiCon Asia 2023 badge as a souvenir. The badge is based on Nations Technology’s N32L406RBL7, a low-cost 32-bit ARM Cortex-M4F microcontroller. Bring your own SAO hats and program them to communicate with the KiCon badge.

4) Get your SAO hat manufactured!

After designing your SAO hat in Paul's session, use the latest Agile Manufacturing Kicad plugin by Huaqiu (HQ) Electronics to have them produced by HQ NextPCB. Coupons will be distributed to participants to get their PCBs produced.

- Food and Refreshments -

Simple lunch and afternoon tea will be provided (included in the ticket price) in a relaxed environment for friendly discussion with like-minded KiCad peers. 

After an eventful day, dinner is not provided but we can give suggestions on some nice restaurants to try in the area with your new KiCad friends.

- Gifts and Souvenirs -

To commemorate the event, all participants will receive a Kicon 2023 SAO badge, version 2 of the DFM Ruler which was widely praised in the last KiCon, among other small gifts from NextPCB. 

Up until the event on the 12th of November, you can still book your tickets and we will be open to your suggestions. See you there!

Book tickets via eventbrite

Official KiCad page