Before you order a PCB, review the evidence.
A clean checker window is not a working-board certificate. Use this eight-step planning workflow to record what was checked, which files belong to the review and what still needs an answer.
By Tech Life Hybrid · Published and sources checked · AI-assisted editorial guide, not a hands-on circuit test.
Plain-text file · no signup or installation. Your completed notes remain on your device; this page does not collect them.
Freeze the revision you will review
Name the project revision and record the design-tool version. Keep its schematic, board, libraries and exported files together. An output from a different revision does not close this review.
Write down: Project revision, tool version and output folder.
Verify parts against their documentation
Check the exact package, pad numbers, connector orientation and polarity against each part’s datasheet. List unresolved substitutions. A similar name or a convincing 3D image is not a compatibility check.
Write down: Exact part numbers and datasheet references; unresolved questions.
Review the schematic’s electrical-rule report
Run ERC and investigate its findings. Record exclusions and their reasons rather than hiding warnings to obtain a clean display. ERC catches certain connection problems; passing it does not establish that the circuit works.
Write down: ERC report and the reason for every retained exclusion.
Match the board rules to the intended manufacturer
Read the chosen service’s current requirements for the actual stack-up and manufacturing process. Record the rules used. This guide supplies no universal trace width, clearance, current capacity or voltage rating.
Write down: Manufacturer requirements, selected stack-up and rule settings.
Check the layout and schematic agreement
Update the layout from the reviewed schematic, refill copper zones and run DRC. In a KiCad project, include schematic-parity checking where applicable. Investigate violations and unconnected items; a standalone board may not have a schematic to compare.
Write down: DRC results, parity-check scope and documented exceptions.
Inspect the files you will actually send
Generate the production outputs required by the service from this same revision. Open the exported layers and drill data in a suitable viewer; inspect the outline, holes and alignment. Assembly orders may require additional placement and parts data.
Write down: Export list, viewer review and the service’s required-file checklist.
Keep the handoff traceable
Archive the reviewed source, output files and notes together. Confirm that the upload selection is that archive—not an older similarly named folder. Record later edits and rerun affected checks before replacing the files.
Write down: Reviewed archive name, revision and remaining decisions.
Choose review or stop—not an invented pass
If a part, rule, output or electrical limit is unresolved, stop the order and obtain the missing evidence. Get qualified engineering review for mains, battery-charging, high-energy or safety-critical work. Completing a worksheet is not safety approval or proof of operation.
Write down: Outstanding issues, reviewer and the next action. This page does not certify a board.
Direct sources and what they support
- KiCad 10.0 getting-started manual: project workflow, ERC limits and production-output basics.
- KiCad 10.0 PCB Editor manual: configured design rules, zone filling, schematic parity and export options.
- KiCad 10.0 Schematic Editor manual: electrical-rule checks and footprint assignment.
These references describe the named documentation branch, not a claim that it is your installed version or today’s newest release. Menu names and capabilities can differ. The revision archive and stop/review prompts are our editorial workflow, not a manufacturer’s acceptance test.
Keep the questions with the revision.
Use the worksheet to preserve the reports, assumptions and unresolved items. No generated score or automatic green light replaces review.