It’s been a while since I’ve posted—life happens.

I set a goal for myself to create one board per month, but I’m currently averaging about six boards a year. Not exactly where I’d like to be, but not too bad considering the demands of family and farm life, which have taken priority.

I’m a big believer in small, incremental progress. The more boards you design, the quicker you’ll improve. But if you struggle with your tools, you’re less likely to use them, and progress will stall.

I’ve been experiencing a lot of issues with OrCAD, although to be fair, I’m running it through Wine. Additionally, I’ve had problems with the license server. The frequent crashes and compatibility issues have been frustrating. When the EMA sales rep contacted me about renewing maintenance, I considered upgrading from the 2019 (17.4) version, hoping the newer software would improve the situation.

However, the cost was prohibitive. For the pace I’m working at—about one board every other month—it just didn’t seem worth it.

Then I noticed KiCad had released version 8. I believe I last tried it around version 3 or 4, and I’m amazed at how far it has come. Given the issues with OrCAD and Allegro compatibility, I’ve decided to give KiCad a shot.

I’ll keep you updated on my progress. So far, the installation only took a couple of minutes, and the user interface came up without a hitch. After watching some expert reviews of the latest tools, I’m excited to dive in.

Dennis