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Project Setup

MorrisYLin edited this page Sep 7, 2025 · 12 revisions

Repo Structure

A "commit" is simply a snapshot of a project at a certain time. If I add symbols to a schematic or components to a layout, those will be reflected as changes to the project files. I can then save those changes into a commit.

Think of branches as literally "branching" off of a particular commit of a project to add their own changes for features, fixes, etc.

  • main is a blank template for you branch off of for your own onboarding project. You'll all have the same start, but do your own implementations, hence why you should branch off of main.
  • Morris_Lin is my implementation of the onboarding project. Feel free to reference it, but try your best to figure things out on your own

You will create your own branch using the format firstName_lastName as your submission of the onboarding project.

You can see the branches for this repo here: branch screenshot

Cloning and Branching

  1. Clone the repo using git clone --recursive https://github.com/ut-ras/rm_electrical_onboarding.git This will give you a copy of the repo to work on locally.
    • Ctrl + V won't work to paste, instead right click to do it
  2. Create a branch for your project. By default, cloning a repo puts you into the main branch. Since you're already in the main branch, create a branch off of main with something like git branch Morris-Lin, filling in your first and last name. This branch will serve as your submission for onboarding.

File structure

image
  • .kicad_sch files are the schematic files. These will define how you want your PCB to function.
  • .kicad_pcb files are the PCB layout files. These contain your physical design of the PCB.
  • .kicad_pro files are the project file. Always open KiCAD projects using this file, otherwise KiCAD cannot pair schematic and PCB files together!

Next Steps

See the Schematic Design page to start on your schematic

Clone this wiki locally