bjhiltbrand
commented
8 months ago I would absolutely agree with this! versioning these KiCAD files and making it easy for people to get their own boards built is a great way to get this out to the masses. I am by no means an expert in KiCAD and only know enough to be dangerous. I only started putting the KiCAD files out here because I was already sort of familiar with it and would be using it to build my boards, so I figured why not have them here to collaborate with the group better. Using github actions takes the human error out of the equation in building repeatable results for release on whatever cadence you choose - especially when it comes to creating the CPL files, where I have zero experience (as I have never submitted a board for full fabrication with pick & place before).
@bjhiltbrand @Kaldek I've uploaded my "wide" version of the ratgdo board. It avoids the potential conflicts with the USB while leaving room open to add additional terminals if that's ever necessary or wanted.
But wait, there's more! I'm also proposing we generate the Gerber files using Github Actions. I have a POC included in this PR that will generate artifacts for each of the boards (including JLC files). I have yet to include any release publishing code, but I think the end goal would be to version the boards and allow people to download the Gerber files directly from the releases page, rather than having to manually update them and sort through them in future PRs.
Totally open to any feedback on this. If there are updates or changes or you just hate it, let me know. If you like it and want to move forward, I'd like to remove the existing Gerber files and cleanup the repo a bit before we merge this in.
Consider this the start of a discussion. Thanks!