<![CDATA[Workflow question: PCB design software for custom M5Stack modules]]>Hi everyone,

I’m currently working on a custom module design to interface with the M5-Bus, and I’ve been evaluating a few different EDA tools to manage the footprint and schematic capture.

For those of you who regularly design your own custom HATs, shields, or baseboards for M5Stack cores, which software do you find provides the best library support for the M5-Bus headers?

My main question: If you are designing multi-layer boards for custom modules, have you found a specific tool that handles the M5Stack pin-mapping verification more reliably than others? I'm curious if anyone has a preferred workflow for ensuring signal integrity when stacking custom hardware on the Core series.

Looking forward to hearing how you all tackle the custom hardware side of your projects!

]]>https://community.m5stack.com/topic/8225/workflow-question-pcb-design-software-for-custom-m5stack-modulesRSS for NodeWed, 20 May 2026 10:39:44 GMTTue, 19 May 2026 12:47:32 GMT60<![CDATA[Reply to Workflow question: PCB design software for custom M5Stack modules on Wed, 20 May 2026 05:54:20 GMT]]>@Danieldsouza
I prefer to use KiCAD for schematic and PCB design.

  • The software is open source
  • It runs on Windows, Linux, Mac
  • there is a strong community
  • there is a ton of libraries for thousands of components
  • some part distributor and assembling factories provide their own library or allow symbol and footprint download
  • making your own symbols and footprints is very easy
  • design rule checking

I am not an advanced user but managed to make a 4-layer PCB after watching a few tutorial videos.

Independend of the EDA Tool make sure you avoid the common tripping hazard like missing blocking caps or unwanted ground loops.

]]>https://community.m5stack.com/post/30987https://community.m5stack.com/post/30987Wed, 20 May 2026 05:54:20 GMT