BoardForge v46

BoardForge is a code-first PCB generator and Gerber exporter. You can script your entire PCB layout in Python, including components, traces, pads, and even silkscreen artwork via SVG or TTF text.

🧠 Description

This is a modular, programmable system for generating PCB layouts using Python, with full support for:

Layer stack setup
Pads, traces, and components
Custom SVG artwork (paths, lines, ellipses, rectangles, text)
TrueType Font (TTF) silkscreen text rendering using FreeType
Gerber export for OSH Park or any PCB fab
Clean object-oriented file structure (Java-style: one class per file)

✅ Features

Board: main container object
Component: represents footprints with pads and pins
trace(): define routed traces between pins
add_svg_graphic(): load SVG shapes into silkscreen
add_text_ttf(): render text onto PCB using a .ttf font
Exports layered Gerber files into a ZIP bundle

🔧 Setup

Install the required libraries using the provided requirements.txt file:

pip install -r requirements.txt

Testing

The tests are executed with pytest. Be sure to install the dependencies first using pip install -r requirements.txt. The pytest-timeout plugin is enabled so each test is limited to five seconds.

pytest

An optional requirements-dev.txt pins the package versions used in CI.

📁 Folder Structure

./
├── boardforge/
│   ├── Board.py
│   ├── Component.py
│   ├── Pin.py
│   ├── svgtools.py
│   ├── GerberExporter.py
│   ├── __init__.py
│
├── fonts/
│   └── RobotoMono.ttf
├── graphics/
│   └── torch.svg
├── demo.py
├── README.md

🧪 Example Usage

from boardforge import Board, TOP_SILK, BOTTOM_SILK
import os

board = Board(width=60, height=50)
board.set_layer_stack([TOP_SILK, BOTTOM_SILK])

bt = board.add_component("CR2032", ref="BT1", at=(30, 5))
bt.add_pin("VCC", dx=0, dy=0)
bt.add_pin("GND", dx=10, dy=0)
bt.add_pad("VCC", dx=0, dy=0, w=1.2, h=1.2)
bt.add_pad("GND", dx=10, dy=0, w=1.2, h=1.2)

led = board.add_component("LED", ref="D1", at=(30, 40))
led.add_pin("A", dx=0, dy=0)
led.add_pin("K", dx=2, dy=0)
led.add_pad("A", dx=0, dy=0, w=1.2, h=1.2)
led.add_pad("K", dx=2, dy=0, w=1.2, h=1.2)

board.trace(bt.pin("VCC"), led.pin("A"))
board.trace(led.pin("K"), bt.pin("GND"), layer=BOTTOM_SILK)

svg_path = os.path.join("graphics", "torch.svg")
board.add_svg_graphic(svg_path, layer=BOTTOM_SILK, scale=1.0, at=(10, 10))

board.add_text_ttf("Torch-O-Matic 3000", font_path="fonts/RobotoMono.ttf", at=(5, 50), size=1.5, layer=TOP_SILK)

board.export_gerbers("output/boardforge_output.zip")
# Creates 'boardforge_output.zip' and an exploded
# folder 'boardforge_output' with the same files

🪫 Common Circuits

The package also provides helpers to create a few everyday circuits:

from boardforge import (
    create_voltage_divider,
    create_led_indicator,
    create_rc_lowpass,
)

divider = create_voltage_divider()
indicator = create_led_indicator()

lowpass = create_rc_lowpass()

📚 Additional Example

An Arduino-like microcontroller board is provided under examples/arduino_like.py. Run the script to generate output/arduino_like.zip and preview images. See examples/README.md for the pinout and component overview.

🧰 API Reference

`Board`

Board(name="Board", width=100, height=80)
add_component(type, ref, at, rotation=0)
trace(pin1, pin2, layer="GTL")
set_layer_stack(["GTL", "GBL", "GTO", "GBO"])
add_svg_graphic(svg_path, layer, scale=1.0, at=(0,0))
add_text_ttf(text, font_path, at=(x, y), size=1.0, layer="GTO")
export_gerbers("output/zipfile.zip")
save_png_previews(outdir=".", scale=10)

`Component`

add_pin(name, dx, dy)
add_pad(name, dx, dy, w, h)
pin(name) → returns Pin object

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