Open-source KiCad redesigns of Arduino UNO/Nano, ESP32, ESP32-S3, Pi Pico, and STM32 Bluepill, all with USB-C and 4-layer JLCPCB-ready stackups.
Key Takeaways
Covers six boards: Easyduino UNO, Nano, ESP32, ESP32 S3, Pi Pico (RP2040), and Bluepill STM32F103.
All designs use the JLC04161H-7628 4-layer stackup and ship production-ready Gerbers, BOMs, and CPL files in JLCPCB format.
USB-C replaces legacy connectors across all boards; component substitutions (e.g. CH340 instead of ATmega16U2) are documented per-project.
Each project folder includes KiCad source files, non-standard footprint libraries, datasheets for key ICs, and PDF/PNG schematics for quick reference.
Licensed under CERN OHL v2 Permissive: commercial use is allowed without source disclosure, only license text inclusion required.
Hacker News Comment Review
Commenters converge on the same use case: starting from a known-working reference design and modifying it, rather than reading these as finished boards to clone verbatim.
Several builders noted that PCB layout knowledge gaps (ground planes, trace widths, decoupling) are the real barrier; reference designs like these compress the learning curve without requiring a full EE background.
LLM-assisted KiCad workflows came up, with at least one commenter planning to try KiCad MCP integration, though the consensus was that LLMs are weak on layout specifically.
Notable Comments
@stevenpetryk: “I’ve always found it stupidly hard to just take an existing working board and tweak it” – frames the core gap this fills.
@Liftyee: Notes the footprint-compatibility angle: use a design as a template that fits standard mechanical footprints while adding custom capabilities.
