Over the years we’ve seen KiCad grow from a niche, somewhat incomplete, but Open Source PCB design suite to a full-featured extravaganza of schematics and board layouts. We’ve plumbed the depths of keys and kais and queues and quays, and KiCad just had its first conference last weekend. While we wait for the rest of the talks to be published, there’s a special treat for KiCad users everywhere. Here’s a banana for scale.
Have you ever worried your PCB was too big? Confused if you’re working in inches or millimeters? Do you just want to know the scale of your PCB? Just add this footprint to your KiCad project, and you’ll have a banana on your board view. This is immediate visual feedback, giving you all the information you need to continue on with your design. There’s a 2D view and a 3D view. It’s something no electrical engineer should be without. All of this can be yours for the low, low, cost of free because KiCad is Open Source.
If you’re wondering what official features are in the works for the EDA suite, the first two talks from the con delve into that. project leader Wayne Stambaugh’s talk covers features new to version 5.1 and plans for 6.0. There was also a developers panel that provides insight on what goes into a large project like this one.
This feels about 31 days late
electronoob’s lawyer gets another call
Coffs Harbor, New South Wales- https://www.alamy.com/the-big-banana-celebrating-40-years-as-a-major-tourist-attraction-image5145977.html
Now we need pictures of the Big Banana with a banana for scale.
I can’t wait to see the looks on fab house’s faces when they see a bananna on the BOM.
Loll just thinking this!
This is just what I needed! Thanks!
Also, hackaday editors, why can’t I use my website in the website submission for comments? my website is http://www.stephen.engineer, I get the error “
Strongly suspect they are using outdated regex that does not include the newest TLDs
There’s a thought, is there a programmatic way to look up valid TLDs?
A: Apparently yes, either NS lookup and check the response is sensible or there’s a list here: http://data.iana.org/TLD/tlds-alpha-by-domain.txt
Hi Steve, this is Steve in WB.
😂😂😂😂
https://github.com/arturo182/kicad-banana/issues/1
Plantains anyone, how about them mini-bananas. Coming soon nano-bananas, when the bananapocylipse happens.
What is the size of a standard banana?
A metric banana or an imperial banana?
Rebel Banana.
Hard to be sure, but I’d guess about 15 feet long or 4 metres.
https://www.google.com/maps/@-30.2747586,153.1340707,3a,75y,242.07h,83.16t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1sRywon5M6tvoclnfcdCulvA!2e0!7i13312!8i6656?hl=en
African or European banana?
The International Prototype Banana in Panama, of course.
The banana now takes its place among other units, like libraries of congress, olympic swimming pools, and smoots.
Soccer fields! It’s the most used comparison in German documentaries. So dumb but so true…
Here in the US we hear comparisons using “football fields” on a regular basis (100 yards or 91.4 meters).
A soccer field is a “futbol” field!
B^)
You ask for extra-vacancy, you get extra-vaganza.
Unfortunately it’s no lemon… With a copper and zinc wire you would be able to power your PCB
Okay, just so it’s clear: I realize it’s a joke. But wouldn’t a model of a Compact Disc, or maybe, just maybe, you know, a RULER make more sense?
Or a Banana ruler perhaps? https://twitter.com/Jon_Raymond_/status/981924976650407936?s=19
The answer is “no”. Rulers come in all different sizes, compact discs are expensive (and kinda two-thousand-and-late, frankly).
Bananas, being essentially a monoculture, are about the same size everywhere they can be bought.
“Banana for scale” started out as a silly joke, but honestly it’s pretty solid.
Of course, there are obvious things you might use for size comparison, like the width of a fist or the length of a foot. But we’ve already seen how that one plays out, and it’s not pretty.
Well, the bananas I’m familiar with vary in size by a factor of two or so (linearly). And as far as I know, they’re the same variety. Add in other varieties and can only get worse.
I prefer to think a good rule of thumb for pi is 2.
Unless under battle conditions, then it’s 4
The, “African or European,” comment above was probably more apropos than its tongue-in-cheek referenced intention… there are a significant number of places in the world where a generic banana is a scaled-down (worst case here) version of what an ordinary, say, American, world assume.
I wasn’t at the conference and I haven’t checked the statistics but I live in Texas so I’m assuming it’s the larger variety.
does kicad have a built in auto router yet?
How is scale an issue? when you design a pcb you should know about the size you need if not the exact size.
I also print out the pcb actual size on paper for review. – maybe I am missing something, but how is this an issue?
I’m the creator of the footprint, here’s my shameless plug:
If you wanna see some random hacks and whatnot follow me on Twitter :)
https://twitter.com/arturo182
Brilliant! A year ago I made a PCB design with a Banana on the silk screen. “Banana to scale 1:1”
https://www.stereo.net.au/forums/topic/247977-m8audio-at-the-sydney-audio-club/?do=findComment&comment=3970702
Just switched to version 5. Pretty impressed. Ok, I have to have the banana.
Some people complain that bananas vary in size therefore can not be used as a measurement unit… How is that different from inch or feet?
Don’t understand what you’re getting at, Lucas. Inches and feet can be measured as accurately as anything.