[RP2354] [PI-PICO2] Custom RP2354 board: code never reaches main(), PC stuck ins

[phil from seattle]

well, as usual, KiCAD moving to a newer version has problems.  What version are you using?  KiCAD 10 isn't very happy with it.  And it's later than 8.0.  I don't have 9.

[Abidarian]

I am using KiCAD v9 😭

[phil from seattle]

I am using KiCAD v9 😭

Sigh.  I love KiCAD, I truly do but the team's continued lack of "upgrade engineering" can be infuriating at times. This is a good example, moving from V9 to V10 should not get this.  I'm currently using V8 and will stay with that until circumstances force me to upgrade. The hassle of upgrading each project significantly outweighs the benefits of the upgrade. I have numerous projects that are just fine at V8 and will stay that way because I see no need to continually chase each upgrade.

And FWIW, I have contributed $$ to the KiCAD project multiple times now and will continue to do so in the future.

[Abidarian]

I am using KiCAD v9 😭

Sigh.  I love KiCAD, I truly do but the team's continued lack of "upgrade engineering" can be infuriating at times. This is a good example, moving from V9 to V10 should not get this.  I'm currently using V8 and will stay with that until circumstances force me to upgrade. The hassle of upgrading each project significantly outweighs the benefits of the upgrade. I have numerous projects that are just fine at V8 and will stay that way because I see no need to continually chase each upgrade.

And FWIW, I have contributed $$ to the KiCAD project multiple times now and will continue to do so in the future.

I agree with you on so many levels here. I, infact started with KiCAD v8, but faced some issues with a reference PCB. That forced me to upgrade to v9, just to get rid of the errors. KiCAD is great, and I like the fact that it is open source. I love using KiCAD, and it is quite featureful, just the inter-version compatibility can be improved. I think I'll work on this as soon as I am done with this PCB.

Recreating everything in v8 will be cumbersome, is it fine if I provide you with a gerber file or any other fabrication format of choice?

[phil from seattle]

I am using KiCAD v9 😭

Sigh.  I love KiCAD, I truly do but the team's continued lack of "upgrade engineering" can be infuriating at times. This is a good example, moving from V9 to V10 should not get this.  I'm currently using V8 and will stay with that until circumstances force me to upgrade. The hassle of upgrading each project significantly outweighs the benefits of the upgrade. I have numerous projects that are just fine at V8 and will stay that way because I see no need to continually chase each upgrade.

And FWIW, I have contributed $$ to the KiCAD project multiple times now and will continue to do so in the future.

I agree with you on so many levels here. I, infact started with KiCAD v8, but faced some issues with a reference PCB. That forced me to upgrade to v9, just to get rid of the errors. KiCAD is great, and I like the fact that it is open source. I love using KiCAD, and it is quite featureful, just the inter-version compatibility can be improved. I think I'll work on this as soon as I am done with this PCB.

Recreating everything in v8 will be cumbersome, is it fine if I provide you with a gerber file or any other fabrication format of choice?

Don't bother.  I'm pulling V9 down as I am posting this.

[phil from seattle]

OK, I'm seeing a similar problem with V9 as I did with V10 - no traces or components show up.

I do see the traces when I use the 3D Viewer.  Where did you get the RP235x footprint?  Here is the one from the RP2350A minimal design kicad project. You can find it here https://pip.raspberrypi.com/categories/1214-rp2350.  Note the central ground pad with vias and the 3.3V and 1.1V traces.  I would just duplicate that (or simply use RP's footprint). I would pull the minimal project down and study it in detail. Don't deviate from their design unless you know the impact of your changes.

[Abidarian]

I went with the custom ground pad just for experimentation and it works!! Thanks a lot for your help. Phil and everyone you all have been a great help.
Just in case anyone else stumbles upon similar problem,
I did as Phil said blindly copy the minimal design from the RPi's example circuit design. Make minor tweaks as required.
I kept the crystal design intact, did some minor positioning changes to the 1v1 and GND vias near the input circuitry.
I also shrunk the ground pad and modified the via position on it to fit my requirements.


Thanks alot for all the help on this thread everyone.

[booscrawl]

I am using KiCAD v9 😭

Sigh.  I love KiCAD, I truly do but the team's continued lack of "upgrade engineering" can be infuriating at times. This is a good example, moving from V9 to V10 should not get this.  I'm currently using V8 and will stay with that until circumstances force me to upgrade. The hassle of upgrading each project significantly outweighs the benefits of the upgrade. I have numerous projects that are just fine at V8 and will stay that way because I see no need to continually chase each upgrade.

And FWIW, I have contributed $$ to the KiCAD project multiple times now and will continue to do so in the future.

I agree with you on so many levels here. I, infact started with KiCAD v8, but faced some issues with a reference PCB. That forced me to upgrade to v9, just to get rid of the errors. KiCAD is great, and I like the fact that it is open source. I love using KiCAD, and it is quite featureful, just the inter-version compatibility can be improved. I think I'll work on this as soon as I am done with this PCB.

Recreating everything in v8 will be cumbersome, is it fine if I provide you with a gerber file or any other fabrication format of choice?

The worst thing about KiCAD to me is that every version updates Python and all the WxGTK kit. You can't just install KiCAD 8 or 9, they were built against an obsolete version of Python and WxGTK that you probably can't even get on a modern OS anymore. There are virtual environment tricks to get around this but they're not convenient.

I have been using it since KiCAD 4 and have given up the battle to retain old versions. If a project matters to me, I've saved it in the latest editor version, and I file bug reports constantly.

[phil from seattle]

I went with the custom ground pad just for experimentation and it works!! Thanks a lot for your help. Phil and everyone you all have been a great help.
Just in case anyone else stumbles upon similar problem,
I did as Phil said blindly copy the minimal design from the RPi's example circuit design. Make minor tweaks as required.
I kept the crystal design intact, did some minor positioning changes to the 1v1 and GND vias near the input circuitry.
I also shrunk the ground pad and modified the via position on it to fit my requirements.


Thanks alot for all the help on this thread everyone.

I've been wondering how you were doing.  Good to hear you have success.  As in life, a good grounding makes for success.

[phil from seattle]

Hi, thought you might find this interesting - I am switching my RP2350B based product to use the RP2354B (integrated Flash).  The plan is to keep the Flash Memory footprint in case there is a need for larger memory than the 2354B has.  I got my test boards back - success, runs exactly as the the build with the RP2350B+Flash memory.

[Abidarian]

Hi, thought you might find this interesting - I am switching my RP2350B based product to use the RP2354B (integrated Flash).  The plan is to keep the Flash Memory footprint in case there is a need for larger memory than the 2354B has.  I got my test boards back - success, runs exactly as the the build with the RP2350B+Flash memory.
(Attachment Link)

Hi Phil,
I am sorry for not replying earlier, I got hooked onto developing the board and see it as a final product. Also I had planned to demo at Open Source Summit India. But hey, that is great news, now you have more space for storage (the only person  who is able to make room for extra storage in this economy lol). Also here is a video of the first prototype. I demoed this at OSSI.