The gEDA PCB layout editor has been around and actively developed since the early 90s. The gEDA project is an ensemble of electronic design tools including, but not limited to, the schematic editor gschem, and the layout editor, PCB. The script can convert Altium schematics and layouts to KiCad format, allowing old or legacy open hardware designs to be transitioned to FLOSS EDA toolsuites such as KiCad and gEDA, preserving the designs for future users and tinkerers.

There is an amazing script called altium2kicad, written by thesourcerer8, and available at Older designs developed with proprietary tools always remain vulnerable to possible changes in file formats or licensing at some point in the future.Īccordingly, designers are often keen to export their electronic designs to FLOSS EDA tool suites, such as the gEDA toolsuite, or KiCad, but might not know how to go about it.

Open sourced component libraries and hardware designs represent a shared, global, intellectual commons that should ideally remain freely available to educators, hardware hackers and tinkerers wherever they may be, regardless of their financial means.

Altium to kicad conversion