KiCad RFID Antenna PCB Design - 07/05/2026 11:43 EDT
Budget: $30 – $250 USD
PROJECT DESCRIPTION:
I need a KiCad PCB designer to create three RFID antenna boards from scratch and deliver verified, JLCPCB-ready Gerber files. No existing files will be provided. The designer must create everything in KiCad based on the specifications below.
These are rectangular spiral RFID reader antennas operating at 13.56 MHz (ISO 15693 protocol), used in a poker chip tracking system. Each board has a copper spiral on the front layer (F.Cu), a single return trace on the back layer (B.Cu), one SMA edge-launch connector, and one SMD tuning capacitor.
BOARD 1 — SEAT ANTENNA
ParameterValueBoard size210 × 210 mmLayers2 (F.Cu + B.Cu)PCB thickness1.6mm FR4Spiral turns5Track width2.5mmGap between tracks0.5mmOutermost turn200 × 200mm center to centerTuning capacitor14pF, SMD 0805ConnectorSMA edge-launch PTH (Amphenol 132289 or equivalent)Connector positionLeft edge, vertical center of boardResonant frequency13.56 MHzQuantity to fabricate9 copies (one per poker table seat)
F.Cu: Full rectangular spiral, 5 turns. Spiral starts at the SMA connector on the left edge and ends at the inner terminal, connected to B.Cu via a through-hole via.
B.Cu: Single straight return trace only, connecting the inner terminal via to the entry via near the SMA connector. No spiral on B.Cu. No other copper on B.Cu.
BOARD 2 — POT-A ANTENNA (SMA on left edge)
ParameterValueBoard size410 × 310 mmLayers2 (F.Cu + B.Cu)PCB thickness1.6mm FR4Spiral turns3Track width2.5mmGap between tracks0.5mmOutermost turn400 × 300mm center to centerTuning capacitor12pF, SMD 0805ConnectorSMA edge-launch PTH (Amphenol 132289 or equivalent)Connector positionLeft edge, vertical center of boardResonant frequency13.56 MHzQuantity to fabricate2 copies
F.Cu: Full rectangular spiral, 3 turns. Entry point on the left edge.
B.Cu: Single straight return trace only. No spiral. No other copper.
BOARD 3 — POT-B ANTENNA (SMA on right edge)
Identical to POT-A in every way except the SMA connector is on the right edge instead of the left edge. The spiral geometry is the same — only the connector position is mirrored.
ParameterValueBoard size410 × 310 mmLayers2 (F.Cu + B.Cu)PCB thickness1.6mm FR4Spiral turns3Track width2.5mmGap between tracks0.5mmOutermost turn400 × 300mm center to centerTuning capacitor12pF, SMD 0805ConnectorSMA edge-launch PTH (Amphenol 132289 or equivalent)Connector positionRight edge, vertical center of boardResonant frequency13.56 MHzQuantity to fabricate2 copies
F.Cu: Full rectangular spiral, 3 turns. Entry point on the right edge.
B.Cu: Single straight return trace only. No spiral. No other copper.
HOW THE 4 POT ANTENNAS ARE INSTALLED:
The 4 POT antennas are arranged in a 2×2 grid to cover a 800×600mm pot area with no blind spots. POT-A boards go on the left column, POT-B boards go on the right column. Adjacent boards overlap by 20mm so the magnetic fields cover the gap between them. Each antenna connects to one port of the RD5224 RFID reader via SMA cable.
DELIVERABLES — 3 ZIP files, one per board design:
Each ZIP must contain exactly these 10 files:
BoardName-F_Cu.gbr ← spiral on front copper only
BoardName-B_Cu.gbr ← single return trace only
BoardName-F_Mask.gbr ← solder mask openings on pads
BoardName-B_Mask.gbr ← solder mask openings on pads
BoardName-F_Paste.gbr ← SMD pads only
BoardName-B_Paste.gbr ← empty
BoardName-F_Silkscreen.gbr ← reference designators
BoardName-B_Silkscreen.gbr ← empty or minimal
BoardName-Edge_Cuts.gbr ← board outline only, no traces
BoardName-PTH.drl ← drill file, Excellon format, metric
MANDATORY VERIFICATION BEFORE DELIVERY:
The designer must complete all three steps and deliver screenshots as proof:
KiCad DRC — must show zero errors and zero warnings
KiCad Gerber Viewer — screenshot confirming:
F.Cu shows the full spiral
B.Cu shows only the single return trace and via pads — nothing else
Edge_Cuts shows only the board rectangle — no traces inside
All other layers show only pads or are completely empty
JLCPCB online Gerber viewer at jlcpcb.com — screenshot confirming no short circuit warnings and no errors
Files will not be accepted without all three screenshots.
CRITICAL REQUIREMENT — most important point:
The spiral must exist on F.Cu only. B.Cu must contain only one single trace connecting the two vias, plus the via pads and SMA pads. No copper features from F.Cu should appear on B.Cu or any other layer. This is a known KiCad export bug — the designer must verify each layer individually in the Gerber viewer before submitting.
SKILLS REQUIRED:
KiCad 6 or newer — mandatory
Proven experience exporting Gerbers for JLCPCB fabrication
Knowledge of RFID/NFC antenna PCB design
Ability to calculate tuning capacitor value for 13.56 MHz resonance
Must verify files in JLCPCB Gerber viewer before delivery
PROJECT TERMS:
Fixed price project
Deadline: 3 days maximum
Payment released only after JLCPCB Gerber viewer screenshots confirm zero errors on all 3 boards
Do not start without confirming you have read and understood the B.Cu requirement above
I need a KiCad PCB designer to create three RFID antenna boards from scratch and deliver verified, JLCPCB-ready Gerber files. No existing files will be provided. The designer must create everything in KiCad based on the specifications below.
These are rectangular spiral RFID reader antennas operating at 13.56 MHz (ISO 15693 protocol), used in a poker chip tracking system. Each board has a copper spiral on the front layer (F.Cu), a single return trace on the back layer (B.Cu), one SMA edge-launch connector, and one SMD tuning capacitor.
BOARD 1 — SEAT ANTENNA
ParameterValueBoard size210 × 210 mmLayers2 (F.Cu + B.Cu)PCB thickness1.6mm FR4Spiral turns5Track width2.5mmGap between tracks0.5mmOutermost turn200 × 200mm center to centerTuning capacitor14pF, SMD 0805ConnectorSMA edge-launch PTH (Amphenol 132289 or equivalent)Connector positionLeft edge, vertical center of boardResonant frequency13.56 MHzQuantity to fabricate9 copies (one per poker table seat)
F.Cu: Full rectangular spiral, 5 turns. Spiral starts at the SMA connector on the left edge and ends at the inner terminal, connected to B.Cu via a through-hole via.
B.Cu: Single straight return trace only, connecting the inner terminal via to the entry via near the SMA connector. No spiral on B.Cu. No other copper on B.Cu.
BOARD 2 — POT-A ANTENNA (SMA on left edge)
ParameterValueBoard size410 × 310 mmLayers2 (F.Cu + B.Cu)PCB thickness1.6mm FR4Spiral turns3Track width2.5mmGap between tracks0.5mmOutermost turn400 × 300mm center to centerTuning capacitor12pF, SMD 0805ConnectorSMA edge-launch PTH (Amphenol 132289 or equivalent)Connector positionLeft edge, vertical center of boardResonant frequency13.56 MHzQuantity to fabricate2 copies
F.Cu: Full rectangular spiral, 3 turns. Entry point on the left edge.
B.Cu: Single straight return trace only. No spiral. No other copper.
BOARD 3 — POT-B ANTENNA (SMA on right edge)
Identical to POT-A in every way except the SMA connector is on the right edge instead of the left edge. The spiral geometry is the same — only the connector position is mirrored.
ParameterValueBoard size410 × 310 mmLayers2 (F.Cu + B.Cu)PCB thickness1.6mm FR4Spiral turns3Track width2.5mmGap between tracks0.5mmOutermost turn400 × 300mm center to centerTuning capacitor12pF, SMD 0805ConnectorSMA edge-launch PTH (Amphenol 132289 or equivalent)Connector positionRight edge, vertical center of boardResonant frequency13.56 MHzQuantity to fabricate2 copies
F.Cu: Full rectangular spiral, 3 turns. Entry point on the right edge.
B.Cu: Single straight return trace only. No spiral. No other copper.
HOW THE 4 POT ANTENNAS ARE INSTALLED:
The 4 POT antennas are arranged in a 2×2 grid to cover a 800×600mm pot area with no blind spots. POT-A boards go on the left column, POT-B boards go on the right column. Adjacent boards overlap by 20mm so the magnetic fields cover the gap between them. Each antenna connects to one port of the RD5224 RFID reader via SMA cable.
DELIVERABLES — 3 ZIP files, one per board design:
Each ZIP must contain exactly these 10 files:
BoardName-F_Cu.gbr ← spiral on front copper only
BoardName-B_Cu.gbr ← single return trace only
BoardName-F_Mask.gbr ← solder mask openings on pads
BoardName-B_Mask.gbr ← solder mask openings on pads
BoardName-F_Paste.gbr ← SMD pads only
BoardName-B_Paste.gbr ← empty
BoardName-F_Silkscreen.gbr ← reference designators
BoardName-B_Silkscreen.gbr ← empty or minimal
BoardName-Edge_Cuts.gbr ← board outline only, no traces
BoardName-PTH.drl ← drill file, Excellon format, metric
MANDATORY VERIFICATION BEFORE DELIVERY:
The designer must complete all three steps and deliver screenshots as proof:
KiCad DRC — must show zero errors and zero warnings
KiCad Gerber Viewer — screenshot confirming:
F.Cu shows the full spiral
B.Cu shows only the single return trace and via pads — nothing else
Edge_Cuts shows only the board rectangle — no traces inside
All other layers show only pads or are completely empty
JLCPCB online Gerber viewer at jlcpcb.com — screenshot confirming no short circuit warnings and no errors
Files will not be accepted without all three screenshots.
CRITICAL REQUIREMENT — most important point:
The spiral must exist on F.Cu only. B.Cu must contain only one single trace connecting the two vias, plus the via pads and SMA pads. No copper features from F.Cu should appear on B.Cu or any other layer. This is a known KiCad export bug — the designer must verify each layer individually in the Gerber viewer before submitting.
SKILLS REQUIRED:
KiCad 6 or newer — mandatory
Proven experience exporting Gerbers for JLCPCB fabrication
Knowledge of RFID/NFC antenna PCB design
Ability to calculate tuning capacitor value for 13.56 MHz resonance
Must verify files in JLCPCB Gerber viewer before delivery
PROJECT TERMS:
Fixed price project
Deadline: 3 days maximum
Payment released only after JLCPCB Gerber viewer screenshots confirm zero errors on all 3 boards
Do not start without confirming you have read and understood the B.Cu requirement above