2 layers44 × 52 mm Sensor node, the printed circuit board in 3D

Sensor node

Electronics engine: circuits as atopile code, verified and emitted through KiCad

Size: 44 × 52 mm
Copper layers: 2
Thickness: 1.6 mm
Parts: 15
Nets: 39
Pads: 98
Tracks, vias: 143, 8
Pours: 2
Routed: Yes
KiCad: KiCad 10.0 (file 20260206)
Created: 15 Aug 2026
Updated: 7 Nov 2026

Overview

Sensor node is an open-source printed circuit board by thewriterben, from the thewriterben/OpenCircuitCore repository on GitHub, published under the Apache-2.0 licence. It is a 2-layer board of 44 × 52 mm with 15 parts on 39 nets, routed with 143 tracks and 8 vias.

It is built around the ESP32-S3-WROOM-1-N8 and BME280. Its parts include 4 capacitors, 3 resistors, 2 ICs and 2 connectors. It belongs with the home automation and IoT and sensors and measurement boards and the ESP32 boards of this library.

Main components

README

boards/sensor-breakout/README.md

sensor-breakout

A BME280 I2C breakout, and the first board here whose connectivity comes from its schematic rather than being asserted alongside it.

Why it exists

reference-esp32s3 proved the toolchain, but its schematic and board were generated independently — nothing tied them together, so nothing stopped them disagreeing. This board is generated from make_reference_schematic.PARTS (the same single source of truth as the schematic) and its pads are bound to nets read out of the schematic's exported netlist.

Regenerate

text

# 1. schematic
python scripts/make_reference_schematic.py
kicad-cli sch erc --exit-code-violations --severity-error -o erc-report.txt sensor-subcircuit.kicad_sch
kicad-cli sch export netlist -o sensor-subcircuit.net sensor-subcircuit.kicad_sch

# 2. board, from that netlist
<KiCad>/bin/python.exe scripts/make_sensor_breakout.py
kicad-cli pcb drc --severity-error -o drc-report.txt sensor-breakout.kicad_pcb

Current state

text

outline 22.0 x 26.0 mm, 4 component(s), 2 mounting hole(s)
nets from schematic: +3V3, GND, SCL, SDA

Found 0 violations
Found 10 unconnected items

0 violations, 10 unconnected is the correct and intended result. The board has real nets and an unrouted ratsnest — the state a router or a human takes over from. Verified from the saved file:

text

U2 [('1','GND'), ('2','+3V3'), ('3','SDA'), ('4','SCL'),
    ('5','GND'), ('6','+3V3'), ('7','GND'), ('8','+3V3')]
R1 [('1','+3V3'), ('2','SDA')]

That matches the schematic: CSB high for I2C, SDO low for address 0x76, R1 pulling SDA up to +3V3.

Not done

Not routed. No tracks, no copper pours. KiCad ships no autorouter and writing one is not this project's business; routing is interactive work, or an external router's.
No connector. Power and I2C arrive at pads with no header footprint yet.
Placement is hand-chosen in PLACEMENT, not optimised.

Parts

Qty	Value	Footprint	References
4	MountingHole_3.2mm_M3	MountingHole_3.2mm_M3	H1, H2, H3, H4
3	100n	C_0603_1608Metric	C1, C3, C4
2	4.7k	R_0603_1608Metric	R1, R2
1	10k	R_0603_1608Metric	R3
1	10u	C_0603_1608Metric	C2
1	BME280	Bosch_LGA-8_2.5x2.5mm_P0.65mm_ClockwisePinNumbering	U2
1	ESP32-S3-WROOM-1	ESP32-S3-WROOM-1	U1
1	PROG	PinHeader_1x06_P2.54mm_Vertical	J2
1	SENSOR	PinHeader_1x04_P2.54mm_Vertical	J1

Questions

How big is the Sensor node PCB?

It measures 44 × 52 mm and has 2 copper layers, 1.6 mm thick.

What parts does the Sensor node use?

15 parts, built around the ESP32-S3-WROOM-1-N8 and BME280. The full list of its parts is on this page, with links to each part's symbol and footprint where PCBKit's library has them.

Where can I download the Sensor node KiCad files?

From the thewriterben/OpenCircuitCore repository on GitHub, at the commit this page was made from: the board is boards/sensor-node/sensor-node.kicad_pcb and its schematic boards/reference-esp32s3/sensor-subcircuit.kicad_sch. PCBKit opens the board in the browser, with nothing to install.

Can I use the Sensor node design in my own project?

Its repository publishes it under the Apache-2.0 licence: you may reuse it on that licence's terms (keep the author's notice, and for a copyleft licence share your changes alike).

Category and platform

Home automation and IoT Sensors and measurement ESP32

Project files

Show this board on your page

A live frame, for any web page

<iframe src="https://pcbkit.io/embed/boards/thewriterben-opencircuitcore-sensor-node" title="Sensor node in PCBKit" width="100%" height="480" style="border:0;border-radius:12px" allow="fullscreen" loading="lazy"></iframe>

A picture

<img src="https://pcbkit.io/embed/boards/thewriterben-opencircuitcore-sensor-node.jpg" alt="Sensor node" width="1200" height="900">

A picture that opens the board, for a README

[![Sensor node](https://pcbkit.io/embed/boards/thewriterben-opencircuitcore-sensor-node.jpg?size=s)](https://pcbkit.io/boards/thewriterben-opencircuitcore-sensor-node)

Source

Repository: thewriterben/OpenCircuitCore
Board file: boards/sensor-node/sensor-node.kicad_pcb
Commit: 03ccfdb
Licence: Apache-2.0

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