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Kobee Studio: qR codes and barcodes

Encode board links and asset IDs, control module size, frames and readable captions, and verify manufactured scan results.

DocumentationBeginner5 min5 Nov 2026KiCadPCB design
Kobee Studio user manual

Use Codes → QR Code for a two-dimensional payload such as a documentation URL. Use Codes → Barcode for a Code 128 identifier. The encoded payload, decorative footer and human-readable line are separate choices.

  1. Open Codes → QR Code.
  2. Paste the exact URL into Payload. Include https:// when encoding a web link.
  3. Keep the initial 0.35 mm module size while choosing the content. Module size is the width of one small square, not the overall QR size.
  4. Choose a presentation: plain, rounded frame, or rounded frame with footer.
  5. If using a footer, enter a short instruction such as SCAN ME and set its text height.
  6. Set Extra frame gap for visual breathing room. The protected quiet zone remains even when extra frame gap is zero.
  7. Optionally enable Show text below code and edit the human-readable line.
  8. Select the layer, inspect the preview and place the artwork on the board.
  9. Verify the encoded URL and scan behaviour before committing to fabrication.

Shorter payloads usually need fewer modules and can be easier to fit. Use a durable destination that you control. A code etched into a PCB cannot be repointed unless its encoded web destination provides that indirection.

Quiet zones, framing and polarity

The QR renderer preserves a four-module quiet zone. Keep surrounding copper, graphics and text out of the required clear region. An outer frame is decoration; it does not make an undersized quiet zone acceptable.

Preview colours represent the selected layer and PCB geometry rather than an ordinary black-on-white print. A scanner may behave differently with light silk on dark mask, exposed metal, glare or low contrast. Choose the board finish and layer deliberately and scan a manufactured sample under the lighting you expect users to have.

Human-readable text is independent

Show text below code creates a separate visible line. It initially follows the payload, but you can shorten it without changing the encoded data. For example:

  • Encoded payload — https://example.com/device/manual
  • Footer — SCAN ME
  • Human-readable line — DEVICE MANUAL

Changing DEVICE MANUAL does not change the URL. If the destination must change, edit Payload as well. Check both the scanner result and printed text after an update.

Make a Code 128 asset label

  1. Open Codes → Barcode.
  2. Enter a supported identifier such as KOBEE-001.
  3. Start with 0.25 mm module size and 4.0 mm bar height.
  4. Enable readable text if staff should also be able to type the identifier.
  5. Place the barcode with clear space at both ends and a scanner-accessible orientation.
  6. Check the decoded value with the actual scanner type you will use.

The Code 128 controls guard minimums of 0.20 mm module width and 3.0 mm bar height. Those are software limits, not universal fabrication or scanning guarantees. Longer identifiers need wider artwork at the same module width. Do not squeeze the footprint afterwards to force it into a smaller gap.

Payload validation can reject unsupported characters or empty values. Use a QR code when your content does not suit the linear barcode format; do not silently remove characters that carry meaning in an asset ID.

Size and production checks

  1. Compare the smallest positive stroke and negative gap to your fabricator's capabilities for the chosen layer.
  2. Keep components, assembly fixtures, mask clipping and adjacent artwork out of the scan region.
  3. Inspect the exported Gerber, not only the live preview. Confirm there are no missing modules or clipped bars.
  4. Scan a physical sample with the expected phone or scanner and check the exact decoded payload.
  5. Repeat with realistic lighting, viewing distance and finish. A code on a screen is not a substitute for this step.

For serial numbers that differ on every manufactured board, a fixed generated barcode is not automatically a production serialization system. Plan how unique payloads will be assigned and how the correct artwork reaches fabrication or marking.

Updating a code

Select the Kobee artwork footprint and reopen it. Change the payload and separately review footer/readable text, since those may have been customized. A longer QR payload can make the matrix larger; a longer barcode can make it wider. Check the available space again after updating.

See troubleshooting for unreadable codes and layers for copper and mask implications.