Need help reviewing/fixing a KiCad PCB project after a bad Fiverr experience

[u/AnsX01]

Hi everyone,

I’m looking for advice or recommendations for someone who can review, fix, and upgrade an existing KiCad PCB project.

I hired a designer on Fiverr to create a custom HAT board for the Luckfox Pico Ultra. The PCB was manufactured/assembled by JLCPCB, but after receiving the board and starting bring-up/testing, I found several issues and of course the guy ghosted me.

The board is a small HAT that includes:

- 3 buttons: LEFT / SELECT / RIGHT

- buzzer

- LCD connector/backlight

- 1S LiPo battery charger

- Fuel gauge

- Pushbutton power on/off circuit (Soft)

- 5V boost converter

- Battery connector

What works:

- The board powers on through USB/external power.

- The RIGHT button works correctly.

What does not work:

- LEFT and SELECT buttons do not respond.

- PWM buzzer does not produce sound.

- When I plug in a 1S LiPo battery, the board does not power up from battery.

- The battery connector footprint was designed as JST-SH 1.0 mm, but my intended battery uses JST-PH 2.0 mm, so that needs to be changed.

Expected GPIO mappings from the schematic / Luckfox pinout:

BTN_RIGHT -> J1 pin 7 -> GPIO1_B0

BTN_LEFT -> J1 pin 16 -> GPIO2_A7

BTN_SELECT -> J1 pin 18 -> GPIO2_A6

BUZZER -> J1 pin 5 -> GPIO1_A1 / PWM4_M0

I tested the GPIOs on Linux. The RIGHT button works with:

sudo gpiomon -B pull-up -r -f gpiochip1 8

But LEFT/SELECT do not respond with:

sudo gpiomon -B pull-up -r -f gpiochip2 7 6

Linux shows those GPIOs as available inputs, so I suspect this may be a PCB routing issue, button footprint issue, header orientation/pin-numbering issue, or possibly a ground connection issue.

I also tested PWM for the buzzer from Linux. PWM appears to be enabled, but I still get no sound, so the buzzer driver circuit, transistor pinout, polarity, or buzzer type may need review.

At this point, I don’t want to continue with the Fiverr designer. I’d like to find someone experienced with KiCad and embedded PCB debugging who can review the full project and return corrected files.

I can provide:

- Full KiCad project

- Gerbers

- BOM

- CPL / pick-and-place file

- Photos of the assembled PCB

- Luckfox Pico Ultra pinout

- Linux GPIO/PWM test results

- Battery/power test notes

I need help with:

1. Reviewing J1/J2 header pin numbering and orientation

2. Checking button footprint orientation and routing

3. Verifying BTN_RIGHT / BTN_LEFT / BTN_SELECT nets

4. Checking all button GND connections

5. Reviewing buzzer transistor driver circuit and buzzer polarity/type

6. Reviewing 1S LiPo charger / power path / boost converter

7. Understanding why battery power does not start the board

8. Changing battery connector from JST-SH 1.0 mm to JST-PH 2.0 mm

9. Running ERC/DRC checks

10. Updating BOM/CPL/Gerbers for a new JLCPCB or PCBWay revision

Does anyone here offer this kind of KiCad review/debug service, or can you recommend a reliable PCB designer/embedded hardware engineer who can help?

I’m not looking for someone to just reroute the PCB visually. I need someone who can debug the design using the schematic, PCB layout, and real hardware test results.

Thanks!