Moving components with connections intact - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / general

author: tkamiya
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: October 20, 2020, 01:59:06 am
content: I have a design all completed with KiCad version 5.1.6-1.Now, I need to move some components and shrink the size of board. How do I move components with connections intact? I can do MOVE but then only the foot print selected moves. Connections stay in place. Of course I googled. I found few people complaining about this and apparently, this is a bug at one point. I found no evidence of someone actually fixing it. Some say try traditional mode. This didn't work. (just the foot print moved)Seems odd that this isn't possible.... Am I missing anything?

author: ataradov
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: October 20, 2020, 03:08:45 am
content: This is the most annoying thing about KiCad and I can't figure that out either. I see people refer to the G command for Drag, but it does not seem to do anything differently than move for me.

author: greenpossum
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: October 20, 2020, 03:30:41 am
content: Not until v6.

author: tkamiya
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: October 20, 2020, 03:33:29 am
content: Do you have any ideas on when it'll be out?

author: ataradov
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: October 20, 2020, 03:34:18 am
content: Looks like the plan is early next year.And nightly builds should be available now. But they changed the file formats, so keep that in mind.

author: tkamiya
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: October 20, 2020, 03:38:29 am
content: Well, I don't have much yet, so that's not a problem. I wonder if they'll have a file conversion or import function from older versions? I guess I'll just have to wait and see. Thanks both.

author: delfinom
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: October 21, 2020, 04:03:07 am
content: Quote from: tkamiya on October 20, 2020, 03:38:29 amOld versions will open in nightlies and V6 just fine. And nightlies try to keep opening older versions of nightlies. The new version will just never save old versions.If there's any issues in that flow, a quick complaint on the issue tracker usually gets us to fix it quick.

author: S. Petrukhin
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: October 21, 2020, 04:34:54 am
content: Quote from: tkamiya on October 20, 2020, 03:38:29 amWhile waiting for the new version, try the free online servicehttps://easyeda.com/editorthere you can open KiCAD files and move the components along with the connections.

author: delfinom
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: October 21, 2020, 11:22:39 am
content: Quote from: S. Petrukhin on October 21, 2020, 04:34:54 amAnd give away your designs to a company in China.

author: S. Petrukhin
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: October 21, 2020, 04:40:22 pm
content: Quote from: delfinom on October 21, 2020, 11:22:39 amDo you develop secret schemes or invent something very unique, creative, worthy of copyright, etc.? what can be lost in declassifying your schemes? It seems to me that there are few schemes in the modern world that have a secret and cannot be repeated. The main value is SOFTWARE and marketing.

author: delfinom
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: October 21, 2020, 06:09:46 pm
content: Quote from: S. Petrukhin on October 21, 2020, 04:40:22 pmIt's 100% about setting up barriers. Even software can be reverse engineered. The easier you make it however, the less time you have to sell before the clones show up on aliexpressAnd marketing cannot overcome the power of the price tag attached, unless you are Apple.It depends on what you are doing however, maybe you don't care so do as you please

author: methods
author_rank: Newbie
timestamp: October 23, 2020, 07:03:17 pm
content: In eagle we always did this with third-party plugins, IIRC. I remember running all sorts of scripts to panalize.I'm currently using whatever the most recent version of KiCad is, and I can duplicate the entire blocks of copper without issue.The primary feature I have found to be missing is the ability to copy and paste artwork from one file to another. I'm sure it could be done with a plug-in, and I have seen some advertising it.... If memory serves eagle handles it by systematically renaming everything to make sure there's no duplicates.... Anyhow, if I understand the question as being related to moving laid copper from one spot to another... I can do that just fine.-methods

author: ataradov
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: October 23, 2020, 08:36:00 pm
content: Quote from: methods on October 23, 2020, 07:03:17 pmNo, the question is about moving a single component and having all the attached tracks move with it instead of staying in place.

author: james_s
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: October 23, 2020, 08:43:58 pm
content: Quote from: delfinom on October 21, 2020, 11:22:39 amIt's something to be aware of, although most of my own designs I give away for free anyway. The other stuff is all just random hobby projects that nobody else would want. If you're designing some complex hot new commercial project then it's probably not a good idea to spread it around, but if it's a simple board, protecting the PCB layout is a pretty low barrier. That part is trivial to copy just by looking at it.