Bulk import of Eagle Libs? - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / general

author: phil from seattle
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: June 21, 2020, 04:17:01 pm
content: This must have come up before but I couldn't find an exact answer.I'm ramping up to Kicad after 20+ years of using Eagle. I've gotten to the point where I am fairly comfortable with it but have an extensive set of libraries I want to bring along. About 500 devices in total. I have found the snapeda online conversion tool but that is painfully slow to even do just a couple. If it didn't make me go through multiple selection steps and let me see which is the zip vs mod download, it would be easier but still way too tedious. I just want to point a conversion tool at a library and have 2 new kicad libs created - symbol and footprint. I have a lot of custom footprints that need to be pulled over. Especially for a lot of inexpensive parts from ebay/ali/bang/even-Amazon that don't have any part numbers.Any suggestions?

author: PlainName
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: June 22, 2020, 11:55:32 am
content: I share your pain, but on different platforms. My solution is to take the opportunity to redo the parts as I need them and fix all the little things that weren't bad enough to justify a makeover in the originals.As it happens, that's also how I change PCs: start from scratch and just reinstall apps as I need them. Doesn't happen often enough to be a big drag but keeps things clean and relevant, at least for a while.

author: Bassman59
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: June 22, 2020, 06:53:13 pm
content: Quote from: dunkemhigh on June 22, 2020, 11:55:32 amIt's also a good time to purge obsolete/never used parts from the library.Start by adding only the parts you need for your next design.

author: poeschlr
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: June 22, 2020, 07:45:25 pm
content: Footprints can be directly included. Just add the eagle lib to the kicad library table and you will be able to use all footprints from that lib directly.Symbols are a different story. My suggestion is you make a single project where you add every symbol you want to transfer and import that project. KiCad will extract symbol libs as well as footprints from that project.And yes this is a known missing feature but well it is as it is.

author: phil from seattle
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: June 23, 2020, 11:53:58 pm
content: Thanks. Yes, I have plenty of devices to tweak and purge but also a lot (a lot more) that are just fine the way they are. The ones that need tweaking get done as I use them and I expect that to continue into the Kicad world. Having to stop and screw around with 5 or 6 parts is why, in the past, I have dropped back to Eagle. I wanted to get a layout done, not fiddle with libraries.Sigh. Will probably keep a foot in both worlds for a while. I know I should fully transition to Kicad...Great idea on the import project. Will do that when I get some time.

author: donotdespisethesnake
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: June 28, 2020, 08:47:24 am
content: I wrote a tool to do that :https://github.com/bobc/eakitI haven't updated it for a while, but if you are interested I could do so.

author: phil from seattle
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: July 07, 2020, 04:20:28 am
content: Sorry for the late reply. Thanks for the offer. At this point I am afar enough along that it's not needed.