Some KICAD questions - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / general

author: opampsmoker
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: October 14, 2020, 12:24:54 pm
content: Hi ,1.......I just downloaded the Kicad symbol libraries.I now wish to view them but cannot.Do you know how?.............NOW KINDLY ANSWERED BELOW2….In the “symbol libraries” dialog box, how do you uncheck all the many KiCAD libraries without having to uncheck each individual one?4...What would you say is the best kicad youtube tutorial? (For an Eagle Pro user who is transitioning). (Ive watched a bunch but there must be better than the many that ive seen.)5….I’ve just put down 2 symbols into the schem editor. I then wired between them. However, when I subsequently move a component symbol, it becomes detached from the wire….instead of the wire getting dragged along with it. Is this correct?.....surely it means its not connected? ..And then why isn’t it connected when I wired to the pin?8...How do you make a GND symbol? In eagle you draw a GND symbol and give it a pin of the type “supply”, and ask for the net to be named “GND”. Then every net that this symbol gets connected to gets called “GND”. How do you do this in kicad?9...Do you know of any youtube videos that show all the efficient ways to move/drag/reshape/redirect wires that have already been connected in the schem editor?10...Do you know how to draw a rectangle in the footprint editor? It allows a non-straight line to be drawn, but nothing else? I need a rectangle for a soic8 "courtyard".11..…I am trying to open a FET symbol from the kicad libraries, then copy it, and then paste it into a different fet symbol that I am creating. However, it wont let me copy the FET symbol from the "symbol library browser". It wont let me select the fet that i want to copy. Do you know why?12......I have just copied a symbol from the kicad libraries. It firstly wouldn’t let me copy it, so I then pressed “export”, and it exported it into my one project library (I didn’t want to export it, I just wanted to select and copy-then-paste it). From here, it finally allowed me to select and copy the symbol. However, when I paste it into my new symbol, and then I “zoom to fit”…. Then the FET that I just pasted in is just a tiny dot in the window….so obviously there is some thing in the window that is preventing it from properly “zooming to fit in window”. How do I find and then delete whatever object is in there?14...Is there any way of fixing the thickness of a line before you draw it (or whilst drawing it)? (this is in the footprint editor)....KINDLY NOW ANSWERED IN OTHER THREAD....GO PREFERENCES->DEFAULT...15...Im just trying to draw a silkscreen rectangle inside my soic8 pads. However, it wont allow me to resize this rectangle by just generally "click and dragging" on it. Do you know how to do this?17...Ive just selected a rectangle of silkscreen with the mouse. It then allowed me to move it. I then “dropped” it where I wanted it, but it promptly then shifts it to a place where I don’t want it. Do you know how to stop this, and allow me to move the silkscreen where I want it?….kind of like a “select group” thing, then “move that group”?18....Ive just copied and pasted a bit of silkscreen text in the footprint editor. I wanted to resize this text. However, this pasted bit of text is now oblivious to anything, and cant be moved or resized or even deleted. Its strange because the piece of text that it was copied from is resizeable and moveable. Do you know whats going on?19...On a few occasions in the footprint editor, i have created a custom footprint, then gone to look at a different footprint, then when i come back to the first footprint, some of the lines have moved way out of position. Do you know why this is? This has happened multiple times now. Shown in "footprints disintegrating" attached.20....Just tried to measure between some pads in a custom footprint, and a message pops up saying "measurement tool not available in legacy toolset". How can i get the measurement tool?21....I wanted to make a custom 0603 capacitor footprint so I “exported” a resistor 0603 footprint, and then named it “cap_0603” and saved it into the relevant library. However, in the capacitor footprint, it says “res_0603” in text. It wont let me delete this text. Do you know how I can delete or change this text? I want to change it to “cap_0603”.22...The "add graphic polygon" in the footprint editor doesnt do anything. It cannot be used to draw a polygon. Do you know what it is for?23...I have two footprints called "DG468DV". But they are in different libraries. I presume this is OK? I am not stoking up some kind of massive library crash some time in the near future?24.....To copy a footprint into a certain library....is it best to go to the footprint...then go "export footprint"....and then save the exported footprint into the library where you want it to go? Or is there a better way then this?25...I am getting the error message "errors occurred creating symbol library switchs-cache.lib"...do you know what this means and how i can solve?The error occurs in the schem editor, and occurs just after i have run the symbol:footprint associations, and then i click "save shem and continue", and then i get the error...the error is as attached "cache error"26....I just downloaded a symbol/footprint for MC74HC1G00DTT1G (NAND gate). It is extremely poor (as attached)...its just a box with 5 pins on it.Do you know of a better kicad library than "Ultra librarian"?27...I just had to correct a symbol, changing the ref and value text to 50mils instead of 118mils. However, when i click "update fields from library" in the schem editor, it did not change the text to 50 mils. Do you know why?28...In the symbol editor, I always wish the symbol text to be 50 mils in size. However, for some reason, the symbol editor (when I go to create a new symbol) has suddenly started making the symbol text default to 118mils, (which is too big) then I have to click and change it to 50 mils. How do I make the symbol text default to 50 mils? (I mean the text used for the value and ref fields)29...If I wish to work on the Kicad schem and PCB on a different computer, which KiCAD files do I have to copy over to the new computer?. I am using one particular symbol library, and one particular footprint library.Presumably, all I need is..1…Schem file2…PCB file3…symbol library4…Footprint library….?Do I need the .dcm file, the ‘rescue’ file, the cache file, the project file, etc etc?30....Do you need all schem symbols linked to footprints before generating the PCB file?I have just finished a schematic in kiCAD. I don’t yet have footprints for all the schematic symbols. However, I wanted to see if certain footprints that I did link to the schem symbol would come out in the PCB. Therefore I pushed the schematic to PCB……none of the footprints came out on the PCB….is this correct?...surely those few symbols that had footprints linked to them would mean at least some footprints come out on the PCB?31...How do you draw Non PTH in the footprint editor?I wish to draw a PT10LV05-103A2020 pot footprint, which has a 3mm diameter Non-PTH.How do you do this?...POT datasheet:http://www.farnell.com/datasheets/2661581.pdf32...How do i copy a subcircuit from one schematic sheet in a project, to another schem sheet in the same project?

author: golden_labels
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: October 14, 2020, 06:33:05 pm
content: In the maineeschemawindow click “Browse symbol libraries”. That should bring up a symbols browser. There is also another view: in the symbols browser click the button looking like an op-amp. That other window has a search box at the top. See the attachment.That last window can also be displayed by placing a component in a schematic, but that is intended to — well — placing components.

author: Doctorandus_P
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: October 15, 2020, 01:06:05 am
content: https://forum.kicad.info/t/how-to-view-kicad-libraries/25368

author: poeschlr
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: October 16, 2020, 06:27:09 am
content: Might be a good read as you come from eaglehttps://forum.kicad.info/t/i-come-from-eagle-what-should-i-know-about-kicad/22459QuoteUse the drag command (default hotkey "d")Quotehttps://forum.kicad.info/t/tutorial-how-to-make-a-symbol-kicad-v5-1-x/13336/7Section: Creating a custom power port (power symbol or power label)

author: Docara
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: February 24, 2021, 06:37:18 pm
content: Hi,I have struggled with KiCAD for quite a while (v4) but just couldn't be bothered with the crap. I tried again with 5.1.x and what a difference and I think it has become very 'usable' after you understand the mindset of how it works and the workflow it requires of you. You can get VERY productive very quickly especially if you spend a little time setting up your own environment (libraries, symbols etc). The biggest problem I had was the inconsistent UI and terms which is getting worked on for v6.The only way I found through the mental mire was to watch a series of tutorials on YT from 'John's Basement' I can't recommend this guys channel enough. After the initial introduction he gives about KiCAD and shows you 'things' it's like a light bulb in your brain switches on which is when I tried v5.1.x Things become SO much easier because you understand the program and realise how open accessible it is to tweaking and configuring.I have since downloaded and tried the v6 (5.99) pre-release and WOW just WOW!!

author: phil from seattle
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: February 25, 2021, 05:04:32 am
content: I came over from Eagle about 6 months ago. You really do have to unlearn the Eagle way of doing things. I found memorizing the keyboard commands particularly helpful. Also, commands are related to what the cursor is over. For example, E (for edit? lower case ok) gives you a properties panel for what ever you are over.QuoteThat's how it is. You can drag but I stopped using it in Kicad. Never liked the eagle way it works.QuoteIn schema, right hand side, ground symbol "Place Power Port". Or Place menu, power port.Quoteset your grid to fairly coarse - .5 or 1 mm. Select Add Graphic Line. Then it's easy to draw rectangles.QuoteKicad is dysfunctional when it comes to copy/paste. Some places it works, others it doesn't. Getting better in 6.0QuoteDon't understand. where are you copying it to? If you want it in a schematic, use place symbol.QuoteYes. Also in board setup you can specify in a table the defaults for various layers.QuoteIf it's a rectangle made with draw graphic lines, hover and "M". If it's a polygon, click on it and use drag "ears". Kicad graphics are different from Eagle, but much easy to use.QuoteNot sure but hover cursor and use the E hot key to edit text.QuoteJust save-as an existing footprint to a new name (and/or library) and edit it.QuoteNo you can even have two libraries with same nickname. But libraries are utterly complex. I miss Eagle's relative simplicity.Quoteas I said above, save-as.QuoteI get a lot of library error messages. Many of them spring from the complexity of libraries (project vs global, relative vs absolute paths). But I mostly just ignore the error messages and have yet to get burned.QuoteI hope someone gives a definitive answer for this. It also affects making newer versions of a project - fall down easy in Eagle, very obscure in Kicad.QuoteYou'll get errors but it should show your footprints. Make sure you hit the Update PCB from Schematic button. Unlike Eagle, Kicad doesn't automatically reflect schematic changes in the PCB.QuoteCreate a pad, hover cursor, E, should be obvious from there.