[ANN] Use your PartsBox parts library in KiCad

jwr · May 12, 2025, 4:49am

[Hmm. I guess this falls into the External Plugins category?]

PartsBox now has an official KiCad interface, and it’s easy to connect KiCad to your PartsBox library. No need to install any software, you just need to create an API key and add a .kicad_httplib file (PartsBox will generate one for you) to one of KiCad’s library directories. You can then configure which parts should be visible in KiCad by creating categories with filters:

Parts can appear in multiple categories for maximum flexibility. You can also apply a global initial filter to all parts before category-specific filtering, which is useful when you only want to export a small subset of your parts.

You can also map any PartsBox part fields to KiCad fields:

For this to be really useful, you will probably want to set the KiCad symbol, KiCad reference, and KiCad footprint for every part that is to be used in KiCad. This is done in “Part settings” for each part. There will be a way to set those for multiple selected parts at once in the future.

On KiCad side, you need to go into “Manage Symbol Libraries…” and add the .kicad_httplib file there, once you do that, your parts are available in KiCad:

If you then export a BOM with the “PartsBox ID” column, your BOM entries will be automatically matched to the parts in PartsBox.

Pressing ‘d’ on a part in the schematic will take you to the information page for that part (including datasheets, and other information).

I am quite happy with how this integration turned out!

This integration is available to everyone, including users on the free Hobbyist/Maker plan. And custom fields and ID Anything™ are now available to everyone for free as part of this release

See the blog post (https://partsbox.com/blog/kicad-integration-05-2025.html) for slightly more information. Enjoy!

straubm · May 12, 2025, 7:07am

I checked that out (VERY quick check), basically worked. Fields marked as “visible” in CAD integration → Fields lose the visibility in KiCad (i.e. placed or changed symbols do not show the fields). I tested with 9.99. But they are there ok and all is well after changing the visibility manually in the KiCad properties (obvioiusly no way to go …). Not sure who is the culprit yet.
Interesting feature though.
[Edit] Btw, where would I report that to PartsBox?
[Edit 2] In the blog post it is recommended to prefix the nickname with a symbol to pin the partsbox library entry to the top of the list. Every body keep in mind KiCad has libraries starting with a number, however. If you REALLY want partsbox in top position, prefix a letter < ASCII ‘0’. The ‘*’ example is ok. I mindlessly chose ‘@’ …

jmk · May 12, 2025, 9:45am

Any one or more library (personal, Kicad or imported) may also be pinned to the top of the library list by:

Open the Symbol or Footprint Editor
Right Mouse Button click the appropriate library
Left Mouse Button select “Pin Library” from the available list

jwr · May 13, 2025, 2:49am

@straubm It’s good to hear that it “basically worked”! This functionality is quite complex, so even “basically worked” is great and I’ll take that There was one problem with exporting the visibility setting and it has already been fixed. So things should work as expected now. Sorry about that.

@jmk Thanks, that’s a great tip. I did not know about this!

straubm · May 13, 2025, 6:46am

Ok, “basically worked” was a bit of a dry comment due to personal traits and writing before my first coffee in the morning
I re-checked and now it works like a charm (I already had my coffee…). The entire app is great work, no kidding.
I’m but a hobbyist trying to be as professional as it gets. I’ve use PartsBox since years now, the free plan, as a paid plan makes no sense for me and is not within budget. No severe bugs I became aware of, product evolves, what’s to wish?
I did not see any way to donate, however. While I am not prepared to sign up for a paid plan, I am ready to do the odd donation every now and then. So: how?

jwr · May 14, 2025, 1:48am

No no, I loved it! I mean, it was a bit amusing, but on the other hand, clearing this bar is not obvious in today’s world. Most stuff around me doesn’t “basically work”, so I took this as high praise

PartsBox commercial plans really only make sense for businesses. I do not expect or push hobbyists to sign up. The free plan is not a “freemium” thing, where you are pushed to upgrade, it is supposed to be free for hobbyists. I was (am?) a hobbyist myself. I try to keep as many features as possible in the free plan.

Thank you for the donation offer I appreciate the sentiment, but donations like this would never make developing PartsBox sustainable in the long term. If you like the software and want to help, the best way is to talk about it in public. Mention it in a forum, write a blog post, make a tutorial video, anything that makes it visible. Marketing is a huge problem these days, and even a single commercial sign-up is worth significantly more than many donations.

As for the integration, several more small bug fixes went in. From the initial reports I’m getting, it works well for people, Although making your parts available in KiCad will be somewhat easier once it’s possible to select multiple parts and set a field (like KiCad Reference) for all of them at once. Working on it!