Using build (2013-mar-25)-stable on linux. I know I’m out of date but I’ll upgrade after I
finish these two boards.
While trying to do a python panel script I noticed that when I do just the first append, there
are 2 copies of the PCB on top of each other. If this has been fixed, I can live with it
until i upgrade. So I guess my question is: Has this been fixed? Or am I doing something
wrong?
If I understand correctly you append a board to itself. It seems natural that the features will be duplicated on top of each other.
Have you tried appending to a different board, where you previously shifted everything?
Excuse me if I missed the point completely.
Here is my workflow:
I have Pcbnew open containing my finished PCB layout (NAME.kicad_pcb).
Now I hit File->Append board. I get a window that has my current path at the
top of the window and my NAME.kicad_pcb is highlighted and is the only file displayed.
Click Open. Now I’m on another screen of Pcbnew that has MAME-append.kicad_pcb.
This has the two PCBs stacked on top of each other. I assumed (ha) that this new
sheet would would just contain a single PCB. After all, it NEVER EXISTED BEFORE. But
there are two parts there now!
But your reply gave me a clue. I started a new project, opened Pcbnew, and appended
my PCB into there: one PCB! Yay! But I have one project in two different directories.
Maybe a sub-directory would work just as well?
Thanks for your help. I really don't like the way the file system is managed here.
But most GUIs are that way.
I’m not sure that this feature is designed to make panels.
Anyway, what you want to do is the following:
- Start with your unmodified NAME.kicad_pcb
- Copy it to NAME-original.kicad_pcb in the same directory
- Open NAME.kicad_pcb in KiCad’s Pcbnew
- Select everything with a big fat selection rectangle.
- Move everything by your board’s width. Or 10cm to test things out. Use the [space] bar and the dx/dy values of the status bar for precise results.
- THEN append the NAME-original.kicad_pcb file.
I didn't realize right away, but the append I did in the new directory defaulted
placing the new file in the source directory. WTF? Someone has no sense of
file organization. I’m supposed to go through the gyrations you listed? I think
I’ll just keep the new project directory around just to do the append for all my
other projects. This is nuts.
I don’t understand your problem. I don’t think you need different “source” and “new” directory.
Just one project, one directory, two PCB files. One file is you panel, the other file is the original single-board layout. You obvisouly want to keep this around.
In case this is not clear, here is how things work in KiCad version 4 (stable).
The “Append Board” tool is only available when Pcbnew is started standalone (not from KiCad’s project manager).
The tool should be used from your panel file (NAME.kicad_pcb in the gyrations I described). You tell the tool to select your “original” single-board file. It takes everything from the “original” file and copies it to the panel file that you have already open. The copied parts follow the mouse until you click somewhere, and then it is placed there. Save the panel file and move on.
OK. Moving the original PCB drawing and using “append” gets me the two PCBs
but not stacked on each other.
It seems clumsy. There is no indication that a new file is going to be generated.
It does not give you an opportunity to name the new file. Just have to know it
works this way. I thought making the backup as you suggested was pointless
but this “append” also re-writes the original file! Amazing! How does that even
make sense?
I copied the original to NAME-append.kicad_pcb,moved that drawing out of the
way and did an append. It did the append OK. It did not name the file
-append-append but left the name alone. And it did not modify the original.
Actually all I wanted was a copy. I’ll just do that from the shell from now on.
I appreciate your patience with me, you have helped a lot.