Component Path from other user

Software
1

Hi all,

I’m new to Kicad from Eagle and am editing someone else’s file. Problem I’m having is that every time I try to do anything (edit schematic, edit footprints, create new components, ect) I get IO errors saying there is an issue with the path being inaccessible. The KISYSMOD paths in Libraries Wizard shows to be the kicad/modules cd on my computer. Is there something else that was supposed to be changed? How can I check to figure out which paths haven’t been updated?

Thanks!

2

It seems you don’t have write access to the files.
Schematic:
Is the project located on your pc?
Is it located in a folder where you have write access?
Can you edit the file with a texteditor? (Be careful what you do there, make a bacup before you try this.)
Do you get the error only when writing to a file or do you also get it when you open it?
(If it is the later one, do you have internet access? If not: the kicad standart libs are located online. You can make a local copy of them if you want.)

Editing footprints:
The footprints (and Symbols) that come with kicad are read only. (Stored on github)
You need to create your own libary at a location where you (and preferbly the other person) have write access.

Other possibiliby:
Did the other user create their own libs? Are these missing?

I’m kind of guessing here.

3

KiCad will tell you the path in the error window. There are several places where this path could be used:

  • KiCad Manager: Preferences -> Configure paths.
  • Eeschema: Preferences -> Component Libraries in “Component library files” or “User defined paths”.
  • Pcbnew: Preferences -> Footprint Libraries Manager on Global or Local table.
4

If the files have been copied from a CD , they may have the RO attribute set (read only).

5

All of the menus show the correct paths. I seem to have solved most of the issues, but now I’m running into another. I’m basically just exporting a dsn file then importing back a ses file and here is the error. It appears that it is searching elsewhere for the components?? Anyone have a clue what this is about?

PARSE_ERROR: Expecting ‘component_id’ in input/source
‘/Users/test/Downloads/XXXXX/XXXX.ses’
line 115
offset 14
from /Users/XXXXX/remoteroot/workspace/KiCadBuildMac4/kicad/common/dsnlexer.cpp : Expecting() : line 369
BOARD may be corrupted, do not save it.
Fix problem and try again.

6

Problem solved- the issue was actually that the component IDs have certain criteria. One of my terminal blocks was called “+1”.

I also thought that my project had been outsourced and thats why the user was showing ‘jenkins’. Learned a lot today