Problem 1 : text editing ( ERC and BOM ) I have the message text editor not found. I have the version of OpenOffice 4 and Kicad looks for version 3. How to indicate to Kicad the path of OO ( C:\Programfiles(x86)\OpenOffice4\program\soffice.exe) ?
Problem 2 : the Netliste is OK, ready to be communicated to PCBNEW but at the step “read Netlist”, I get the message " componet[]: module not found ".
I followed the tutorial of the Kicad team until that point and missed a step or do I use a too old version ?
KiCad Project Manager, Preferences -> Text editor (in old stable), Preferences -> Set text editor (in recent).
Yes. You are use very old version. Consider upgrade to KiCad 4.0.6.
But you need to know that old projects created by BZR4022 or previous editions have to be migrated, and this is not fully automated.
Windows 10 and 2013 Eeschema is an unusual combination, I am mildly surprised that it works as it is not supported.
Anyway, on Windows I strongly recommend that you install Notepad++ as text editor.
Unlike Windows own Notepad, it does not mess up line ending and new line control codes https://notepad-plus-plus.org/
Last version 4.0.6 works fine, even with Open Office as text editor…
I have made a very simple test ( to be sure ! ). Just two remarks on the libraries and the componets / footprints.
1/ Libraries : I am a bit confused, “the big” library is located in in C:/program, the one used when one associates components and footprints. I have read that it is possible ( or sugggested) to create specifics files to include them (?) and if I have understood correctly that would ease the process ?
2/ Concerning my simple test I used a few resistance and capacitors etc.but I have found a lot of smd components but very few basic components ( ex carbon resistance 1/4w, polarized capacitors etc.) Did I missed something ? A long time ago when I started to use Kicad, it seems to me that these basic components where there at that time
Last but not least, I have a reasonable quantity of these basic components available to perform breadboarding, instead of looking at every component of this library, hoping to find a correspondance, is there any other older existing libraries ready to be integrated ? I could too create my own library but this is a bit teadious !
I assume you are searching for footprints. Without more details i can’t help you there. (what do you mean with basic components? Here a list of some libs that might interest you: Resistors are in Resistors_THT Capacitors are in Capacitors_THT, Diodes in Diodes_THT, Through hole ICs are in Housings_DIP, …)
So here a generic answer. If you used cvpcb to look what is available make sure you set the footprint filters correct.
Footprints are taken directly from github (out of the box.)
I’m not sure if all footprint libs are included when you get the current version of kicad. (You need to update them.)
If you want to use local libraries select save local copy to: (more details below)
give a path to a location where your operating system user has write access.
Press next and wait a bit while kicad downloads the list of available repos.
Select all libs (or just the once you want. That’s something you need to decide for yourself.)
Press next
If you selected the local option, the libs will now be downloaded. (this takes a while.)
press next (might be more than once. I think the libs are validated at some point.)
make sure to select that you want to have the libs in the global library table. (Each project has a local table as well. This table should be used for project specific libs.)
press finish
I’m not 100% certain of the order this stuff appears in. (Wrote it from memory. At the moment i don’t have access to a kicad stable release.)
A good explanation on how to setup local libs has been made by @bobc.
Local libs have the benefit that you controll when you get updates. They are also not downloaded each time you need the libs. This makes opening cvpcb or the library browser and the importing of netlists much faster.
The bad side is that you do not get new footprints without dooing all the necessary steps. (Also if a footprint has a problem you do not get the fix automatically.)
I’m certain that you don’t get all symbol libs that are installed with kicad automatically when creating a new project.
(I think there is a post somewhere that describes how to add all available libs in detail but i can’t find it now.)
Version from memory:
add all libs you find in the directory where you already found the libs to be located
Open the dialog found in in eeschem preferences->component libs
(The upper add button adds libs. The library path should already be in the bottom most text field.)
Again you probably will not need all libs for all of your projects. Just add the once that make sense to you. (or add all of them if you want.)
This needs to be done for each project separately. (If you don’t want that, add the libs to the template project found in the library folder under c:/programms/…)
You are right I was talking about footprints. I was not explicit enough but look, if you consider resistors, there are in the current list 146 resistor footprints related to SMD + THT. I don’t see any resistors, such 1/8 w, ¼ w, 1w of various technologies ( carbon, metallic…,) no power resistors with or without thermal screen (what I call “basic” resistors and it’s nice to have THT resistors but they are rather specialized).
Again I missed may be something in the lists, but I am surprised because these items are of general use and mounted in most of the electronic circuits specially in analog circuitry breadbording etc.
I think now that the list updates are related to new components and then very few chances to find them although, as you say, the answer is may be somewhere in github. However it’s a bit a shame for such a powerfull tool (Kicad) , that the current version do not include them. Are they considered as deprecated ? nobody is perfect…
Concerning the local libs thanks for explanations and links. I better understand pros and cons . Following your indications I will try to select the libraries adapted to my case, even if it doen’t seem so simple, and create local libs, new footprints are not of a major concern for me as far as « basic » passive , linear and micros components footprints are there…
But there are other measurements out there. For example the same wattage by multicomp http://www.farnell.com/datasheets/1716726.pdf
Has a diameter of 1.85mm and a length of 3.5mm (vishay also builds resistors to other standards.)
What do we learn from that? Well stating the wattage is not a good idea to find out how the resistor looks like. There seem to be multiple competing standards. (At the moment it seems like only the DIN version is in the kicad library. Feel free to add other standards.)
What about R_Axial_Power_L20.0mm_W6.4mm_P22.40mm
Or R_Radial_Power_L11.0mm_W7.0mm_P5.00mm
Yes not all possible footprints are there but i would say the basic footprints exist.
Maybe give an exact footprint you miss (with datasheet of the component in question.)
I made a mistake I suppose ( send again the post ?), please forget it…
I know that the wattage is not the criteria for footprint. I tried to give example not more.
My point was : there are 146 resistor footprints presented in the list, none of them are related to what I call “basic” resistor ( again THT resistors are of moderate interest , too specialised). Consequence, the only solution seems to be to create myself the footprints if I use Kicad.
I completely agree with you about the various resistor standards, is it really a good reason not to offer a minimum footprints which in broad terms means 2 dots separated by different distances ? So I don’t share your " but i would say the basic footprints exist." not true concerning this component…
You are right concerning the power resistor, you show 2 examples, in my personal stock I have ~20 different ones…
Thanks for "Maybe give an exact footprint you miss " but I don’t want to bother anybody with such details. Either the Kicad team consider that it is necessary to find some compromise solution there or it is not the case and each one try to find its own solution.
I am a newbie wrt Kicad sure, but practising electronics since 40 years I am a bit disappointed that you and certainly many others accomodate with this particular situation.
Now i am confused. What do you call a basic resistor than? I’m one of the librarians and i really want to know what basic resistor footprints are missing.
The smd resistors (0603 or 0805, … are in resistors_smd of course.)
Maybe the acronym “THT” is causing some confusion? In this context, it means “through hole technology”, so resistors with leads that look like this. Aren’t these basic resistors?
I found the origin of the confusion : I am using the french version of Kicad and when I make the association symbol / footprint, I find for footprint resistors ( 3rd row) 146 items SMD and THT types.
Although the Kicad version is French, the text is in english and THT in French means"Très Haute Tension" ( VHV). This is why, I told you that these THT resistors were too specialised and a VHV resistor looks like a “normal” one exept the volume/dimensions…
I really apologize and now the number of possible choices is tremendously increasing (!) and for sure I will find likely what I need…
