As I start to move to more complex schematics there is smg that really bother me in Kicad:
I use on one screen the SCH and the PCB on the other. Standard setup I presume.
I click in a resistor that is automatic highlighted n PCB. Great. Then I go to the PCB screen and I need to click in the middle of nowhere, then hit “M” and when we are in the place where all component got dropped during the sch import we can nearly be sure that instead of picking the resistor, or cap… it takes the component reference, or it’s value.
Is there a trick ? Am I missing smg ? Can we make a visibility layer setup only to pick the components ?
If your first click is somewhere in the drawing area, then it counts as a click to select (something else than you selected in Eeschema).
If you click outside the drawing area then the footprint you selected in Eeschama will still be the active selection.
Same as when you use a function of your operating system to switch focus to Pcbnew, for example by pressing [Alt + Tab] or selecting Pcbnew from KiCad’s project manager, or even by clicking on the Pcbnew icon in Eeschema itself.
There are many options to switch focus to Pcbnew without clicking in it’s drawing area.
I have some memory of programs ignoring the first click when focus is switched to it. I had a quick look in KiCad’s preferences but did not see it there for KiCad. It may also be a function of your OS. There also was a time that I switched focus to another program by hovering over it’s window and using the scrollwheel. I lost that option somewhere in the far to many settins when I switched linux desktop some time ago.
Hi and thanks.
Yes I should have mentioned it’s on Windows.
But let’s focus on my main question:
You import your stuf in PCB. Whole bunch of component and a wild ratnest.
When clicking it hardly never select the component for initial placing but often the ref or value. Obviously not what we intend in a first work.
True, specially with small footprints.
A solution is to click on a corner of the footprint (not always successful)
Another solution is to disable the visibility of values and references.
Or use “T” shortcut and enter the reference. This shortcut includes the “M” one too.
A method I use to select a footprint is to zoom right in, draw a small block from bottom left to top right anywhere inside, or including, the front courtyard of that footprint, then zoom out to place it.
Works every time.
I find this easiest with “preferences” set to “centre and warp cursor on zoom” ticked.
The whole lot is accomplished with the left button, scroll wheel and a minimum mouse move.
Thankyou for this information; looking forward to this refinement.
Now I’m confused.
First you asked about preserving a selection when switching from Eeschema to Pcbnew, and then you change the subject to selecting stuff in Pcbnew.
I make a lot of use of the “t” shortcut key to grab a component.
I set Eeschema and Pcbnew next to each other (dual monitor setup), then look at the schematic which component I want and type t + the RefDes of that component in Pcbnew. This is helped (a little bit) by logically naming the RefDes numbers. For example in the power section below, the 24V related parts start with RefDes nr 24, and the 5V parts start with RefDes nr 50. So during initial layout I know that RefDes 50 through 60 are (mostly) close to each other. C55 through C57 are decoupling caps for 5V IC’s and these I place initially near U50 (to keep ratsnest lines short) but in a place they do no harm (For example just outside the board outline).
Then on the “second pass” of footprint placement, I know that the capacitors that are near the 5V power supply section are the decoupling caps for other IC’s and I distribute them over the board, and the ratsnest lines then change to the IC’s the’re decoupling, because they’re close to those pins.
Selecting a Footprint by clicking on it becomes a lot easier if you zoom in more, which spreads stuff more apart.
As you’ve already discovered, texts are often moved independently from the rest of a footprint, so I avoid them when I want to move a footprint.
I usually hover over (No click!) a pad, silkscreen line or other graphical item and then press m for move.
I assume the click to the middle of nowhere was for windows to give pcbnew the control. For that you can also just click the window border (the border that also has the close, maximize and minimize button). After that you can definetly interact with pcbnew by use of hotkeys (so you should then be able to just hover above the highlighted component and use the hotkey “m”).
Some operating systems don’t forward key presses to a window that does not have focus. I think some versions of windows behave like this. Which is why one first needs to click onto the window to give it focus before interacting with it via hotkeys.
Other operating systems forward to the window that is currently under the mouse (i seem to remember fedora with cinamon window manager working this way in the past, not sure if this changed)
Well that is exactly my problem! It doesn’t moves the component but very frequently it moves the refdes or value.
I tried to deactivate the layers or Items but still it suddenly comes with a text and not the component when I hit M.
To summarize my issue:
You draw your SCH. Perfect.
You Run PCB and import your component list + ratnest. Very fine.
I make extensive use of 1206 R and C. All these SMD are packed.
Once I try to place them its barely never the component that comes first but Refdes or Value.
That is my issue.
I read somewhere about a script spacing the component. I’ll try to find out.
Still I believe that the “standard” pick should be the component, not the text field.
While it does not answer your original question, I believe you will find that other have already advised, using “T” in PCBNew will provide the answer you need.
Go to where you want the component to be on your board. Press “T” and you’ll get a popup. Enter the reference designator and hit enter or click OK. The (complete) footprint will appear in center screen. No need to go to schema or click way off the placement focus. You will also notice that the window has a drop-down of candidates filtered as you type.
