Down convert project from 7.0 to 5.1

[KnockinAndrew]

I have a complete project with about 30 components on a small board, that I would like to pass to someone who only has kiCad 5.1 installed.
Is there an easy way to down convert this project?
I have a fresh copy of 5.1 installed on another computer, and tried to unarchive the project, but that failed due to the sym-lib-table.
I believe all the files are actually text files, so I was wondering about doing some copy and pasting, but I’m hoping there’s already an easier way!
Yes, it is worth me investing some time into this.

[eelik]

Can a project edited with newer version of KiCad be opened with older version?

KiCad’s software versioning scheme x.y.z is defined so that all released versions with the same x are project (file format) compatible with each other. The development versions x.99 are not compatible: for example projects edited with 6.99 can’t necessarily be opened with 6.0. When the first number x changes, by definition there have been changes to the file format so that the projects edited with a later version can’t be anymore opened with an earlier version. For example 6.0 can’t open projec…

[KnockinAndrew]

Half way there! I now have the PCB layout done. Anyone got a hint of how to create the schematic?
To create the PCB layout, I used my copy of kiCad 7.0 to generate the Gerber files. I then copied them onto the computer running 5.1 and put the whole Gerbers directory into my project. I then used Gerber Viewer to open the Gerber Job File, and then used File > Export to Pcbnew.

[l8gravely]

Wouldn’t it be simpler to have the person running v5.1 just upgrade to v7.0? Even running it off a thumbdrive or a liveCD image should be doable.

[BobZ]

One possible excuse I can think of is that maybe someone’s computer is running Win XP or other obsolete OS?

[Piotr]

@KnockinAndrew

I have a complete project with about 30 components

To draw from scratch the schematic containing only 30 components should take you less time than investigating the method to down convert V7 design, I think.

[KnockinAndrew]

Thanks @Piotr, that is my best option and what I propose to do. One of the components is the 40 pin ESP32 module, and many of the components are more than 2 leads.
The advantage to some sort of automated method would have been less checking required.
Thank goodness I found a way to directly convert the actual track layout.

[KnockinAndrew]

Thanks @l8gravely that’s an excellent suggestion to run it off something else. The other person has lots of other live projects in v5.1 so its not quite that simple to upgrade when its not possible to have both versions installed.

[Piotr]

@KnockinAndrew

when its not possible to have both versions installed.

As I remember it was not possible to have both V4 and V5 installed. But since V6 it is possible. I didn’t tried it but I think you can have V5, V6 and V7 installed together. Someone using V5 can simply don’t know it as V5 uses for configuration the main ‘kicad’ directory, but from V6 KiCad makes its configuration directory under ‘kicad’ for each version separately.

[jmk]

@Piotr

but I think you can have V5, V6 and V7 installed together

Depends on the Operating System. Windows is OK for this.

[KnockinAndrew]

Great news. Since I was trying to install v5 when v7 is already installed, I hit the problem that installing v5 wants to copy the kicad directory into the Application Support directory (on macOS), wiping my v7 support, so I backed off. Maybe the installation of v7 with v5 already installed is more tolerant. It may be that what was in my Application Support directory was actually a hang over from v5/v6, but I didn’t risk it.