Dear Forum,
just I found a related topic closed without solution I think.
I have the same problem there, I can manage and “intermidiate” footprint but not the needed by PCB sequence. The reported error is:
Error: Cannot add IC1 (footprint “DIP794W66P254L1954H508Q14N” not found).
Thank you in advance
Regards
Guillermo
I hereby certify that I am not simply asking someone else to design a footprint for me.
This is an auto-generated message that is in place on the “footprints” section of the KiCad.info forum. If I remove it and ask for a footprint to be designed anyway, I understand that I will be subject to forum members telling me to go design my own footprint or referring me to a 3rd party footprint site.
Did you add the footprint name somehow in the schematic or in the symbol? What is the symbol, where is it from? Did you use the normal update PCB from schematic method, and is the error from that update dialog?
LM324 is just a jelly bean opamp. It’s about as common as they come.
By default it does not have a footprint link in KiCad at all, but that is also common, and no problem.
I do not know were you found your “DIP794W66P254L1954H508Q14N”, but links between schematic symbols and footprints on the PCB can be managed in at least 4 different ways.
A simple way to change a single footprint, is to just hover over a schematic symbol and press f for footprint. Then with the bookcase (library) icon, you can go fetch a footprint from a library. It’s probably either a DIP14 or a SO14 for you, and those are also quite standard footprints.
KiCad only uses parts in libraries that are listed in sym-lib-table (for schematic symbols) or fp-lib-table (for footprints) files.
If you get some part from “elsewhere” you first have to put it in a library, and add that library to KiCad.
All the details are in the link above.
Library management for KiCad V6 is pretty much the same as for Kicad V5. The file format itself has changed, but the workflow is still the same.
Thank you at all, I think that suggestion by @paulvdh is the closer solution.
First, I get from Component Search Engine - Free access to schematic symbols, PCB footprints and 3D models
the library sources. Then from “preference”, I adjust via “manage footprint library” in the main
frame at start up kicad shell project window to locate the unziped file that I have downloaded.
And up to now all seems working…
Regards
I recommend choosing a popular (widely available) package so that you are less likely to be stuck without components. The 14 pin packages used for LM324 will be identical to those used for many other ICs. So the footprint really relates best to the package rather than to “LM324.”
That’s what I suspected. The footprint name without a library name means that it’s a generic placeholder created by the creator of the symbol. It’s kind of logical they add it, but it doesn’t make sense for KiCad which needs the footprint pointer in the form “Libraryname:Footprintname” and the footprint must reside in a library. Because they don’t know what your library is, they can’t add it to the Footprint field and you have to do that yourself.
BobZ has a good point here.
I followed his link to Digikey and it’s apparently possible to get this one in more different packages then I suspected. Digikey sells 50 variants of this IC, and at least in 5 different packages:
I see:
14-SOIC
12-TSSOP
14-PDIP
14-SO
14-TSSOP-BJ
There is no need at all to go browse the 'net for such common parts.
First, as I already wrote, hover over a schematic symbol and press f, which gets you in the library browser.
Then make a guess for the library (For example enter SO in the first box, and select the Package_SO library.
Then in the second column enter a dash an 14 ("-14") This is a simple text filter, but mostly gets you footprints with 14 pads.
As you can see all of SOI, TSSOP, SO and more are in that libary. KiCad of course also has the DIP packages, but they are in another library.
I guess the most important thing to learn here is that the packages are generic. There are many different IC’s that can be bought in a SO-14 package, and the same die can be packages in many different packages. If you ask me, it’s a big mess for no good reason whatsowever. Just like there are some 100.000 “different” opamps.
You do have to make sure you end up with a combination of package and footprint that fit together, and there can be nasty surprises. Some IC’s have a pitch of 0.635mm while others (with a similar name!) have a pitch of 0,65mm. The difference is too small to see, but once you try to put them on a footprint, the difference is just big enough so it won’t fit.
