Github footprints problem

Anders_Wallin · December 26, 2015, 8:12pm

Kicad 4.0.1-3 (6198) on Ubuntu 14.04.1 from the PPA

trying to add a component in pcbnew and the footprint browser gives:
"
Errors were encountered loading footprints
IO_ERROR: http GET command failed
Cannot get/download Zip archive: ‘https://codeload.github.com/KiCad/Crystals_Oscillators_SMD.pretty/zip/master’
for library path: ‘https://github.com/KiCad/Crystals_Oscillators_SMD.pretty’.
Reason: ‘Not found’
from /build/kicad-zrsXpt/kicad-4.0.1/kicad/pcbnew/github/github_plugin.cpp : remote_get_zip() : line 584
"

Looking in library manager I have KIGITHUB = https://github.com/KiCad
is that reference to “codeload” right??

perhaps for the same reason, CvPcb completely hangs and never recovers (windows greyed out) when trying to open it?

Anders

Anders_Wallin · December 26, 2015, 9:12pm

on another machine I get:

Errors were encountered loading footprints
IO_ERROR: http GET command failed
Cannot get/download Zip archive: ‘https://codeload.github.com/KiCad/Housings_TO-50.pretty/zip/master’
for library path: ‘https://github.com/KiCad/Housings_TO-50.pretty’.
Reason: ‘Not found’
from /build/kicad-zrsXpt/kicad-4.0.1/kicad/pcbnew/github/github_plugin.cpp : remote_get_zip() : line 584
IO_ERROR: http GET command failed
Cannot get/download Zip archive: ‘https://codeload.github.com/KiCad/Muonde.pretty/zip/master’
for library path: ‘https://github.com/KiCad/Muonde.pretty’.
Reason: ‘Not found’
from /build/kicad-zrsXpt/kicad-4.0.1/kicad/pcbnew/github/github_plugin.cpp : remote_get_zip() : line 584
IO_ERROR: http GET command failed
Cannot get/download Zip archive: ‘https://codeload.github.com/KiCad/Transistors_SMD.pretty/zip/master’
for library path: ‘https://github.com/KiCad/Transistors_SMD.pretty’.
Reason: ‘Not found’
from /build/kicad-zrsXpt/kicad-4.0.1/kicad/pcbnew/github/github_plugin.cpp : remote_get_zip() : line 584
IO_ERROR: http GET command failed
Cannot get/download Zip archive: ‘https://codeload.github.com/KiCad/Sockets_PGA.pretty/zip/master’
for library path: ‘https://github.com/KiCad/Sockets_PGA.pretty’.
Reason: ‘Not found’
from /build/kicad-zrsXpt/kicad-4.0.1/kicad/pcbnew/github/github_plugin.cpp : remote_get_zip() : line 584
IO_ERROR: http GET command failed
Cannot get/download Zip archive: ‘https://codeload.github.com/KiCad/Housings_TO-78.pretty/zip/master’
for library path: ‘https://github.com/KiCad/Housings_TO-78.pretty’.
Reason: ‘Not found’
from /build/kicad-zrsXpt/kicad-4.0.1/kicad/pcbnew/github/github_plugin.cpp : remote_get_zip() : line 584
IO_ERROR: http GET command failed
Cannot get/download Zip archive: ‘https://codeload.github.com/KiCad/Transistors_TO-220.pretty/zip/master’
for library path: ‘https://github.com/KiCad/Transistors_TO-220.pretty’.
Reason: ‘Not found’

michal777 · December 26, 2015, 9:27pm

madworm · December 28, 2015, 12:42pm

Please make sure the libraries you added to kicad actually still exist on github! Sometimes libraries get deleted or renamed there.

danwalmsley · December 28, 2015, 1:17pm

I get this all the time now, and I have not installed any custom libraries… this is just the standard Kicad libraries.

Anders_Wallin · December 28, 2015, 1:28pm

Ugh!

This seems to be a really old issue The libraries have been reorganized, see e.g.:

That page links to a google-spreadsheet with old deprecated libraries and new ones.

It seems that the standard fp-lib-table is hopelessly outdated here:

github.com

KiCad/kicad-library/blob/master/template/fp-lib-table.for-github

(fp_lib_table
  (lib (name Battery_Holders)(type Github)(uri ${KIGITHUB}/Battery_Holders.pretty)(options "")(descr "Batteries and battery holders"))
  (lib (name Buttons_Switches_Keyboard)(type Github)(uri ${KIGITHUB}/Buttons_Switches_Keyboard.pretty)(options "")(descr "Buttons and switches for keyboard applications"))
  (lib (name Buttons_Switches_SMD)(type Github)(uri ${KIGITHUB}/Buttons_Switches_SMD.pretty)(options "")(descr "Buttons and switches, surface mount"))
  (lib (name Buttons_Switches_THT)(type Github)(uri ${KIGITHUB}/Buttons_Switches_THT.pretty)(options "")(descr "Buttons and switches, through hole"))
  (lib (name Buzzers_Beepers)(type Github)(uri ${KIGITHUB}/Buzzers_Beepers.pretty)(options "")(descr "Audio signalling devices"))
  (lib (name Capacitors_SMD)(type Github)(uri ${KIGITHUB}/Capacitors_SMD.pretty)(options "")(descr "Capacitors, surface mount"))
  (lib (name Capacitors_Tantalum_SMD)(type Github)(uri ${KIGITHUB}/Capacitors_Tantalum_SMD.pretty)(options "")(descr "Tantalum capacitors, surface mount"))
  (lib (name Capacitors_THT)(type Github)(uri ${KIGITHUB}/Capacitors_THT.pretty)(options "")(descr "Capacitors, through hole"))
  (lib (name Connectors_Card)(type Github)(uri ${KIGITHUB}/Connectors_Card.pretty)(options "")(descr "Footprints for cards and card holders"))
  (lib (name Connectors_DSub)(type Github)(uri ${KIGITHUB}/Connectors_DSub.pretty)(options "")(descr "Footprints for DB connectors"))
  (lib (name Connectors_Harwin)(type Github)(uri ${KIGITHUB}/Connectors_Harwin.pretty)(options "")(descr "Harwin connector footprints www.harwin.com"))
  (lib (name Connectors_HDMI)(type Github)(uri ${KIGITHUB}/Connectors_HDMI.pretty)(options "")(descr "HDMI connector footprints"))
  (lib (name Connectors_Hirose)(type Github)(uri ${KIGITHUB}/Connectors_Hirose.pretty)(options "")(descr "Hirose connector footprints www.hirose.com"))
  (lib (name Connectors_IDC)(type Github)(uri ${KIGITHUB}/Connectors_IDC.pretty)(options "")(descr "IDC connector footprints"))
  (lib (name Connectors_IEC_DIN)(type Github)(uri ${KIGITHUB}/Connectors_IEC_DIN.pretty)(options "")(descr "DIN connector footprints"))
  (lib (name Connectors_JAE)(type Github)(uri ${KIGITHUB}/Connectors_JAE.pretty)(options "")(descr "JAE connector footprints http://www.jae.com/jccom/en/connectors"))
  (lib (name Connectors_JST)(type Github)(uri ${KIGITHUB}/Connectors_JST.pretty)(options "")(descr "JST connector footprints www.jst.com"))
  (lib (name Connectors_Mini-Universal)(type Github)(uri ${KIGITHUB}/Connectors_Mini-Universal.pretty)(options "")(descr Mate-N-Lok))
  (lib (name Connectors_Molex)(type Github)(uri ${KIGITHUB}/Connectors_Molex.pretty)(options "")(descr "Molex connector foottprints www.molex.com"))

This file has been truncated. show original

this is causing a lot of confusion now so hopefully will be fixed soon…

danwalmsley · December 28, 2015, 1:35pm

I just uninstalled and installed new nightly build to see if that would work…

I cant actually get any work done now.

danwalmsley · December 28, 2015, 1:47pm

Ok I found a work around on Windows

Goto the c:\users[YourUserName]\AppData\Roaming\Kicad, open in a text editor and replace the contents with
https://raw.githubusercontent.com/KiCad/kicad-library/master/template/fp-lib-table.for-github

I think what is happening is they are not updating this file when you upgrade from old Kicad versions.

Anders_Wallin · December 28, 2015, 1:59pm

Yes! Many thanks for figuring this out!
On Ubuntu the file is at: /home/UserName/.config/kicad

I re-named the old file and replaced it with the one from github, and now I don’t get any errors

bobc · December 28, 2015, 2:27pm

Indeed, the installer does not update user config files from previous versions, so if you installed one of the “new” Kicads that uses github libraries then you will get this problem. There are a number of ways to solve the problem, but ultimately you need to have your footprint library table match the actual github repos.

We could really do with a sticky/FAQ on this!

michal777 · December 28, 2015, 4:19pm

I think that instead of this solution you should remove all references to kicad github libraries from your fp-lib-table and use only libraries stored on your hdd or your own github. The reason is that the footprint libraries stored on kicad github may change at aby time and break your design (eg the footprint you’ve assigned with cvpcb may be different than the one you get on a board).

bobc · December 28, 2015, 4:48pm

Well, the idea is that you always get up to date footprints, if there is an error in a footprint it gets fixed. But the execution of the idea is flawed, if the user is not a) informed of a change, b) allowed to choose whether to install the update. Kicad currently lacks both of those features, so I think I would tend to agree that local libraries are the preferred way.

If I was confident that the kicad-libs would ensure backward compatibility then I might think differently, but experience shows that the github libs can change at will and users are not adequately informed. I wonder how many people are familiar with all the lib changes, such as diodes.

I am thinking of creating a library tool, which can present changes in a more friendly way.

ChrisGammell · January 4, 2016, 2:58am

Hi @bobc, I’d be very interested in that. Having some kind of external tool that you could run to check your local library against the GitHub one would be nice. Have a list of diffs and then also be able to show how the footprint physically changed.

framlin · January 7, 2016, 7:16pm

I have a footprint-problem, too.
I have replaced the fp-lib-table with the fp-lib-table.for-github, as written here, but that did not help.
Here is the Error Message:

Error loading netlist.
IO_ERROR: http GET command failed
Cannot get/download Zip archive: ‘https://codeload.github.com/KiCad/Transformers_SMPS_ThroughHole.pretty/zip/master’
for library path 'https://github.com/KiCad/Transformers_SMPS_ThroughHole.prety.
Reason: ‘End of file’
from /build/kicad-WeUYPs/kicad-4.0.0/kicad/pcbnew/github/github_plugin.cpp:remote_get_zip():line 584

I am totaly new to kicad, this is my first try to “design” something with kicad, so I do know nothing about the principles behind all that “magic” thats going on in kicad.

Could someone please tell me, what the reason of this error is and how to avoid it?

Thanx in advance

Anders_Wallin · January 7, 2016, 7:57pm

with the correct spelling that is a valid library path:

if you are on linux you can compare your actual fp-lib-table against the one on github with something like

$ diff <(cat .config/kicad/fp-lib-table) <(curl -s https://raw.githubusercontent.com/KiCad/kicad-library/master/template/fp-lib-table.for-github)

framlin · January 7, 2016, 8:40pm

@Anders_Wallin: Thank you very much for your answer.
The wrong spelling was a typo made by me, because I had to type the popup-message by hand…

I meanwhile have seen, that there is a footprint-library-wizzard and I have used it
It seems, that it has checked footprints on Github and has importetd them (all but one [ something like “Label” or so])

So it seems to work now, after a while, I found all footprints and learned how to get them into the pcbnew … its hard to understand that all, but seems to be possible

sypl · January 11, 2016, 4:13pm

Hi there. How do I link to a local library. I’ve managed to check them out, but how do I change the KIGITHUB environment variable?

Joan_Sparky · January 12, 2016, 12:43am

KiCAD main window > Preferences > Configure Paths

sypl · January 20, 2016, 2:20pm

I’m not seeing that. Under preferences I see: Set Text Editor, PDF Viewer and Language. Can’t seem to find anywhere in the app to change this. Am on Mac, Kicad 2014-10-31 BZR 5247

Joan_Sparky · January 21, 2016, 7:16am

Hm… that was on Win7 with KiCAD BZR6097 (current is something around BZR64xx)… is there not a more recent version of KiCAD for OS.X?