I am still kinda new to KiCAD.
I am designing a circuit which uses a relay. I drew the schematic using the standard Relay_DPDT symbol. Then, when assigning footprints I found a footprint which is roughly what I actually have, the Relay_SMD:Relay_DPDT_AXICOM_IMSeries_JLeg.
But the contact names of this footprint don’t match the contact names of the symbol. The footprint has contacts 1 to 8, the symbol A1,A2,11,12,14,21,22,24. How do I fix that?
Obviously I should replace the symbol with the symbol of the actual footprint which I used, but I don’t know how to find that symbol. It is not under the name of the footprint.
That’s a really good question. Pin numbering may have originated on the manufacturers data sheet or could have been done by the person making the symbol (or footprint).
I’d suggest you make your own symbol by copying an existing symbol and changing the pin numbers to exactly match the footprint. This requires using the Symbol Editor, but that is not difficult. Save the new symbol in YOUR private library with a custom name.
Alternately, make a custom footprint by copy/edit.
I would try to find a datasheet for the actual part and make both the symbol and the footprint to follow the datasheet. It’s possible that both the symbol pin numbers and footprint pads numbers must be changed. In my opinion the datasheet is authoritative and the design must follow that. Keeping the pin/pad numbers out of sync with datasheet begs for problems if someone ever compares the design with the datasheet later.
On the other hand, if the design and libraries are guaranteed to be strictly private for one person only, nothing prevents changing the pin numbers and/or pad numbers to anything, like George, Manfred, Elizabeth II, Bananabox etc. as long as the pin and pad numbers match.
The right way to solve this is to create a symbol that exactly represents your relay.
Inportant to know: the default libraries are read-only. You’ll have to create a personal symbol library.
Check the FAQs at the top of the page. There’s a very good tutorial there on how to do this. It’s not difficult.
Yes, it was good to add symbol and footprint to my own library.
I just copied the existing symbol and footprint into the respective libraries, and then corrected the pin numbers and the exact dimensions in the footprint.
