Looking at the recent thread on changing libraries I am wondering if I should leave the libraries alone?
I would like to alter one of the library entries.
The CLV1L-FKB led looks so much like a three aspect railway signal with just the colours in the wrong order (I am designing a new layout for my local garden railway)
I have made a new library with the new item in it.
If I click on the library symbol on the right of the Eescema screen I get the list of libraries and mine is in it containing the 3 aspect signal and all the other entries out of the LED library.
Unfortunately I saved the library containing all the other entries in the LED library as well as the 3 aspect light.
Is it possible to remove all the other entries from my library?
If I click on preferences at the top of the screen I can see ‘Manage symbol libraries’ but that only seems to manage the titles and the locations of the libraries.
thanks,
Bob.
ADD… if I close the Eescema and open it again the new symbol is there. If I try to close it it opens a box that says it can’t find the 3 aspect signal. If I open it again my saved 3 aspect signal has gone from my library and the Eescema page just shows a box with two question marks in it where the signal was?
There are quite a lot of sub programs in KiCad, and it takes some time, experiments and experience to get used to them.
You are probably referring to the “Symbol Library Browser”, which is just a viewer. Library management is probably done best in the “symbol editor”.
It seems you have already added your own custom library to the library table (or else you would not be able to get a component from it).
Are you familiar with the FAQ? It has grown into the best upto date manual/tutorial for a lot of KiCad’s features, inclusive creating symbols and Library management.
KiCad’s default libraries are read-only, because the are part of, and get updated with KiCad. Maintaining a few custom libraries is very common.
From within the Symbol Editor you can easily get a symbol out of any library and copy it to any other library you have write access to.
Thank you Paul.
I am going via clicking on the item and choosing properties to ‘edit with library editor’ it then calls the box that opens the symbol editor.
I think I might have found it. I don’t think I was properly saving everything.
It looks like I have to save the library separately every time?
It also saves other files that it calls -cache.lib -rescue.lib -rescue.dcm .sch-bak.
If I remove these it just remakes them?
Don’t just go deleting files.
Especially not the -cache.lib as this will severely damage your schematic if KiCad’s default libraries change.
For the other files. First look up what they are for before deciding whether to keep or delete.
I usually delete the .sch-bak (and the backups of the PCB) as I make regular backups of the whole project in different stages.
The resque files are related to the KiCad V4 -> V5 conversion. My advise is to let them be for the moment and first focus on maintaining your own libraries. Then later, look up in the FAQ what they are for and then decide what to do with them.
It does take some time and experience to get to know KiCad on this level. Library management is one of the “advanced” features. Regularly I see people on the forum here who prefer to search the Internet for an hour to find a symbol they could have made better themselves in 10 minutes…
I think ten minutes is a big optimistic but that is one of the reasons I am trying to understand the libraries.
I would like to make a 4 pole relay the omron MY4n-d2 but that will have to be well down the line. I haven’t found one on the net and In eagle I made one that the contacts could be separated from the coil and placed anywhere on the drawing.
I
