Yes, I’m aware of how to use excel but I have no idea how to integrate it with KiCad.
You don’t integrate it with KiCad, you integrate it with your database software
With HTTP libraries in 8.0 this is something that a third party can (and probably will) develop.
Look, guys. your like totally off base. Using a database is not hard, you think it is, its not. Off course you can make your database as hard as you like but then you can make excel into CAM software…
Yes, I’m aware of how to use excel but I have no idea how to integrate it with KiCad.
Start by getting a graphical database editor like say DBeaver (which is the same as used on this video on kicad databases). Its sufficiently close to excel that you should have no problem here. Just dump your data to tables if you have a excel or csv DBeaver can just do this for you.
Then just make the db connection as per the link by John_Pateman posted
Now the only question is who is going to manage your database.
Is HTTP libraries also available in the current 7.99 nightlies builds?
Yes, it just got added. But to make sure you understand: HTTP libraries is a feature that allows KiCad to talk to external software. That external software needs to be written also. After that is done, users who do not want to understand databases may be able to use that external software (assuming it is easier to install and use than a database).
Today I happened to find this plugin, which seems to be pretty useful, at least if you want to go for JLCPCB:
Is there a list/links somewhere with info to most available KiCad plugins?
I use the fabrication toolkit for generating JLC output (find it in the plugin manager).
I also prefer to assign JLC order codes in the schematic already. Unfortunately finding parts available for assembly is rather difficult, as their search function is pretty miserable.
Best alternative: JLC Component Catalogue
Best overview on basic parts: Basic & Preferred Electronic Components | JLCPCB Assembly Parts Library
Good search function at LCSC Buy Electronic Components Online - LCSC Electronics but check if available for assembly.
But we are deviating from the database topic. Maybe we can talk Jan Sponsor @yaqwsx on GitHub Sponsors · GitHub into automatically generating a JLCPCB database library, at least for standard parts where conversion can be done automatically.
Thanks for your ideas/links Martin, and what do you mean with "Maybe we can talk Jan Sponsor @yaqwsx on GitHub Sponsors · GitHub into automatically generating a JLCPCB database library, at least for standard parts where conversion can be done automatically."?
I think jlcpcb used to have database they give out. It just that i couldnt decipher the fileformat
Is this freely available? Would be good to get this imported into my DB so I have a list of all their parts.
The data is availabe at yaqwsx github page as discussed. There is a cached file in sqllite format that is split across several zipped files:
cache.zip
cache.z01
cache.z02
cache.z03
cache.z04
cache.z05
cache.z06
cache.z07
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I also used this file for my Altium DB conversion and it would work equally for KiCad. Note that as the file gets larger you have to load even higher cache.z0x files.
Of course you can automatically only assign components where symbol (with pinout) and footprint are unambiguous, like resistors (I converted chip resistors 0402 0603 0805…) and unpolarized chip capacitors.
For polarized two pin components the mess would start already, but as there is no convention on CPL rotation for those, the friendly JLC people will fix those rotations for you manually anyway, so you only have to make sure you include a footprint with polarity mark JLC understands. KiCad standard footprints worked fine for me so far. Biggest problem for anything besides standard chip sizes like 0402 is to make sense of the somewhat random JLC footprint names and find matching KiCad ones.
For transistors I don’t think you can do the assignment automatically, as there is an unknown relationship of the transistor terminals (CBE or GDS) to the footprint.
What could be done here (and for all other components) that KiCad automatically downloads symbol/footprint from EasyEDA and inserts those in the design files. That’s how I do it (manually) at the moment.
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Tell me, is it possible to somehow connect this database for conversion? I know that footprints can be used directly in version 7 but not in the form of databases…
I doubt that. As you say it’s an Altium database library.
But then, I have tried the Celestial library (on Altium) and didn’t like it. Don’t remember why though. For my Altium projects, I have converted most KiCad libraries to Altium format.
In the database case, is stock situation available (for assembly reasons) like it is in the plugin I mentioned, the kicad-jlcpcb-tools?
No, but you can update your database directly from jlcpcb if you want, note that the data in the catalog browser isnt entirely up to date either.
Can someone here who is running a database solution in KiCad make a demo video to show what it’s like, the benefits and the smooth way of working in it?
I looked at my JLC conversion script and found that in addition to the Altium DB converter I also converted some chip resistors to a KiCad DB library, to try out how it works. I could upload those if your are interested in trying out. You’d have to configure the ODBC data source however for sqlite and modify some paths in the config files.
Thanks Martin, but I think I have to explain myself again that I have no idea at all how to run database libraries in KiCad, and that’s why I ask for someone to make a video (youtube for example) to show how it works, the install etc at this point is not the thing, as it’s too complicated right now and would make the video probably more of a mess, but if you can make a video to show the “flow of the library works” in KiCad after the database has been installed and configured would for sure be interesting. Ok?