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?
The symbol format wasn’t changed to make it more compatible with git. The old schematic and symbol formats were abominations that were difficult to keep expanding to fit our needs.
Nor did it have anything to do with integers and floats.
Sure you could make any file a database. But generally we reserve database to something that maintains the data and makes it searchable and changeable by multiple users simultaneously.
No comment on the format. Not a big fan of the formats KiCad use. But computer systems are always a bit in optimal.
Thanks Jon, though I don’t understand anything what you say there. That’s why this thread was started, to make it possible to understand if people being non-programmers should even think about this. It’s hereby obvious we should not even think about it. Why not simply do it like Altium does it?