Ok - so I designed a project/board, decent sized project - my first using KiCad and first in a good number of years (used to use EasyPC). I ran all the checks and tests when it was done. The board has been produced and all is great. It has since been noted that one diode footprint was incorrectly selected from the KiCad library, I chose one that had a large anode pad and needed an ‘identical’ one with the exception that it had a large cathode pad. How do I do this properly?
This is what I did: I went to the PCB, selected the part, hit “Change footprint” from its properties, selected the right footprint, and saved it. This did change the layout on the board. This does not and did not however change what shows if I just double click on the part on the board and bring up its properties again, it still shows the “KA” instead of the AK footprint even though the actual FP on the board is now correct (AK).
So I realized I probably should have gone back to the schematic and forced the change through to the PCB. I went there, and changed the schematic part properties to reflect the AK footprint, SAVE. I hit “change PCB from schematic”. But there is now a LOOOONG list of items “being processed”/etc besides JUST the one change I made! (I did not hit “Update PCB” at that point). I could swear when I ‘finished’ the board this “change PCB from schematic” showed no changes as the PCB was fully up to date. What gives? How do I JUST change the footprint on ONE part throughout the project?!
Change it on the Schematic for the symbol, then change it in the layout for the footprint . . . you will still have all the issues that you mentioned, you should understand and fix them. Running DRC might give you some clues . . .
Thanks for the response. When you say I will still have “all the issues that (I) mentioned” … as noted, the board was done.
So, if I go to the original folder saved at the end of the project (completed all checks), and I do, from the schematic, Update PCB from Schematic, the long list seems to be everything. I’m confused, again, the board is done - there was nothing in any of the ‘checks’ I did before releasing it that suggested there was an error or something left to be done. So I have to assume this list is just ‘there’ always?! get a long list of “Processing:xxxx” where it basically lists every part on the board. Yet it says above that window “changes to be made”. What is “processing” and how is that going to change the completed PCB?
Looked at in a different light: WHY doesn’t this “Change PCB…” show nothing to be changed since a) the schematic hasn’t been changed to begin with and b) this was done already before the original process ended?
Also, you say to change it in the schematic then change it in the layout and do not mention doing the “Change PCB from Schematic” process. Ok - I can change it of course in the schematic and save that. That does nothing for the PCB of course unless I do the “change pcb…”. I can change the footprint in the PCB Editor (double click on part on the layout to get its properties, hit “Change Footprint”, I get a panel that lists multiple options - I change the name there to change to and save) but the properties | footprint description for that part doesn’t reflect that change! It remains the wrong footprint in the properties even though clearly it has changed as seen in the layout! Which is what brought me to the “Change PCB from” process.
Here’s a topic where the update options mattered. TL;DR usually the second and third options should be ticked.
And here is the long explanation of the process:
Processing… Is just a progress message, don’t worry about it. The proposed changes will not take effect until the Update PCB button is clicked.
BTW, this is documented here:
As it says: The changes that will be made to the PCB are listed in the Changes To Be Applied pane. The PCB is not modified until you click the Update PCB button.
I think you can suppress the Processing… messages by unticking Infos. Then the other types of messages won’t be buried in the display.
With dialogues sometimes there’s a misaprehension when actions are taken. For example, in the plugin and content manager, somebody asked why nothing was happening, when the dialog was waiting for Apply pending changes, or Discard pending changes.
