I’m realy struggling to use this software properly and professionally because every time I start a new project or even within an existing project I have to worry about getting through the frustrating task of selecting the working symbol schematics individually from each folder I use every time, and it just doesn’t feel natural.
I’m expecting to have everything I’ve ever downloaded and made just appear bu default on every project I make doe’s anybody know how to do that?
Also if we are already on it there there are times when I start a new project and it just uses the same section of circuits from other sections of other projects repetitively and up until now I’ve been re sketching them on every project over and over again(for example an at mega 328 chip with all the crystals capacitors and resistors that are necessary to make it work) doe’s anybody know how to just copy paste it from one project to another?.
You can save things to custom libraries. Put things you use regularly in them and make them globally available. Move that library to the top of the list. I have a resistor symbol that is in between regular and small. Just enough to place the value inside. Since it is in the library at the top of the list, it always gets selected.
For multiple components then you might want to check into templates.
Quick edit. What OS and version are you using? On my Debian version there seems to be some things hard coded by the developers that cause this sort of problem too. Especially the re-adding libraries. Even changing the paths I open a new project and I seem to be back to the default distro version. You might look into compiling your self.
I put all my libraries within the location of the default libraries and defined this search patch at “Preferences” -> “Components libraries” but it still doesn’t find it can’t it search inside sub folders as well?
To get symbol libs added automatically you need to add them to the template project. (This is located in the kicad system directory. You will need admin rights for this.)
For footprints just put them into the fp-lib-table using the library wizard.
If you use stuff in multiple projects you can create a template project and create your new project from this template.
For schematic you can also use hierarchical sheets and simply copy the file into your new project. (Creating a hierarchical sheet with an existing file name adds a new instance of this sheet into your project.)
For pcb you can start pcb_new in standalone and use append board.
and the template solution allows you to only take a single element from a project and base it off that without adding different circuits to it and the hierarchical sheet is not a very good solution for me sins it doesn’t always give you access to all points of the schematic.
what I’m interested in doing is being able to simple select in a square a parts of my schematics and place them in other project cleanly.
Yes, a lot of people would like that! It can’t be done currently, but there are ways round it. Personally, I just copy sheets I want to re-use into a new project, and then edit them accordingly.
Templates are nice if you want to share with other users, but basically it all does is copy all the files and rename them, which you can easily do anyway.
If you add a sheet, it doesn’t have to use hierarchical pins, if you use global labels it works fine.
To copy files, just use the OS. In KiCad, add a sub-sheet in the top level sheet, and set the filename to the new sheet. You can then copy and paste within KiCad, or alternatively trim away any parts you don’t need.
Are you still talking about symbol libs to be added to the project automatically?
Read the post i linked above. (I don’t want to type the same answer everytime someone asks a similar question. Too much work)
Someone mentioned there is an out of date wiki somewhere? Maybe we could take a little effort to start updating it or maybe do a FAQ. Today is my babysitting day so I can’t do much but maybe I’ll take a look later. If I remember. I’m sure someone will remind me.
There are several The one mentioned recently was probably https://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/Kicad I’m not sure who approves edits, but my recent ones were approved.
I think that is just some Wikibooks red tape, not sure what it means. I think it means a Wikibooks editor has checked the pages are not full of spam or something. I couldn’t find any actual changes pending.
As for which one, Wikibooks/kicad seems as good as any. A huge problem with Wikis is keeping them free of spam, Wikibooks seem to be doing a job on that.
Well I read the thing and I think if it doesn’t get better I quite KiCAD and move to altium I need a serious tool for this kind of things and it looks like the software is running on a 1$ per month budget for development yes I know it’s free but I’d rather pay some money to get some decent software for now things take too long to do and it’s more for the tinkerers kind of guys.
KiCad is mostly written by volunteers, there isn’t even a $1 budget CERN (and some other companies) sponsor development by having employees write code.
Altium license costs maybe $7245? That is around 150 hours of my time. So if I have to spend a few hours learning KiCad, then I easily break even. Then there is yearly fee of around $3000. Basically I have saved $35,000 by using KiCad.
Huge problem with Wikibooks. The search is site wide. I did a couple of searches and KiCAD related stuff doesn’t even turn up on the first page of search results. Makes the whole thing worthless as far as I’m concerned. Even if we just want to keep the FAQ updated it becomes problematic.
Maybe think a bit of donating 10% of that?
Many FOSS projects really suffer from a lack of funds. They’re struggling to pay for a server & internet bandwith.
About templates
This probably works (untested).
1). Open a new project (copied from the template).
2). Add all the libs you want.
3). Save & exit.
4). Find the old template, make a backup.
5). Copy your new project over the old template.
The best workaround for copying a part of a schematic into another project:
1). Open your target project (EEschem).
2). Make a new sheet: EEschem -> Place -> Hierarchal Sheet [Shift + S]
3). Move into the new sheet.
4). EEschem -> File -> Append Schematic Sheet -> Yes -> (browse) -> Open.
5). Copy what you need & paste (Works in the same project, not between projects).
6). When finished, delete the sheet you created in step 2.
Yeah right so many years of development from companies and volunteers and this software is still not user friendly and doesn’t even I include an autorouter(not that most people would use it but still) what is wrong with this world?!
Why should it include an autorouter if people do not use an autorouter. Aren’t resources better used for features that users actually use?
Also there is freeroute which works for kicad.
The one mentioned recently was probably