Hey All,
I was wondering what is best way to remove SMD compoenents outlines from the silk screen?
Kind Reagrds,
Sparsh
Hello!
There is no way to remove specifically the outlines as they are in the same layers as the
cmponent name. If you remove that layer, you remove everything.
One of the solutions is to create your own library. I do it everytime for many reasons, namely:
- The standard libraries may change
- I don’t like the way some footprints are drawn (which is basically the same reason as yours).
In V6, it’s very straightforward.You can duplicate any of the foot print (or even symbols) to your
own libaries and edit it. I don’t remember what was the 5.1 problem, but it was not as easy.
R
I don’t know V6, but I see no problem in duplicating and editing symbols and footprints in 5.1 ( I use only my libraries). It was more complicated in 4.0.7.
out of interest, why are you interested in removing the outline from the silkscreen? IPC -7351 does “suggest” it and if you have a grid of SMT resistors/capacitors knowing which two are associated with a part is beneficial for hand soldering or rework - silk is there to aid humans at the end of the day
Hello!
As far as I remember, the problem is not that it was complicated (something like right-click, and then
choose the folder). But when you save, the browsing starting point is not the current folder, but something like ~ or even Kicad install folder, which is a pain everytime because you have to navigate again and again to the same place that you’re interested in. In V6, the browse starting point is local to Kicad’s paths, and therefore very easy to copy one footprint into your own space.
By the way, there is no way to rename a footprint. I’m aware that if some designs already use a given name, it’s better not to alter it but on the other hand, the PCB contains all the footprints, I think, so they can be rescued, for instance if you send the schematic to somebody else, so it’s a minor problem.
Right now, you have to do it the hard way, save as, and then delete the previous symbol.
I don’t see it in 5.1.10 (may be it was in 4.0.7).
Symbol - in symbol editor right-click at symbol in tree-view and from local menu select “Save a Copy As…”. Window opens where you can change symbol name and select library (from your libraries) to which you want that symbol to save. Press [Save] - done.
Footprint - in tree-view in footprint editor right-click at footprint and select “Save As…”. Then it works like previously but you select from your footprint libraries list this time.
When I (very rarely )rename footprint I:
- open a symbol with that footprint and change there a footprint (by selecting from libraries tree),
- ‘E’ at that element at schematic and [Update Fields from Library…] button,
- then Update PCB from schematic.
Hello!
Anyway there was something, I didn’t invent that.
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