I have tried searching for a labor unintensive workflow to import downloaded symbol-footprint combinations.
I am looking for a workflow similar to:
Visit download site (Ultralibrarian, Digikey, Mouser, ComponentSearchEngine, …) and download component files
Automatic import or selecting downloaded files as import into KiCad
Done: Symbol and Footprint (and potentially 3D Model) are imported and linked together
I have tried a lot of different things but nothing works (without many more clicks):
Import .kicad_sym to existing library, but then the footprint is not yet imported. Neither are symbol and footprint linked together as the Footprint in “Symbol Properties” is missing the library in front of the name. e.g. Footprint is just “14010313102000” (this is the partnumber of a Harting connector) but it would need to be “EK:14010313102000” as the footprint is imported in library “EK”. Without appending that EK at the front it always displays as “invalid footprint”
using Library Loader external program is resulting in an automated import, but still footprint is missing the library name in front.
Import-LIB-KiCad-Plugin but it only handles old file format and automatic import seems not working
So how do you import downloaded models without much manual labor?
One time effective option is to pay someone to do it. It is quite common for larger companies to have people whose job it is to maintain libraries with PCB parts and check them.
Personally I would never ever trust a footprint downloaded from an external site (or even from KiCad’s own libraries). I use them, but always verify and possibly adjust them if needed. And this is normal practice. It costs a lot of time (and some money) if a footprint turns out to be faulty and you only discover it after the PCB’s have been made. Importing footprints is a relatively small part of that process, and you can’t save much time by speeding that up.
It is also common to maintain your own libraries of verified parts. Your own libraries will build up over time, and after you’ve worked some time with a PCB design program, most often you only need to add a few parts / footprints to your libraries.
But that said. It’s not an ideal situation. Various companies are attempting to improve on it though better automation. I never used the “Library Loader” from Samacsys. But once you have a footprint on a PCB it’s quite easy to export them to a library (or even all footprints on your PCB). KiCad has also been growing quite rapidly in the last few years, and it’s getting noticed by those companies that do PCB library stuff as their business (SnapEDA, PCB Libraries, Ultralibarian, etc). Browsing though the (ever growing) plugin list in KiCad’s plugin and content manager I also just noticed it has a (new to me) Impart GUI for KiCad.
(Edit: I see that’s from the same Steffen Wittemeier you already mentioned. Maybe you can do something to motivate him to improve his plugin )
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