Hello,
I used KiCAD 6 for some designs - both schematics and layout. I find this tool a great one.
Now I have to modify one of my designs. Since I replaced my computer I had to reinstall the application V7. While the previous installation was DRC errors-free, now I have 3 types of errors:
Thermal relief connection to zone incomplete (board setup constraints zone fill strategy min spoke count 2; actual 1). Appears for every power pin. For some pins that need a higher current, I make the trace thicker. The error appears for all pins.
lib_footprint_issues: Two project footprints don’t appear. The library sees the folder but doesn’t recognize the contents (.kicad_mod files).
lib_footprint_mismatch: for many parts, I get a message: Footprint X does not match copy in library Y.
Should I revert to V6? Which sub-revision is advised?
KiCad 7 has more checks than v6 had so it’s common to see errors pop up on migrated projects. It doesn’t mean there are issues with your design, it just means that things that v6 didn’t even know how to check are now pointed out to you by more sophisticated drc algorithm. You can fix the issues, ignore them or configure drc to not report them.
It’s not more or less safe than if you didn’t have those errors. You have to understand what they mean and decide what you want to do with them. Like I said, not doing anything and sending the design right away is an option too, responsibility on verifying the design is yours anyway.
First error is telling you that DRC config has a rule that zones have to have at least 2 spokes in thermal relief connections to pads. But somewhere on the board there is only 1. Either change the config to allow only 1 spoke, ignore this instance or move things around so that another spoke can fit.
Second error I don’t understand by just text description. The message should specify which library has the issue and which footprints. Verify that the files are there and you can open footprints in fp editor for example.
Third error just means that footprint you have on the board is different from what you have in library. You may have modified the fp yourself or library may have been updated. Check the differences and decide which footprint you need. If you choose footprint on board, you can move it to project specific library.