My name is Marcel and living in the Netherlands. I am using KiCad for a very long time and I must say. that I find my way in a lot of parts of KiCad. To my experience, it is a very nice program to use and for me much more to use then I have done up till now.
The thing is, that every time I use the library (symbol/foodprint) with a new project it is the whole package and also what I not use or even never will use. So, I was trying to find information about a library that includes my personal databes with my own storage. Up till now I didn’t find what I want. Especially not in combination with the vdrsion 5.1.4 I am using.
My wish is to make a personal one, so could anybody advise. Thanks in front.
Fully agree with jmk.
KiCad V5 is from 2017 and is now 6 year old.
Especially the update to KiCad V6 was a huge improvement in usability, and now with KiCad V7 a lot of development effort has been put into new functions, refinement of existing functions and bug fixes.
I do confess I have not used KiCad V7 very much yet, but I trust that now with V7.0.6 there are no “annoying” bugs anymore. (KiCad tends tho have quite silly bugs right after a mayor update, and it takes a few months for those to get fixed. This is a result of the Open Source nature of KiCad, in which users can actively participate in bug hunting and reporting. The alternative would be a much slower development cycle of KiCad).
I recommend you:
Start with upgrading to KiCad V7, and use a smallish project to get used to KiCad V7.
Take some time to get used to KiCad V7.
Learn how Library management works in KiCad.
As you migrate older projects to KiCad V7, also use that opportunity to extract the personal schematic symbols and footprints, and put those in personal libraries.
Huh?
It’s either footprint, or food stamp
Although there are also food printers such as: https://cocoapress.com/
Thanks for all the good intenstions and yes, sure an update is keeping me up in relation to the versions, but what if the used possibilities in the version I use is enough. I think updates getting bigger and more and more stuff which I won’t use. It is a choice to agreed to. The way I am able to create a PCB in V5 is more or less smoothly. I will think about it. It would be nice to create in what I allready know with the symbols and foot(d)prints.
One other thing to consider, as time goes by fewer and fewer people will be using V5 or V6 so there will be fewer people to help with fresh memories of V5 and V6 . . . before you know it we will be on version 8 (looking forward to it) and V5 will be a distant memory.
I started with 5.1 and liked it a lot.
But 6.0 is just so much better on a lot of points and no more difficult to work with. It’s a major leap forward.
The upgrade to 7.0 from 6.0 is more evolutionary/incremental. No really big changes, more like fine tuning.
This is from a user viewpoint, not a developer BTW.
ML9104:I can understand your way into the versions and sounds logical to do.
I allready download the latest version and it is installed. With the given direction to create a personal library I manege to complete it. It was not that easy to do, but I can be done very well when following steps and still using the brains.
If you change the “Nickname” to “1Marcels_lib” (or 2 or 3Marcels_lib, any number lower than 4, which is 4xxx cmos library) your personal library will always appear at the top of the list instead of halfway down the list between “Logic_Programmable” and “MCU_AnalogDevices”. This will save you scrolling to find your library.
Have you considered future expansion of your library?
How will you find symbols easily in your library in 5 years if you have 300 or 400 or a 1000 items?
Maybe have more libraries such as:
1MarcelsPIC_lib
1MarcelsCMOS_lib
1MarcelsConnectors_lib
1MarcelsPassive_lib (for resistors, capacitors, electrolytics, inductors etc)
1MarcelsTransistor_lib
1MarcelsDiode_lib
As I wrote in the FAQ, now is the time to look ahead, because to change your personal library structure one day in the future will be a real pain. It is far easier to get it right when you start
Edit:
Always allow for easy expansion when creating libraries. Just using Marcel_lib or 1Marcel_lib is not a great idea.
Using a suffix description, such as I wrote above, always leaves room with naming continuity of your library system.
Certainly good food for thought . . . I’ve been giving this some though since last night while watching a live YouTube video of a KiCad user battling with 3D part orientation and pick and place requirements. One point that was made was that if he fixes all the issues then that will impact on his existing finished projects . . . where he has already worked around these issues.
This got me thinking that before the problem gets too big park the current poorly organised library as a live archived library (i.e. static, not to be updated or added to) and create new libraries for new projects with all the existing library content copied over. Existing projects still work as they did before and can be brought up to date from the new Libraries if required. New Projects get to benefit from all the content already created but from well organised libraries.
Obviously I’m talking about Symbols, Footprints and 3D models.
As soon as I read the remarks in library structure I went and start act. I add it in the topic. When it is clear, it will become easier and I went smooth…You were a (few)step(s)
further then I.
Not the names (that becomes messy as the paths then need changing). Just the “NIcknames” (which don’t require path changing) in case some readers get confused with the comment.
I was going to write that the only problem with that is you can only pin one library, BUT THIS HAS CHANGED (must have sneaked in for 7)
Pin as many as you wish now
Thanks for the comment @craftyjon , I’ll amend my FAQ
(must have sneaked in for 7)
