Hi, I’m not very experienced with KiCad and want to develop a shield for Arduino Due.
First, I imported the schematic and layout for an Arduino Mega2560 which has the same board and pin positions from Eagle files.
Then I deleted in the schematic all components except the pin rows around the board and the ICSP pins. In the resulting layout I locked all the pin rows and the ICSP.
Next, I added in the schematic the components necessary for my shield.
But now, when I updated the layout with all the new components some of the formerly locked pin rows were at totally different positions but still locked!
For a shield it is essential that the pin rows match those of the base board. Now this match is broken.
How can I get back the correct pin positions?
KiCad 6.0 is not a full version number, The third digit is quite important. It indicates bug fix releases, and with each increment between 70 and 100 bugs are fixed.
The current KiCad version is:
You probably do not have a good reason to start with an old KiCad version, therefore I suggest you just erase it and install KiCad 7.0.9. Also note that bug fix releases are are made approximately once a month, and it is worth it to make regular updates. (Linux does this pretty much automatically, as updating software is pretty much an integrated function of the OS itself).
KiCad also has a built in template system, and you can KiCad Project Manager / File / New Project from Template and then for example use the “Arduino mega shield” template as a starting point.
It is difficult to say anything about how your locked footprints got mis-aligned. In general KiCad does warn before locked footprints can be moved, but it is also easy to make a mistake.
Personally, I find these arduino footprints quite an abomination. Trying to align 0.1" headers on a non 0.1" grid, is something I I would never do myself.
As an alternative, you can also just move the microcontroller and some surrounding circuitry onto the PCB you are designing. Then you probably have to solder some SMT parts, but that is not so difficult as most beginners seem to think. There are plenty of examples, tutorials and youtube video’s about how to do so. And as a bonus, you are free to choose a form factor, and you do not have to solder all those connectors.
