Hello!
I’m using version 8.0.5 on Linux (Ubuntu 24).
I was wondering if there is a way to move the grid.
The thin white line in the following picture (the border of the “page”) is indeed (0, 0).
The size of a thick line block is 25 x 25. It would be very handy (at least for me) if these large lines
could correspond to an integer number of blocks. In other words, having a thick grid line crossing
on (0, 0) would be nice.
Or do I have to make my own sheets to do that?
Thanks,
You can set the Grid Origin as you see fit . . . under the Place menu.
I almost gave that answer, then re-read his post, and I think he wants to change the “grid layout” / “ruler” in the border area. To change that you have to change the sheet layout.
I took the OP’s comment to be: Move either (-10, -9) or (15, 16) to the position (0, 0).
Hello!
Thanks. Indeed, it does exactly what I wanted. Is there a way to make it the default?
Thanks!
There is no real way to set a default, but you can save any project as a template, and create new projects from such a template. You can also set how axis behave in PCB Editor / Preferences / Preferences / PCB Editor / Origins & Axes
It’s your project of course, but I do not understand why you want to use the paper border as a reference. To me it makes much more sense to set something physical on the PCB as a reference, such as pin 1 of an important IC or connector, or even a fiducial. (I would not use the edge (corner) of the PCB itself, because manufacturing tolerances are much bigger for the PCB outline.
Well, you could define a new sheet with a offset start but then youd need to change the sheet every time you make a new project. Ok so to combat that then you could make a project template but then the template could allready contain this data… meh
But yeah making your own sheet isnt hard, just the editor is stupid.
No, but it is only two mouse clicks on starting each new PCB layout.
Not exactly a huge amount of time required compared to the rest of the layout of a board.
Hello!
I don’t necessarily need to set the paper border as a reference, but the paper border happens
to be the origin of the coordinates. Thanks for the config panel, if I set the display origin to grid
origin, it’s even better (for me).
It’s just because I didn’t know the proper settings. Place grid origin and set display origin to grid
origin seems to be exactly what I need. And the ability to change the grid origin anytime is also
very handy when using non-metric components.
I don’t get it! Let’s suppose I chose the board corner as a reference and call this reference O. Let’s
suppose there is an important chip placed at point A. Let’s assume there is another chip
somewhere else placed at point B. Are you saying that by choosing O as a reference, the
relative position of A vs B will be less accurate?
Question about the origin and axes preferences (just curious). I have tried to place display origin
(in the panel above, Preferences → display origin) to Drill / place file origin.
It has set the origine to an apparently random point which happens to be on a connector, but not
even in the middle of it. What it is supposed to do? Do I have to select a drill first?
Thanks
Hello!
Yes, but that’s basically the same for any setting. Why bother with settings then?
The Grid Origin Point is a tool, not a setting. The X & Y position of the cursor with respect to the Grid origin point are shown at the centre-bottom (red arrow) of the workspace. “dx & dy,” is a similar tool (green arrow). These show the position of the cursor with respect to a previous cursor position enabled with the use of the “space bar” on the keyboard.
There are a number of other positioning tools in: Right mouse click “select menu” > Positioning tools.
@paulvdh lives in Europe. It is probably a bit late for him to reply.
Preferences > Origins & axes > Display origin does not set an origin. This selection determines the X & Y readout for the position of the cursor with respect to whichever of the three alternatives listed is selected.
The “Page Origin” is always the corner of the white rectangle you displayed in your opening post (0, 0).
The “Drill Origin” is a red target you enable with Place > Drill/place file origin.
The “Grid Origin” is a white target you enable with either method described above in the replies.
A and B with respect to each other will always be accurate, but A and/or B with respect to 0 might change, depending on the machining of the PCB corner.
No. Everything inside KiCad is calculated with nanometer accuracy. (A nanometer is quite small). It’s only when your project comes into contact with reality that it matters. It’s not so easy to use calipers to measure the distance from an object on your PCB to where the corner of the paper once used to be. On a PCB, copper features have a resolution of better then 100um, while Edge.Cuts is usually a bit coarser, 200um to 500um, also depending of you use routing or V-scoring with the big knife.
Hello!
Exactly what I thought. Kicad’s nm accuracy is somewhat revealed at fabrication, and it doesn’t
matter what origin point you take. Of course, I’m aware that there is usually an enclosure which
implies that all connectors have to face their respective apertures, and tha’t why I usually make sure
that the relative positions fit the box. I generate a step file of the PCB and import it in the enclosure
design file (FreeCad) which allows to be absolutely sure that the screw holes will fit the PCB.
I usually do all my enclosures with a CNC, just to avoid having a hardware that looks like a gadget
that comes for free with an electronics magazine.
But for sure 10 engineers will have 10 different methods. Here is an example, without its LCD lid.
We have different views of what is a tool and what is a property.
The arrows in your image show tools, indeed. Coordinate viewer tools, and grid value
viewer. When I set the grid origin point, it stays in my file as a property.
In my case, there is a line in my PCB file, thar reads:
[a few spaces] (grid_origin 50 50)
It survives a restart because it’s a property of my PCB file. Not a tool. At least for my
understanding. A nail is not a tool, a hammer is.
The “Grid Origin” menu item in the right-click menu is indeed a tool, that could
be called “set grid origin” because this tools acts on a parameter: the grid origin point
which is stored in my file.
Anyway, thanks for the replies, I have what I needed, a possibility to set my board origin
in a way that it fits the grid and that it survives a file close and reopen.
For quick measurements, you can hit the spacebar anywhere in KiCad’s editors and this sets the relative coordinates in the statusbar at the bottom of the editor to zero. And from there it shows relative mouse movement.
