Multiple reuse of layout in an array

[bastinado]

I’ve searched the internet and the forum for an answer.

I want to instantiate the same schematic and layout of a subcircuit 40 times. What I find on the internet seems to be all manual or scripting solutions with one suggestion to save the subcircuit as a separate project and then append it.

I am using KiCad 6 and the append command doesn’t appear unless you run pcbnew standalone. Then there is no way I can see to update the schematic.

The array command also doesn’t appear in Kicad 6 menu but I found the shortcut cntl-T. That allowed me to create the 8x5 array of subcircuits in the layout with individual reference designators.

How can I update the schematic to match? The “update schematic from PCB” tool doesn’t work, it just gives a bunch of errors. I tried to copy paste 39 times in eeschema but that creates new symbols separate from the ones in the layou.

thanks in advance for your help.

[paulvdh]

You want to use the Replicate Layout plugin for this. It is installable via the Plugin and Content Manager.

[MitjaN]

You’ll have to put the schematic of the section to be replicated into it’s own hierarchical sheet, and then you make 39 more instances of the same sheet (pointing to the same schematics file). In PCB editor, you might also need Place Footprints action plugin (available via PCM) to place anchor footprints for each “channel”. Then you layout one channel and then you can run Replicate Layout action plugin