Multiple Symbol Instance References To Parts That Don't Exist

[WestCoastDaz]

I have a wierd problem with a schematic that I can’t explain. I tripped over this issue while trying to output a BOM using KiBoT with the “Exclude From BOM” box on a symbol.

So here is the issue:

I have a part U5 that shows up in the PSUs.kicad_sch file with two different designators U5 and U6. U6 is a completely different part on a different sheet.

I’m trying to understand how this happened, how to detect and repair this?

See except from the sheet below:

(lib_symbols
  (symbol "LIB:K78L03-500R3" (pin_names (offset 0.254)) (in_bom yes) (on_board yes)
      (property "Reference" "U5" (at 15.875 6.985 0)
        (effects (font (size 1.524 1.524)))
      )
      (property "Value" "K78L03-500R3" (at 18.415 -9.525 0)
        (effects (font (size 1.524 1.524)))
      )
      (property "Footprint" "LIB:SIP3_K78Lxx-500R3_MNS" (at 6.985 0.635 0)
        (effects (font (size 1.27 1.27) italic) hide)
      )
      (property "Datasheet" "https://www.mornsun-power.com/html/pdf/K78L03-500R3.html" (at -6.985 0.635 0)
        (effects (font (size 1.27 1.27) italic) hide)
      )
      (property "MPN" "2725-K78L03-500R3" (at 6.985 0.635 0)
        (effects (font (size 1.27 1.27)) hide)
      )
      (property "MFG" "Mornsun" (at 6.985 0.635 0)
        (effects (font (size 1.27 1.27)) hide)
      )
      (property "ki_keywords" "K78L03-500R3" (at 0 0 0)
        (effects (font (size 1.27 1.27)) hide)
      )
      (property "ki_fp_filters" "SIP3_K78Lxx-500R3_MNS" (at 0 0 0)
        (effects (font (size 1.27 1.27)) hide)
      )
      (symbol "K78L03-500R3_0_1"
        (polyline
          (pts
            (xy 14.605 -6.985)
            (xy 26.035 -6.985)
          )
          (stroke (width 0.127) (type default))
          (fill (type none))
        )
        (polyline
          (pts
            (xy 14.605 5.715)
            (xy 14.605 -6.985)
          )
          (stroke (width 0.127) (type default))
          (fill (type none))
        )
        (polyline
          (pts
            (xy 26.035 -6.985)
            (xy 26.035 5.715)
          )
          (stroke (width 0.127) (type default))
          (fill (type none))
        )
        (polyline
          (pts
            (xy 26.035 5.715)
            (xy 14.605 5.715)
          )
          (stroke (width 0.127) (type default))
          (fill (type none))
        )
        (pin power_in line (at 6.985 0.635 0) (length 7.62)
          (name "VIN" (effects (font (size 1.27 1.27))))
          (number "1" (effects (font (size 1.27 1.27))))
        )
      )
      (symbol "K78L03-500R3_1_1"
        (pin power_in line (at 33.655 -1.905 180) (length 7.62)
          (name "GND" (effects (font (size 1.27 1.27))))
          (number "2" (effects (font (size 1.27 1.27))))
        )
        (pin power_out line (at 33.655 0.635 180) (length 7.62)
          (name "+VO" (effects (font (size 1.27 1.27))))
          (number "3" (effects (font (size 1.27 1.27))))
        )
      )
    )
)

(symbol (lib_id "LIB:K78L03-500R3") (at 139.065 48.895 0) (unit 1)
    (in_bom yes) (on_board yes) (dnp no)
    (uuid bd779da8-e097-435f-bd32-60dbbc4e1a55)
    (property "Reference" "U6" (at 154.94 41.91 0)
      (effects (font (size 1.524 1.524)))
    )
    (property "Value" "K78L03-500R3" (at 157.48 58.42 0)
      (effects (font (size 1.524 1.524)))
    )
    (property "Footprint" "LIB:SIP3_K78Lxx-500R3_MNS" (at 146.05 48.26 0)
      (effects (font (size 1.27 1.27) italic) hide)
    )
    (property "Datasheet" "https://www.mornsun-power.com/html/pdf/K78L03-500R3.html" (at 132.08 48.26 0)
      (effects (font (size 1.27 1.27) italic) hide)
    )
    (property "MFG" "Mornsun" (at 146.05 48.26 0)
      (effects (font (size 1.27 1.27)) hide)
    )
    (property "MPN" "2725-K78L03-500R3" (at 146.05 48.26 0)
      (effects (font (size 1.27 1.27)) hide)
    )
    (pin "1" (uuid b82302a3-a770-41c3-b6a9-5aaefdb3a720))
    (pin "2" (uuid 122ad34e-f86d-45f3-acf8-1dabf85ee1f0))
    (pin "3" (uuid e7510f83-430f-48a6-a498-0cef70b887b1))
    (instances
      (project "Test-Jig"
        (path "/bcf79a06-6eab-43a0-8ab2-0268a9181083"
          (reference "U6") (unit 1)
        )
        (path "/bcf79a06-6eab-43a0-8ab2-0268a9181083/4a140626-3afc-4e2e-ac8b-1300c197efa6"
          (reference "U5") (unit 1)
        )
      )
    )
  )

[BlackCoffee]

Without my looking any further, try Clicking the Annotate button! That should take care of it.

[WestCoastDaz]

@BlackCoffee As a reference the entire schematic is fully annotated.

I did what you suggested tying both Keep Existing annotations and Rest existing annotations and that didn’t help. The U6 reference designator is still in the file.

[BlackCoffee]

Difficult to assess for me without your file and library symbol.

Check your Preferences to see if Auto Annotate is checked.
As soon as I drop a Symbol, it updates and multiple drop’s of the part also update…

Perhaps other’s will have comment… What Kicad version???

[WestCoastDaz]

Sorry I should have stated that I’m using KiCAD 7.0.9 on macOS.

Yes, I currently have Automatically annotate symbols turned on. Unfortunately I can’t share the files as they are not open source.

[BlackCoffee]

Not knowing what you’ve done, who created the Symbol and if it’s perhaps a Text item and/or on a different layer… either on schematic or in the Symbol… I leave here.

[hackman]

Open the library symbol in the symbol editor, it is possibly annotated there. It will appear somewhere in the text of the schematic with this annotation

[WestCoastDaz]

@hackman I didn’t seem to annotated in the symbol library. I ended up deleting the symbol from the schematic and then reading it from the library and that corrected the issue. I’m concerned there doesn’t seem to be a way to detect this or correct it with delating and adding back the symbol.

[hackman]

Yes, strange. I didn’t notice the two instances of the symbol at the bottom of your excerpt from the schematic before.

I have been puzzled in the past by strangely annotated symbols appearing in the text of the schematic file before realising that if an annotated symbol is saved to a library, now that the symbol definition is saved in the schematic, the symbol definition appears in the schematic with the annotation it was saved to the library with.

That last paragraph is too long but I am getting lost trying to type it in an easier to read form