If we suggest a Linux distro specifically for use with KiCad then we might want to stick with one of the 4 officially supported distros. For reference these are (at the time of writing): Debian, Ubuntu, Arch and Fedora.
About Linux: I missed this postâŚ
The easiest way to experiment with most Linux Distributions nowadayâs is to simply download it, put it on an USB stick and then boot from it.
Most Linux distributions are aware of Windows, and they detect Windows during installation, and give you the option to make a dual boot. Then you can switch between Windows and Linux by rebooting your PC.
For some years it has apparently also been relatively easy to run either Linux or Windows in a virtual machine. I have no experience with this. (My current PC is 12 years old).
Linux Mint has a very user friendly installation procedure, and resizing the Windows partition to make room for it is part of the installation procedure.
It is a relatively complex step behind the scenes, and there is always a chance âsomethingâ goes wrong, and even trivial things can be hard to fix if neither Windows nor Linux runs properly.
An easy way around this is to buy an EUR30 SSD and install linux on that.
You can even completely remove the âdiskâ with windows to prevent any possibility of Linux damaging anything on the Windows disk.
Before making such big changes you should also make a backup. Just disconnecting the Windows âdiskâ is a pretty good way to make a backup 
Disadvantage is that your linux installation will not detect Windows during installation, and will therefore not make a dual boot configuration for you. However, most computers have options in the bios (UEFI) to select from which disk to boot. If Linux and Windows are on different disks you can use Bios to select which OS to boot.
There is no need to switch back to windows for neither repetier nor cura. Both should run perfectly fine on a Linux machine. (I do not have a 3D printer myself).
Most often you will find that Open Source programs run very nicely on Linux.
I hope you donât mind me bumping this, it seems to have gone off track again.
I am still trying to find a reason why my pcb page wonât load.
Usually when I first start up the computer it loads fine and I can work on it. If I close the Kicad down or close the project down to look at some other project I canât get the PCB page to load back up no matter which route I use.
If I have the schematic up and I try to update the pcb from the schematic it hangs.
If I find the kicad_pcb file on my computer and click it the page opens correctly.
This means that I can see the PCB page by loading it manually but I cant update it with any alterations I make to the schematic. This happens on both my desktop and my laptop. The only thing I can see they have in common is the project itself. I have tried making a new project from the start with a different circuit diagram but still get the same problem.
I have uploaded the project, would someone with more knowledge of the programming mind seeing if they can see a reason why the pcb page wonât load from within the project but will when I load it manually please?
Thanks.fp-info-cache (2.6 MB) lm358n.kicad_pcb (147.9 KB) lm358n.pro (3.7 KB) lm358n.sch (10.7 KB) lm358n-cache.lib (3.6 KB)
Could you rather zip the project into one file?
I did a bit of editing, and your project seems to work normally on my Linux Box.
I made some minimal changes.
- Added GND symbol to schematic. (This gives GND net a name.)
- Dragged schematic bits a bit around.
- Updated PCB.
- Added board outline on Edge.Cuts layer. (Always do this).
During updating with [F8] 2 warnings:
Then:
- Assigned GND net to one of the Zones.
- Hmm, now where is that other zone?
- Ah, right on top of each other. Deleted it.
Note: I normally define a rectangular board outline and slanted edges for the zone outlines, and put them outside the board. The board outline cuts the zone outline rectangular, with a clearance depending on the lines on the Edge.Cuts layer.
Proof I opened your project:
Then:
- Save files and exit KiCad.
- Delete backup files.
- Zipped project, including itâs directory.
- Upload zipped project.
So here it is. Does it make any difference that I saved your project? Can you open it now?
lm358n_2020-04-01T22:00.zip (218.8 KB)
Edit:
Thatâs weird. Why is fp-info-cache 2.5MiB? Itâs got info on maybe every KiCad symbol in itâs libâs.
Edit 2:
deleted fp-info-cache and the project still opens and edits fine. This is not recommended though, as you loose some info about components, (I think aliases and more are in that file, am not certain). The big file also was not an (important) bug. Other projects of mine have a similar fp-info-cache file size.
Without it, the project compresses to 16.4KiB:
lm358n_2020-04-01T22:12.zip (16.4 KB)
Edit:
Another experiment. I deleted the lm368n-cache.lib and let KiCad generate a new one. This is an important file though, and you should always put it in a backup of your projects. In this case it could be easily re-created from KiCadâs default libs.
Re-creation of this file can exclude any problems of your project not working because of faults in this file.
lm358n_2020-04-01T22:39.zip (16.4 KB)
Hi Paul,
Firstly thank you for all the time you are taking.
I unzipped the file you sent.
Opened Kicad, did file/open project and opened the files you sent me.
Clicked on the sch in the project panel and then on tools/open PCB editor. Everything opened as it should. I closed the PCB editor and tried tools/ open PCB editor, I did this a few times and it worked every time. I closed and opened the sch and did tools/open PCB editor a few times and it worked fine.
I closed Kicad and reopened it, opened the sch and did tools/open PCB editor, it hung.
Now it doesnât matter which way I try to open or update the PCB editor it hangs.
I suspect when I come to it tomorrow it will work the first time and then not work again?
It is as if the programme is setting a flag that stops it from loading the PCB editor after closing down the programme but the flag clears at some later action, I assume when I shut the computer down. That sounds daft but it is the only reason I can come up with?
The PCB editor still loads if I find it in the directory and click on it.
Even if I click on the PCB editor from the control panel with the sch closed it still hangs?
I moved the file to another directory. This meant when I opened Kicad it opened with nothing down the left side of the panel. I then loaded the project and it worked fine.
If I close Kicad and reopen it I get the project down the left side and the PCB file hangs if I try to open it.
At least it looks as if I have found a way round it. Change the location of the project so Kicad doesnât know where it is and loads it new when I ask it to?
I will keep experimenting.
Could this be completely unrelated to KiCad?
Maybe some disk buffering going wrong.
Then, when you move the files, the buffer gets flushed and the error clears.
Iâm just guessing here.
What happens if you do not close KiCad, but switch to another project in the project manager?
(And then again when you switch back?)
Can you move the project to another physical disk? Maybe even an USB stick. What happens then?
I havenât done it many times but I have two projects in completely different places, one on a usb stick and one in my pictures file.
If I open Kicad, ignore the project that comes up on the control panel and load the âotherâ project it works and will continue to load and shut down until I shut down Kicad, when I start kicad again it hangs.
If I load the âotherâ project it does the same, works the first time then hangs.
Does this make sense? is there anything in the computer software that would do this?
As you say, it does sound like some form of buffering is going on?
Going to bed now. back tomorrow.
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