I am brand new to KiCad and it has been 40 years since I have done schematic design. I have my components added to my schematic. I now try to add a wire and it does not seem to connect.
I use the wire symbol on the right of the screen then left click on the starting point on the pin for my first device. then move the mouse to the pin of the next device and also left click and nothing happens and as the mouse moves the wire extends to where the mouse moves. I have to be doing something wrong but canât seem to figure out what. Can anyone help?
Also how do I know that the wire is actually connected to the component?
Are you using the standard KiCad libraries or your own? Could you possibly have altered the grid setting for the schematic? The connections rely on the connection points bring âon gridâ. The standard KiCad libraries all have the components checked for this but it is possible to adjust the grid settings and discover that components donât connect as expected.
You will see a small square box at the end of the wire which will disappear when it is connected correctly.
Which version of Kicad and what OS? Might as well get the out of the way. I think the second click should leave the wire in place even if the part is off grid. Thatâs what confused me. I just upgraded and broke my install so Iâll have to recompile before I can even check simple things.
I am using standard libraries, I also did change the grid settings, oops maybe that is what is going on. I am getting the little square boxes so maybe! I will delete by drawing and start from scratch with the grid settings as it comes with a 50 setting.
maybe that will help.
in the old days we just hollered at the designer who was doing the drawing on a drawing board! no one but me to holler at now!!
I think that the comments about grid are probably the issue. One item which I find inconvenient in KiCad: If you accidentally move a symbol off grid while using a fine setting and then try to correct while using a coarse grid, the symbol will tend to stay off grid and you may not be able to connect it. I find that the âmove exactlyâ command is then helpful to get the symbol back onto grid.
Thank you everyone! I tried to set up a new schematic without changing the grid settings. Everything worked perfectly! The question I might ask the developers is that why have the ability to change the grid settings if when changing them makes things not work?
I am no in good shape and do really appreciate the help!
The default grid might not produce a âprettyâ schematic in terms of labels, text and other things. Sometimes the grid will not let you move a reference to the place you really want it.
I try and wait till the end and then change the grid to some small setting and do touch up work on how it looks.
My error. You are correct of course. Sorry for my "bum steer." I am using 5.1.0 and was somehow thinking of pcb_new.
I am trying to reconcile my memory hereâŚbut anyway it seems that in Eeschema there is no "move exactly" and it is easy to move a symbol onto a coarse grid even after moving it with a fine grid.
But this leads me to ask why doesnât pcb_new work the same way? I think it would be an improvement. Is there some advantage to having a pcb footprint stay off coarse grid once it is moved off of that grid? Perhaps it would be a major software change?