Non-Selectable Pads

[PaulP]

Design is v7.0.10 running on a Windows 11 machine

I’ve a design where the first version was created in v5 and has been tweaked into multiple products. The latest version is in v7.

All the 2.5mm x 2.5mm wire pads are non-selectable. They aren’t locked. Not sure if it matters but the ‘exclude from position files’ option is selected.

The only technique to select these pads is to use ‘t’. Once selected this way, I can use hotkey ‘e’ to get to the properties. The selection box and clicking these pads won’t select them. And, once moved into a new location, I lose the ability to select them again. All other features are selectable. All other pads are selectable. I wonder if something in the footprint is at issue?

Anyone seen this behavior before? Anyone know of a solution?

This is more of an annoyance than anything but I would like to fix it.

Thanks much!

[jmk]

@PaulP

All the 2.5mm x 2.5mm wire pads are non-selectable.

Are these individual single pad footprints or pads in larger footprints?

[paulvdh]

What happens with a long click? When you keep the left mouse button depressed for over a second, a menu should pop up with the option of what to select.

Just a few days ago there was someone else with with a similar problem.

Cannot select part name/ref in PCB editor

I hereby certify that I am not simply asking someone else to design a footprint for me. This is an auto-generated message that is in place on the “footprints” section of the KiCad.info forum. If I remove it and ask for a footprint to be designed anyway, I understand that I will be subject to forum members telling me to go design my own footprint or referring me to a 3rd party footprint site. Hi all, I have created some custom footprints that seems to work ok. However, when imported in a PCB d…

Can you make a small test project which has both a default footprint, and a footprint with which you have problems and upload that here?

[PaulP]

Thank you all for your suggestions.

Long click on a pad does not bring up the menu. Adding a different wire pad out of the library adds a pad with the same issue.

I did find a workaround. Turning on the B.Fab layer enables normal behavior.

I’m attaching a small project with one pad on the front and five pads on the back. The front pad acts like one would expect (drag to select works, click brings up the menu). The back pads are not selectable until you enable the B.Fab layer.

Pad_Select.zip (11.1 KB)

[RaptorUK]

@PaulP

Hovering over the pad does not bring up the menu.

You don’t hover, you need to place your mouse there and hold the left mouse button down (long click), then you will get the menu of items under the mouse point at that location.

[RaptorUK]

Strange how it doesn’t work on the pads on the back layer . . .

[RaptorUK]

I have your project and one of mine open both in V7.0.10

I have added a BF545C footprint to the front and back layers. In my project I get this:

with the footprint on the back layer.

With yours I get this:

it just selects the footprint, I can’t get the long click menu and select a pad.

So it looks like a config/preferences thing but I can’t find what it might be . . . very weird.

[PaulP]

I used the ‘save a copy’ function in PCBNEW to create a new file then loaded that file to find the annoying back pad behavior gone. I then found deleting the .prl file also took care of this issue (KiCad just makes a new file to replace it).
All is well in my little world now.
Thanks all for looking into this and giving me the clues I needed to fix it.

[gkeeth]

You don’t happen to have the old PRL do you? I’m curious.

[PaulP]

Sure thing. It’s in the zip above (also added here for convenience).
Pad_Select.kicad_prl (1.2 KB)