Is there a utility to convert old .pcb files to a schematic file?
Or, possibly is there a menu item in KiCad that will take a stab at it?
I have come across quite a few old kicad pcb files that do not have schematic files and I would like to create them.
No, the purposes of schematics and PCB layout files are very different so the information present in one is not sufficient to create the information required by the other. This is not a limitation of kicad, it is a limitation of all EDA software.
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You must retrieve the netlist from the pcb file (or some xray …) and identify the components. But all you can get is an ‘IBM drawing’. All components neatly arranged and at each pin a list where this is connected to. To get a readable schematic from this is handwork.
This is called reverse engeneering and there is no public market for software doing this. But this is done since the dawn of electronics.
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If all you have is the pcb file, then what everyone above is saying is spot on. However, if you have the netlist and the cmp files you could gen a schematic. And for the most part, you really don’t need the pcb if you have those two files. A pcb file with no knowledge of the part sitting on the pad is next to useless. Why are you wanting to do this? A little background might lead to a solution.
Wow… four years ago this question was asked. It would be wonderful if one could place parts on a PCB, then generate a schematic. That way, if one were repairing an old PCB, by placing parts on a PCB, ohming out the connections and connecting them, by generating rat’s nest schematic, one could then come up with a schematic. It’s much easier to do it that way than to connect pins via a schematic that does not physically represent the PCB in question. I see this as an invaluable tool for hobbyists.
I think reverse engineering isn’t a priority for Kicad as already mentioned years ago.