PCB New: Footprint "not found"

Software
1

Hello again,

Im now in PCBnew. When i try try to import the Netlist i get some errors. The most footprints that i have associate in the CvPCB are “not found”.

I did follow -> Eeschema -> Start Cvpcb -> Save (the save button doesn’t grey out) -> Create a new Netlist -> Pcbnew -> import Netlist.

I created multiple footprint library. But they are active in the fp-lib-table. I have for each pad a library. Thats maybe not good but it should work. (First time that i using Kicad)

What did i wrong ?
Two of the footprints got importet but the rest not.

Regards,
Koe

2

Could you post the detailed error message? (Some of kicads messages are a bit unintuitive so you might have come to the wrong conclusions)

1 Like
3 
Error: Component 'PAD1' pad '~' not found in footprint 'pad:PAD' 
Error: Component 'PAD2' pad '~' not found in footprint 'pad:PAD' 
Error: Component 'PAD3' pad '~' not found in footprint 'pad:PAD' 
Error: Component 'PAD4' pad '~' not found in footprint 'pad:PAD' 
Error: Component 'PAD5' pad '~' not found in footprint 'pad:PAD' 
Error: Component 'PAD6' pad '~' not found in footprint 'pad:PAD' 
Error: Component 'PAD7' pad '~' not found in footprint 'pad:PAD' 
Error: Component 'PAD8' pad '~' not found in footprint 'pad:PAD' 
Error: Component 'PAD9' pad '~' not found in footprint 'pad:PAD' 
Error: Component 'PAD10' pad '~' not found in footprint 'pad:PAD' 
Error: Component 'PAD11' pad '~' not found in footprint 'pad:PAD' 
Error: Component 'PAD12' pad '~' not found in footprint 'pad:PAD' 
Error: Component 'PAD13' pad '~' not found in footprint 'pad:PAD' 
Error: Component 'RV1' pad '3' not found in footprint 'pot_old:pot_old' 
Error: Component 'RV1' pad '2' not found in footprint 'pot_old:pot_old' 
Error: Component 'RV2' pad '2' not found in footprint 'pot_old:pot_old' 
Error: Component 'RV2' pad '3' not found in footprint 'pot_old:pot_old' 
Error: Component 'U1' pad '17' not found in footprint 'LM3914:LM3914' 
Error: Component 'U1' pad '18' not found in footprint 'LM3914:LM3914'
4

Well nowhere does it say “Footprint not found”.
It tells you that the symbol defines has pins that have no counterpart in the footprint.

Every symbol pin has a pin name and a pin number. The pin name is used as a helping information for the user (It is displayed but not really used by kicad internally)
The pin number is used to identify which pin should be connected to which pad of the connected footprint. This pin number must be unique in the symbol and it must match the pad number in the footprint.

2 Likes
5

Oh i missunderstood this…
There is no single word about a PIN in this message.
So i looked only on the footprint. Thanks alot.

Regards,
Koe

6

And you were right: the component U1 has the pin 18 in the schematic, but its matching footprint doesn’t have the pad 18.

7

Hello again,

I edited the footprints with the correct pads. I saved it. But i don’t get rid of the error.
Do i have to import the edited footprint again ?
Only the padnumber need to match with the symbol pin number, right ?

Some errors are gone but not all. All “RV” errors still exists and the “U1” too.

Regards,
Koe

8

Yes

Yes

Does RV footprint have pads 2 and 3 and U1 footprint pads 17 and 18?
Have you re-imported the footprints?

9

Ho do i re-import this correctly ? Footprint Wizard ?
The Footprint Wizard does only add the destinations path to the fp-lib-table. So makes no sense to re-import there.

The pads are correct now.

10

The layout file contains a copy of the footprint. When the footprint is modified, the copy in the layout is not updated.

So you can import again the netlist or right-click on the footprint (in the layout) and choose change footprint or update footprint. See the options: update all the footprints, the current footprint, all footprints with the same value…

1 Like
11

So that i understand this right. The netlist=(layout file) has a copy of the footprint in it, right ?
I generate every time a new netlist, when i change something in the footprint editor.
Do i have to do something else ?
When i import the netlist again and check “exchange footprints” it loads every time the wrong footprint. When i look at the preview in Cvpcb it shows the right one …

What do i wrong …?

12

Not exactly: the layout file is yourproject.kicad_pcb whereas the netlist is yourproject.net
The name of the footprint is in the netlist, the whole footprint information is in the layout file.

I cannot figure out what you are doing wrong.

Try “change footprint” in the layout and see what happens.

13

If i rightclick in the pcbnew -> right click on the footprint -> edit with footprint manager.
Then i see that is the wrong footprint it misses those 2 pads.

If i now right click in pcbnew -> change footprint -> apply then it loads the right one…
i need only to rightclick -> change footprint -> apply. (i doesn’t need to select one)

pcbnew doesn’t take/update the modified footprints.
I don’t get it what i did wrong.

How can i start with a new empty pcbnew file ?

EDIT:
Found something in Google, sounds like a bug, but its from 2015… fixed 2018-01-3:
https://bugs.launchpad.net/kicad/+bug/1466857

Thanks for the Help.

Regards,
Koe

14

Delete the old one. Or select all and delete everything.

15

On netlist import ther are several options. One of them is “Exchange footprints: change” this should do the trick.
Also if necessary selecte “Extra footprints: delete” and “Footprint selection: by timestamp”

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