Power pin confusion

[drmacro]

@Piotr

I have never used other then my own libraries. I don’t understand what you can think about saying about keeping up to date. Once specified (form PCB point of view) element is for me endless valid.
Footprint dimensions rather don’t changes.

I suppose creating, and maintaining, all your own libs has it’s advantages.

I create my own libraries when required. (For example, I have a rather large stock of old, and in some cases very old. Like me: And they typically aren’t in any library. Or, a little used part, like the thumb wheel switches I’m using on a project right now.)

As for keeping up to date, I was referring to libraries, like those provided by Digikey, that have, the now, non-preferred hidden power pins. Will they update to the now preferred displayed power pins…no clue.

I consider having existing libraries a great advantage. It’s good not to use my time to recreate the wheel. That, of course, can cause issues at times.

(I will also note, that, in my past life (i.e. pre-retirement) I used softwares like Altium, PADS, and others in a corporate environment. There, any time we needed a new part symbol and footprint, we simply emailed the datasheet to a blackhole at the corporate headquarters and the new part would magically appear, implemented to corporate standards. So, maybe I’m spoiled. )

[Piotr]

@drmacro

As for keeping up to date, I was referring to libraries, like those provided by Digikey, that have, the now, non-preferred hidden power pins. Will they update to the now preferred displayed power pins…no clue.

In that sense keeping up to date is wrong thing. You get updated libs and elements you have used changes. KiCad helps by cache lib but I prefer to have elements at schematic (even old one) the same as in library.

@drmacro

I consider having existing libraries a great advantage. It’s good not to use my time to recreate the wheel.

You need not to recreate the wheel. You can copy elements from existing libraries to your library protecting them that way from unexpected changes when you install newer KiCad version.

@drmacro

we simply emailed the datasheet to a blackhole at the corporate headquarters

In my ‘corporate’ PCB design team is me alone so I need not to mail datasheet

[drmacro]

@Piotr

You need not to recreate the wheel. You can copy elements from existing libraries to your library protecting them that way from unexpected changes when you install newer KiCad version.

So, do you copy all symbols and footprints into a library per project, or a single, local, library?

[Piotr]

@drmacro

So, do you copy all symbols and footprints into a library per project, or a single, local, library?

No. No library per project. No local libraries. Many ‘my’ libraries.
My answers were not directly following what I am doing but were answers to your doubts.
After 20 years of using Protel when I decided to slowly (took me 2 years) to move to KiCad (now I have 2 KiCad PCBs behind me) I looked through all my footprints used in Protel. There were more then 400 (not so planty). I found that probably about 200 I expect to use in future and rest were the old ones I will not use.
Then I have checked how I can get documentation as I like to generate. I decided to use Export to SVG for that. As in Export I can’t exclude individually References and Values but I wonted one of them together with CrtYd I decided I need modify KiCad footprints having at SilkS the same picture as at CrtYd.
So I copy each footprint from KiCad libraries to my libraries and modify it.
In KiCad I see only my libraries (I removed all KiCad libraries form library lists).
After this 2 PCBs I changed my mind - I decided that it would be easier to use Plot to SVG and then combine SVGs in Inkscape instead of getting end SVG directly from KiCad (not works correctly for bottom side elements and I think will not be corrected in 5.1.5). So I decided to made changes in all my footprints defined till now. May be with V6 I will change my mind back as getting directly what I need sounds being simpler.