Hi, Im a bit new to Kicad , have done one design so far.
Now Im on it again; when in Schematics, I cannot get a hit for RELAY !!!
which I thought would be a really of the shelf product, at least for the 2 or 3 most common switching types, what do I do wrong ?
You might not have the correct library locally (or via link to github)?
Have you checked the github repo for a lib that contains them?
Assuming you use kicad 4.x stable (4.0.7 for example)
This should come with a lib called rellay.lib “installed” (But not “active”)
Not all libs are added by default to new projects.
adding libs is done with the tool found in eeschema->preferences->component libraries.
This tool has two parts.
In the lower half you can add search paths. The upper half adds libs.
To add a lib from the kicad installation, first select the system lib directory in the “current search path list” (Linux: /usr/share/kicad/library For windows: c:[something like programs]\kicad\share\library)
Then click add and select the libs you want to add in the window that opens.
Many thanks, will do (the footprint for my Omron I did find)
Georg
HI
In the place you direct me to I have (evidently) from my previous project an inclusion for
C:\Program Files\KiCad\share\kicad\library
which doesnt seem to do the trick then…
(looking into that directory I do find a file called relays.lib and a relays.dcm) … hmmm
Well, what do you think is in there? Might this hold the relay symbols from the official lib?
Of cause, It would though be good to have just a short text of how the util is working:
“Current search path list”; well thats nice,but what does it mean;
a guess would be that in some way the given directories (as terminology search path indicates) will be looked in for files, but how ??
when I type in Rel… , to make a component insert, the Kicad evidently uses these files in a search, … it doesnt find any relays.
Though I do have the include in the “current search path list” for the directory
containg a file called “relays.lib”, which I guess could hold something that would be named “relay” (as a tag for the the Kicad search …?). well something I do is evidently wrong…
OK, have had a look into the relays.lib; it doesnt contain anything called Rel… only things like AZ850-x; (a handfull of them), so I guess the file actually gets searched but there is no “generic” relay to be found in it.
(btw Im using 4.0.6 in case that could make a diff.)
Read my first answer. Everything you need is in there!
Kicad only searches in libraries that are added. Not all libs in any directory within the search path. You missed step 2 of my workflow above. Do you think i write more than one step if you don’t need the second one? (I even colored it red, what else should i do?)
Guess Im just blind and possibly stupid 
will check. thx for support Rene
Well, now I understand; “the window that opens” is my ordinary “file handling util” (file explorer, or whatever MS calls it (in eng.)) showing my “desktop”…
From your text I had expected some more “kicadish” like a number of Kicad lib names. (so I just dumped that step quickly assuming I got to the wrong place, as it had nothing to do with the select step I had just done, well thats actually a bit strong, it had to do with files, I agree)
And as earlier said; using the extraordinary features of Notepad; I had a look into the relays file, and that one is quite short and does not contian anything like “relay” as keywork, so I could take that that is not found by any search
But the logic is also lost on me, what should the “current search path list” stand for if it is not searched… stupid and confused
Kicad does not store the full path of the libs. (look closely in the upper part of the component lib dialog.)
So it iterates over all elements in the search path, and looks in each of them if it can find the libs that you added. It then combines the search path with the lib name to get a fully qualified file path of the lib.
(To be honest as linux user this comes quite naturally. Because the concept of a search path is heavily used there. Examples are the environment variables PATH, PYTHONPATH, …)
And yes this will get better with v5. (sym-lib-table similar to the fp-lib-table)
Ok, and going back to my original Q, do you really mean that I should be able to
type REL… in the insert component suggestion field, and get a RELAY from using
the library (which I cannot see contains a tag for REL… anything, but a handful of specific relays with exact denominations) i.e from inlcuding the relay.lib as per yr indicated includes definition (and should I then use the ordinary file-manage that pops up, and navigate to the C:… while the “select” you suggest being quite meaningless)
/georg
At least in kicad v4.0.7 (under windows 8.1 and under fedora) if i first select the search path, the file browser opens directly in the directory i selected. I can not test if this works under Mac osx because i do not have access to such a computer.
Yes if you successfully add this lib you will find relays.
Yes, this is how it works under Mac OS X, too. (KiCad 4.0.7 and Mac OS X 10.9.5.)
well that just adds the same dir one more time to the bottom box “current search path list” now has two entries for the kicad/lib (the duplicate btw removed next time I entered). So still no success.
Where did i write you should press the lower add button?
OK, thanks, my brain seem to have serious problems in following instructions to the point. Allways jumping at the first thought not reading through (when semantics are not clear, as in this case with TWO (semingly OBVIOUSLY different) ADD adjoining.
(easy things are always the hardest for me; I allways want to UNDERSTAND instead of doing the right thing to recipt) MY BAD. and TNX a lot for yr paticience. (thats missspelled but what the h…)
(my god me thinks it works
/georg
By the way,whats the difference between the two adds, just for the sake.
Well the lower add button adds an additional search path.
As i thought you discovered already:
The upper add button adds the lib to the list of “active” libs.
OK Im stupid, but I dont see what this means, there is some Implicit high knowledge Im missing as to how “search” or whatever is done, something can still be searched even if it is not used (since its not included…)
My issue seem to be not understanding the working differenc between included and search path included.
While we anyway are at the end of my not comprehending;
to me, the list of relays I now get is a bit strange; why enumerate a lot of strange brands, when anyways footprints will need to be assigned (since a clear hit in this list is not so probable (omron is one of the more common and yet not there).
So why not give the main parameters as “fill ins” for the SCHEMATIC part of it;
coil voltage & current
and the voltage max current for switch part,as a generic “RELAY” THE relay.
and of cause the topology of switch is the basic select of part.
Well anyway much obliged.
