I have a few repeating blocks in schematic like a complex hierarchy (a given sheet is used more than once (multiples instances)). Is it possible after manual routing one of this autoroute others the same as first automatically.
Ok, thanks. Thats great.
But I can’t install any plugin on MacOS.
To install teplugin copy relevant folder into ‘scripting/plugins’ subfolde of the KiCad configuration folder: on Windows:
%APPDATA%\scritping\plugins(which most commonly translates toC:\Users\username\AppData\Roaming\kicad\scripting\plugins)on GNU/linux:
~/.kicad/scripting/pluginsor~/.kicad_pluginson MacOS:
~/Library/Application Support/kicad/scripting/pluginsor on newer versions~/Library/Preferences/kicad/scripting/plugins
But I haven’t scripting/plugin folder. I tried to create a folder inside kicad, but nothing happens. I still have empty list of external plugins(
It was in
Kicad/contents/sharedsupport/scripting/plugins
Create this folder, then put the plugin there.
I tried but nothing works. After I put it in Kicad/contents/sharedsupport/scripting/plugins all OK!
The term “autoroute” is after manual routing is confusing. What I think you mean is to “duplicate” a section that has already been manually routed.
KiCad has some undocumented support of duplication of multiple instances; not bug free.
Yes, that’s what i meant.
Today I tried on windows. It start working when I put it in C:\Program Files\KiCad\share\kicad\scripting\plugins, not to %appdata%.
All components at same plases, but there is no pcb tracks and I have a message: fatal error when making an instance of replicator.
@pryanic As I already stated, KiCad has some undocumented support of duplication of multiple instances.
In PcbNew, Draw a box with the mouse (and apparently the direction the mouse moves to create the box matters but I have not yet tested it). Then depress “Ctrl+d”, unpress the single “d” key, and then press “m” with the same finger that was on the “d” key.
This is NOT a bug free method, and I believe is totally undocumented.
But after duplicating a part of layout this way the reference designators remain the same - what can I do about that? There is “anotate schematic” function in eeschema to assign new designators after duplicating some part of schematic. Is there some way to have the duplicate in Pcbnew re-annotated exactly the same way? Or generally - how to of keeping the schematic consistent with board layout, when duplicating this way?
This is such a basic thing. I needed it literally the first day I installed KiCad. And it seems to be just impossible within KiCad’s internal features and the only way seems to be the 3rd party plugin with not the greatest instructions/documentation.
The trick by Sprig is just a combination of basic KiCad functions, but it’s not meant for this use case. Indeed, you can’t handle reference designators that way. The mentioned 3rd party plugin is the best (and the only) way to do it as of now. You can find a bit more instructions for it here: Replicate layout: Action plugin.
In the future similar functionality will be part of KiCad if everything goes as planned. See https://bugs.launchpad.net/kicad/+bug/1521062. I wouldn’t be surprised if it would work in a similar way than the plugin does now.
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And, I stated:
Okay, I double checked, and it created an absolute mess with an existing project.
You should be able to edit the Ref Des, but it appears there may be an issue with doing such depending upon which version/s you have been using.
ON EDIT: I think I remember doing this with circuits drawn in Escheema using hierarchical sheets.
I may have actually been using a nightly version with a bug that enabled the duplication that I did.
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