Dragging myself kicking and screaming away from protoboards to actual PCBs and am very new to the layout side of KiCad. I’m having some trouble creating a custom footprint for a rubber membrane switch. I’ve attached the source .dxf and the .mod file as it currently stands, below.
I have been using this as my guide, it is the closest query I have found for what I am trying to do.
So far I have:
Imported the .dxf of the footprint I wish to create (attached) to F.Cu.
Added pads and mashed Ctrl+E a few times to merge the pads and the copper outline
Right clicked > “Create from Selection” > “Create Polygon from Selection” which removes the pad number(s) and displays all the vertices of the shape.
Right clicked > “Properties” to open the polygon parameters.
Per the screenshot it appears all is primed and ready but when I click OK, nothing happens. I'm certain I'm missing something here but unfortunately it's hard to know what you don't know, you know?
For some reason you have to put the result back on the F.Cu layer.
Place a pad on each of the polygons.
Select a pad (only a pad!) and press Ctrl +e twice to enter and exit the pad edit mode. This makes all attached graphics part of the pad. It also makes the pad number very big:
To make the pad number smaller, first press [Ctrl + e] again, to enter the pad edit mode again.
Draw a rectangle on the F.Cu layer, and then set the check mark for the Number Box via the Properties Manager on the left side of the window.
Now you have two custom pads. The fault that you made is that you did not enter Pad Edit Mode but you were entering the block. (or something other weird) Pad edit mode retains the pads itself, it only adds graphic elements to the pad. The original pad is used for the attachment point for the copper tracks.
Here is the footprint I made back. I only did pad 1. Pad two is still a separate pad and graphic object. Just selecting the pad and pressing [Ctrl + e] twice will also turn it into a custom pad.
Amazing! Thank you for your clear instruction Paul, very much appreciated. Buuuut I have hit a wall.
I have gotten myself to step 9 but am unable to view the same properties you seem to be seeing (from what I can see of your screenshot in step 10 at least). When I select my new pad 1, I see properties on the left…
[SNIP]
Ok, disregard all that, you meant use the rectangle tool on the right hand side of the edit window
I only saw it half an hour later. And then updated the screenshot in step 10 to show the whole window, to make it clearer it’s a single screenshot with the properties manager on the right side.
