Using Github libraries offline

Software
15

I think some confusion may have crept in here, that advice is good for schematic libraries, but does not make sense for footprint libraries. Probably, you should not be allowed to enter two libraries with the same nickname, but never mind.

The recommended approach is to delete the github entries if you do not intend to use them, moving them is not necessary, which is what you have discovered.

My current faq entry looks like this:

How to install local Footprint libraries

(Tested with Kicad 4.0.2)

Using KiCad:

N.B this gets latest footprints from github, may be incompatible with your currently installed data.

  1. Start Kicad
  2. Open pcbnew
  3. Select menu option Preferences->Footprint Libraries Manager
  4. Delete all the libraries in the Global Libraries list
  5. Click “Append with Wizard”
  6. Select “Github repository”
  7. Enter “KiCad EDA · GitHub”
  8. Select “Save a local copy to”
  9. Click browse and select a new folder e.g. “c:\kicad\footprints” (create folder if it does not exist)
  10. Click Next
  11. Click Select all
  12. Click Next
  13. Wait while libraries are checked
  14. (some libraries may be marked INVALID, not sure why…)
  15. Click Next
  16. Select “To global library configuration …”
  17. Click Finish
  18. Wait while libraries are downloaded.
  19. Check - open the Footprint Libraries Manager, you should have about 84 libraries in the list with the local path specified.
  20. Click OK
  21. Close Kicad and restart
  22. Note: KISYSMOD will still show default location, this does not matter.
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