Starting my first KiCAD project with a very simple schematic. One IC and two capacitors, repeated five times. What could go wrong? I found and added the IC to the schematic and then tried to add the capacitors. They are 10 and 25 uF, electrolytics in surface mount packages. In the default symbol library I tried the manufacturer’s name and part number but no luck. So I choose “C_polarized_US”. OK.
But then I needed to choose a footprint, apparently from a drop down list. That list contains a number of surface mount footprints with descriptions like “Capacitor_SMD:CD_Elec_4X3”. There is absolutely no hint as to what units those numbers, 4 and 3 refer to. I have seen footprints described both in hundredths of inches and in tenths of mm. Many datasheets will even have both. I do not see any numbers in that list of footprint NAMES that look like multiples of 2.54 or 1.27 or 0.63 so I suspect they are using inch values. Can anyone confirm this? Or correct me?
I hate to get off to a bad start with my first PCB and need to take corrective action later or just start over from scratch.
One more quick question. As I said, my basic circuit is repeated five times. I am assuming/hoping that I can just draw it once and then copy it for the other four instances. Is this possible? Are there any things to look out for while doing it?
Thanks in advance!. My first post got closed before I thought to thank everyone who responded, but I do appreciate the help.