I’m new to KiCad, and am working on my first schematic layout in it.
Is there a symbol defined for the PIC18F4620 (40-pin PDIP) microcontroller? I know that it’s possible to define one within KiCad, but thought I would see if one is available somewhere before doing so.
If not, and I end up defining one myself, is there a standard mechanism for making it available to other users?
Thanks.
If not intending to use it for Simulation, then a footprint of pads and a 3D model for Graphic only is included in Kicad (for a basic DIP Chip)… attached image shows example.
You can select the appropriated Pin/Row spacing and pad preference… (I just grabbed the W15.24mm row pitch item…)
There are PIC’s in Kicad for Symbols (for the Schematic) - you’ll either need to edit one or make one. Eaxmple of existing PIC18F4580
Thank you for the advice.
I ended up defining one. It didn’t take as much effort as I thought it would.
Is there a standard way to share these with other users?
I haven’t an answer about sharing - I’m sure others can/will answer that…
You could start a Github or Gitlab repo and put your works there. If you annotate it sufficiently it should be discoverable by search. But I don’t bother with mine as they are often one-offs or I want to customise them so it’s faster to make my own symbols. For example, in your shoes I would edit the pin labels to only show the function I am actually using in my design to reduce clutter and confusion.
GitLab is now the official home of the libraries
Symbols Master converted all libraries to V5.99 two weeks ago
Is there a standard way to share these with other users?
A description of the process is here: https://kicad.org/libraries/contribute/
But right now is not a the best time to contribute. The library has just been converted to a new format. And we are not sure what the rules for MCUs will be for the upcoming v6 release.
The libraries on gitlab are in V6 (5.99) format, and have to be edited with kicad v5.99.
The libraries on github are in V5 format, but are frozen in preparation of the v6.0 release.
If you want to contribute to the official libraries, you need to run the Nightly Development Builds, witch are not recommended for production use. They can be downloaded here, at the very bottom of the page:
In V6, you can define alternative pin functions that do exactly that. After placing the symbol in the schematic, you can choose what function is shown:
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