Windows 64 KiCAD v4.0.7 Eeschema Load Error?

Software
#1

Hi,
New to KiCAD, but not new to PCB design. I downloaded kicad-4.0.7-x86_64.exe today and installed on my Windows 10 machine. Install was quick with no problems. I next tried to load and experiment with an example KiCAD project. I located and used a project named icezum-master.zip. The project loaded but issued warnings that the icezum project was built with a later version of Eeschema and that I should upgrade. See below:

However, I have just installed the latest version of KiCAD and Eeschema (v4.0.7) .

So obviously something else is wrong here. The first warning message was correct in that the schematic drawing displayed had missing components which were replaced with a question mark (?). Are there any ideas why I am getting this error/warning message?

Thanks,
Doug

#2

[quote=“d3w, post:1, topic:8726”]
However, I have just installed the latest version of KiCAD and Eeschema (v4.0.7) .
So obviously something else is wrong here.[/quote]

There are KiCAD nightly builds (that people use) which sometimes are stable, sometimes not - the bleeding edge - breaking compatibility even for nightlies just 24 hours apart.
It’s got some features over the stable 4.0.x versions and if someone wants to use those (and the stable release cycle is too slow), well…

So for a start you’re up to date and nothing is wrong.
The project you got hold of on the other hand has been created with a nightly version, so might contain incompatibilities with the stables and other nightlies.

This is an entirely different beast and has to do with your installed libraries not containing a couple of schematic symbols that have been used.
Usually they should sit in a cache-lib that comes with the project, but there is no automated process when people share projects, to catch it all - this one must be missing for this.
This kind of behavior is going to go away in the future, once EEschema changes to a similar system that the layout editor (PCBnew) uses for footprints. Should then be less error prone to share projects and not cause these troubles anymore.

Did EEschema ask you if it should rescue any symbols when you loaded the schematic?

If the project isn’t too old, try to contact the creator to get hold of the xxx-cache.lib file.
Should open without question marks then.

Hm, if it’s this one here, the cache-lib file actually is there:

1 Like
#3

Anybody uploading a project created on a Nightly build should be very clear about their project being non-standard

#4

The version I downloaded was the recommended default. I did not download any from nightly builds or past versions.

#5

You have the current recommended stable release. The error was the FPGA project creators not highlighting their use of a Nightly

3 Likes