Work with both 5.x and 4.x on pcbnew

nhatkhai · February 17, 2019, 4:30am

If for some reason you still need to use both 5.x and 4.x for your project while doing layout. I have this script that may help the process a lite bit easier:

github.com

nhatkhai/kicad_scripts/blob/master/convertors/pcb_downgrade.py

#!/bin/python
"""
Downgrade pcbnew or footprint file from 5.x so that 5.x, 4.0.7 can both
open it.
"""
import sys
import os
import logging
import re
import argparse

log = logging.getLogger(__name__)

def main_cli(argv=None):
  p = argparse.ArgumentParser(description=__doc__)
  p.add_argument('files', nargs='*', metavar='KICAD_PCB_FILE'
      , help = '''List of .kicad_pcb or .kicad_mod (Footprint) files 
      need to be downgraded''')
  p = p.parse_args(argv)

This file has been truncated. show original

davidsrsb · February 17, 2019, 5:03am

Useful for emergencies, but generally users should avoid opening V5 projects with V4

Rene_Poschl · February 17, 2019, 10:43am

You might at least include a check if non v4 compatible things are used in the pcb and abort the “backport”. (roundrect or custom pads, the more detailed specification for differential pairs, …)

nhatkhai · February 17, 2019, 8:16pm

It is a good idea. But I think this simple script should not mess it up if 4.x cannot open it after converted. 5.x should still have no issue with it. So it is no harm as I see to do this simple conversion.

Rene_Poschl · February 17, 2019, 9:05pm

Well you change the 3d model offset from the version 5 option to the version 4 one. So one could argue that one can no longer open the downgraded file in v5. And if it does contain other v5 only features then the user is kind of screwed.

paulvdh · February 18, 2019, 3:19pm

I can understand sticking to KiCad V4.
I can understand wanting to backport KiCad V5 libraries to V4.

I have difficulty in understanding of why you would want to backport a KiCad V5 project to V4.
KiCad V5 has many improvements to V4 and at some point backporting to V4 seems not much more than stubbornness of keeping with the “old way’s” or not wanting to invest some time to get used to the changes (mostly improvements).

davidsrsb · February 18, 2019, 11:23pm

This is why the KiCad developers don’t officially support backporting projects. It can get very complicated for little benefit.

nhatkhai · February 19, 2019, 4:51am

I hope you can understand why I’m not using 2019 Tesla auto drive car, but still drive the old and low tech one. Or still using VIM as a code editor instead of visual studio or eclipses. It just a taste my friend!

paulvdh · February 19, 2019, 4:13pm

If someone wanted to exchange my 20 year old car for a new one I would gladly accept it. Except maybe when it’s bright pink with bears in the wheelhubs or something like that.

Don’t bash on Vim. It is a good editor, but unfortunately a bit of a pain to learn.
Do you know that vi is older than edlin?
The only good thing about edlin was that if you tried to use it you would only waste at most 5 minutes on it before you knew it was garbage.
Wich I had access to vi then…

Apart from that. When you’re mixing KiCad versions and continuously switching between them you are just making life difficult for yourself.

I do not understand this:

I have no problem with people having such fetishes, and I’m (mildly) curious to the reasoning behind such behaviour.

nhatkhai · February 20, 2019, 12:05am

Working with people, I need to make sure it been proving work, and all the utilities / script go with it works. None of 5.x version been very stables… so it is a stopping point and wait. So I don’t have to spent large amount of time keep following a moving target. I’m see a lot of user using so many difference version of 5.x, and nightly. So that is no difference than what I’m doing, is it? They simple try for use multiple features that aren’t stable for any one 5.x but keep try difference versions for what they need to do.

system · May 21, 2019, 12:19am

This topic was automatically closed 90 days after the last reply. New replies are no longer allowed.