EEVblog Electronics Community Forum
Electronics => PCB/EDA/CAD => KiCad => Topic started by: Dan Moos on August 06, 2017, 07:22:49 pm
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Maybe I suck a Google, but I just can't quite figure this out.
Using 4.0.6 if it matters
I needed some schematic symbols that the core install didn't have, so I looked at the GitHub Kicad repo. I discovered there is allot more available than the core install gave me.
Here's where I have difficulty. I swear I've read that you don't have to download everything, but that you can make the GitHub repo searchable from within Kicad, just as if it were stored on your computer. How do you set this up?
I ended up downloading the whole shebang. I put it in its own folder, so as not to corrupt the one Kicad uses naturally.
Another thing. I saw a YouTube video where the guy (Chris Gammel) clicked the "add library" box, and instead of a folder with filenames (what I get when I click it), he had a list of libraries, with check boxes. That's what I want! How'd he get that?
I believe Chris is using Linux. I'm on Windows, so possibly that's part of it?
If yer out there Chris, that video would have really benefited from not glossing over that bit!
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Here's where I have difficulty. I swear I've read that you don't have to download everything, but that you can make the GitHub repo searchable from within Kicad, just as if it were stored on your computer. How do you set this up?
I've never heard of that, I don't believe such a thing exists.
Another thing. I saw a YouTube video where the guy (Chris Gammel) clicked the "add library" box, and instead of a folder with filenames (what I get when I click it), he had a list of libraries, with check boxes. That's what I want! How'd he get that?
I believe Chris is using Linux. I'm on Windows, so possibly that's part of it?
The Windows version is identical to the Linux version, I think, apart from file paths etc. However, Linux users often use the latest development build (aka nightly build) instead of stable release builds. The dev builds have a lot more features than the current stable release (4.0.6 at time of writing).
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The library structure is a mess and everyone knows it. It is being worked on. On the KiCAD list today they said it might not be fixed in time for the 5.X release. :( Yeah, it should check the online repos. Some have trouble with that because it can take minutes. Some people think their system is plain hung. Much better off to have the whole thing local. At least the libraries you will be using.
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How to use libraries from Github can be seen here. That just seems to be footprints and not schematic symbols. I'm not sure the latter is possible, which is weird, but possibly due to the cobbled together nature of the different KiCad program parts.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X52l5pSdR8E (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X52l5pSdR8E)