Differences

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--- kicad:schematic_symbol_management [2016/03/04 00:21] – [KICAD quicklib gen] mithat
+++ kicad:schematic_symbol_management [2018/09/09 07:54] (current) – mithat
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 ====== KiCad Schematic Symbol Management ======
+<WRAP center important 60%>
+The stuff here was written for versions of KiCad preceding 4.0. The latest versions of KiCad have introduced new library management features, rendering some of what follows obsolete.
+</WRAP>
 ===== Symbols, components, libraries =====
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 KiCad places schematic symbols into //component libraries//. Component libraries use the ''.lib'' extension. One ''.lib'' file typically contains definitions for several (usually related) components.
-<WRAP center round tip 60%>
+<WRAP center tip 60%>
 KiCad uses the term "component" to mean "schematic symbol."
 </WRAP>
-<WRAP center round tip 60%>
+<WRAP center tip 60%>
 There are two kinds of libraries in KiCad: **component libraries** (i.e., schematic symbol libraries), which are stored in ''.lib'' files, and **footprint libraries**, which are stored in ''.mod'' files. Our concern here is with component libraries.
 </WRAP>
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 You should add new components only to user component libraries. See [[#User component libraries]] below.
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+<WRAP center important 60%>
 **Even though you can import components into system and third-party libraries, you are strongly advised against making any changes to system and third-party libraries.**
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 For creating new components and for making changes to components in system or third-party component libraries, it is highly recommended that you use only libraries you have created yourself---what we will call //user libraries//. In other words, you should create new components only in user libraries, and components in system and third-party libraries that you wish to change should first be copied to a user library and edited there.
-<WRAP center round important 60%>
+<WRAP center important 60%>
 **Even though you can create/add/edit components in system and third-party libraries, you are strongly advised against making any changes to system and third-party libraries.**
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 === Hidden pins and automatic connections ===
-Power pins that are marked as hidden (i.e., the //Visible// property is unchecked) will automatically connect to nets with that name in the schematic.((Section 5.5.4 in the [[http://docs.kicad-pcb.org/en/Eeschema.html#wires-buses-labels-power-ports|Eeschema docs]] says, "Eeschema automatically connects invisible power pins of the same name to the power net of that name." )) This is a tradition dating back to the early days of EDA and one that today is mired in controversy.
+Power pins that are marked as hidden (i.e., the //Visible// property is unchecked) will automatically connect to nets with that name in the schematic:
+> Eeschema automatically connects invisible power pins of the same name to the power net of that name.(([[http://docs.kicad-pcb.org/en/Eeschema.html#wires-buses-labels-power-ports|Eeschema docs]], part 5.5.4))
+This is a tradition dating back to the early days of EDA and one that today is mired in controversy.
 Our preference is to avoid this kind of automatic connectivity. While it has its advantages (e.g., it makes circuits, especially logic circuits, appear cleaner), because modern designs frequently use a number of power supply rails and grounds as well as power supply bypass and treatment schemes, it can create schematics that are confusing at best and impossible to draw at worst.
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 ===== Additional resources =====
-==== KICAD quicklib gen ====
+==== KICAD part generators ====
-Creating packages with many pins in KiCad's Library Editor is a tedious and error-prone task. Much of the tedium and potential for error can be eliminated by using the online [[http://kicad.rohrbacher.net/quicklib.php|KICAD quicklib gen]] application. You should use  KiCad's Library Editor to check that files made with KICAD quicklib gen are as you expect and to make any needed adjustments that are not possible from within KICAD quicklib gen.
-A script that will generate individual parts or complete libraries from a CSV description is [[https://github.com/xesscorp/KiPart|KiPart]].
+Creating packages with many pins in KiCad's Library Editor is a tedious and error-prone task. Much of the tedium and potential for error can be eliminated by using the online [[http://kicad.rohrbacher.net/quicklib.php|KICAD quicklib gen]] application, the offline [[https://github.com/xesscorp/KiPart|KiPart]] application, and (no doubt) similar tools. You should use  KiCad's Library Editor to check that files made with KICAD quicklib gen are as you expect and to make any needed adjustments that are not possible from within KICAD quicklib gen.
 An Internet search should reveal other solutions if neither of the above is suited to your needs or they become unavailable.
 Copyright ©2011-2016 Mithat Konar. All rights reserved.