KiCad update

[Interocitor Steve]

I am using KiCad 5 and I have seen the the ads for KiCad 7. I did not seen any substantive change. I do see normalized file naming, glitzier rendering, and new menu colors. It does still offers the basics: schematic capture (with symbol libraries), a PCB layout tool (with footprints), and 3D rendering (with .pretty files).

I really like KiCad and it would take me a lot to get off it. It has certainly gained a lot of traction in recent years and I am grateful to the developers who keep it going; I should make a donation.

But I am an olde fart, and I am wary of changes to a working system. Is there anything I am missing? Is there some new feature I didn't see?

=Steve.

[Douglas Miller]

The migration from Kicad 5 projects to 6 is difficult, so I suspect trying to migrate 5-to-7 is no better - if even possible. Staying behind is almost always a regret in the making. I am using v6 and find it much much better than 5. A lot of things are less buggy and generally it just works better. But moving the v5 schematics into v6 takes effort, as pretty much all the symbols have changed. I think it asks you about converting all the symbols to v6, and I probably made the wrong choice when I migrated - which left me with a bunch of old v5 symbols cached in the project, and in order to get a consistent look to the schematic you'll need to convert all to v6.

[Interocitor Steve]

Hello Douglas,

Thanks for the feedback.  I haven't found any flat out bugs in 5.  But it took me a while to get the hang of the symbol editor and libraries.  I only have two oddball parts now and 5 seems to know where need them.

Did you let 6 convert all the symbols?  I wasn't sure which choice you made.

=Steve.

[Tom Storey]

If you think changing from KiCad 5 to KiCad 6 or 7 is bad, trying being an EAGLE user and having to switch to KiCad by force. Thats what I had to do last year when EAGLE was no longer an option for me. I know it can import EAGLE projects, but as we see, importing is not always flawless and probably requires some effort to perform. :-)

I think I first tried KiCad around v5 and found it to be a train wreck, at least compared to EAGLE at the time (each to their own eh). But last year I finally took the dive into v6 after Autodesk dropped the "free EAGLE premium with Fusion 360" deal and I havent really looked back. It hasnt always been smooth sailing, and KiCad still frustrates me sometimes. But KiCad is the way forward for me now, and Ive made donations to support the effort.

I cant really claim to know what the major difference was between v5 and v6 (other than it felt significantly improved over what I remembered), nor really what the difference is between v6 and v7 (v7 wont run on my Mac because I dont have the latest greatest MacOS), but my advice if you want to make the change would be:

For any designs that dont require any more changes and/or are only kept for historical purposes, export gerbers and print the schematic to PDF, and then work on translating only the most necessary projects to v6+.

In my case, since most of my designs are just personal projects and are generally one-off's I didnt really even bother with the above. But if youve got any products that you sell based on designs from older software, its worth keeping at least the gerbers and schematic printout as you can always re-create a design from that using another CAD package later.

Ive never tried it either, but can you install KiCad 6/7 alongside 5 and try it out without having to completely ditch your existing setup? Just take a copy of the project directory and work on that so your originals remain untouched.

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[Andrew Lynch]

Hi

I've been a KiCAD regular user since 2006.  I think it is great software and have based all of my free/open source hardware using KiCAD.

Switching from KiCAD 5 to 6 is a major change.  The file formats for schematics and PCBs changed and I think it is a one-way conversion.

However, the ERC and DRC rule checking is much improved in KiCAD 6 and worth the upgrade by itself.  I think it makes for more reliable PCBs. 

My number one criticism of KiCAD is the parts libraries in terms of many missing parts (switches and connectors mainly) and weird inconsistencies in the parts actually in the libraries.  Some parts have symbols, some have footprints, some have 3D models, some have a combination, but others don't.  I find it incredibly frustrating at times and nearly every project involves making my own symbols and footprints from scratch.  I just found out the 74LS244 and 74HCT244 use different symbols even though the parts are pin compatible with only slightly different functionality.

I wish there were some way to send custom made parts back to KiCAD for consideration to include in the standard libraries. I suspect if all the KiCAD users could submit their custom parts that it would double or more the number of parts in the standard libraries.  I'd like to see a "submit part to KiCAD" button on the symbol and footprint window.

Another idea would be a PDF file with all the footprints and 3D models printed out to help with selecting the right part.  I tried finding a DIN-8 (MSX video connector) in the Connector file set and it was very time consuming and still I could not find such a basic part.

I think another area for improvement with KiCAD is integration with Digital for PLD design.  You can make them work together but it makes integration with FreeRouting looks smooth and elegant.

Best of luck, Andrew Lynch

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[Interocitor Steve]

Hi Snap,

I also started with a different tool, although I can't remember which one now.  I migrated to KiCad 4(?).  When I went from 4 to 5, I documented the whole upgrade procedure.  You welcome to it if you want it.  Basically, I save all of the old system off somewhere and then begin with the old source files in a separate sandbox.  It worked out fine, but it was TIME CONSUMING and a bit nerve wracking.  I had a few "custom" parts which got carried over to 5 nicely.  I would not want to have to make then again in 6 or any other version. So . . .  I should take one board with a custom part and just try that one. 

My Mac is running Mojave which will is supported by KiCad 6, not 7.  I hate upgrading OS's, too, but sooner or later I get pushed forward.  That seems to be the case for aps, too.  I know I will need to upgrade sometime.  If one gets too far behind, upgrading can become a crisis when it is necessary. 

Most of my projects are not one-offs.  They may change significantly, but I would hate to start from scratch.  I keep anything that gets sent to a lab in its own directory never to be touched again.  It can be copied and the copy edited, but always in a new directory.  Better safe than sorry.  I am not a fan of the bleeding edge.

=Steve.

[Interocitor Steve]

Hi Andrew,

I feel your pain.  You wrote,

->  My number one criticism of KiCAD is the parts libraries in terms of many missing parts (switches and connectors mainly) and weird inconsistencies in the parts actually in the libraries.  Some parts have symbols, some have footprints, some have 3D models, some have a combination, but others don't.  I find it incredibly frustrating at times and nearly every project involves making my own symbols and footprints from scratch.  I just found out the 74LS244 and 74HCT244 use different symbols even though the parts are pin compatible with only slightly different functionality. <--

o  I have found that using an existing part and tweaking it a bit works for me.  Sometimes the symbols I end up with are different styles than all the other parts.  They can stand out in the schematic, but I just live with it.  I used a Zilog SOI to get to an SCC (or the other way around - I forget).  I change as few things as possible.

-->  I wish there were some way to send custom made parts back to KiCAD for consideration to include in the standard libraries. I suspect if all the KiCAD users could submit their custom parts that it would double or more the number of parts in the standard libraries.  I'd like to see a "submit part to KiCAD" button on the symbol and footprint window.  <--

o  I think that most pro tools spend most of their development time keeping their libraries up to date - hence the higher cost.  Eagle and Altium will listen to your requests, not the freebie tools.o  Thanks for all your help,

=Steve.

PS, WTF is with Google auto-spacing paragraphs!