Electrical Engineering Stack Exchange
Electrical Engineering Stack Exchange

Questions tagged [kicad]

KiCad EDA is an open source (GPL) software package for the creation of electronic schematic diagrams and printed circuit board artwork.

KiCad links

KiCad homepage: https://www.kicad.org/
KiCad Documentation: https://docs.kicad.org/
User group: https://forum.kicad.info/

548 questions
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KiCAD 5 --- what is the significance of the various GND symbols?

I'm new to KiCAD. I see symbols for GND, GNDA (analog), GNDD (digital), GNDPWR, GNDREF, etc. Is there any significance aside from "schematic documentation"? I was expecting that maybe the reason for the multiple symbols is that the PCB layout tool…
Cal-linux
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KiCAD - Moving and rotating components with wires connected

I'm a major major noob to KiCAD and having done a couple of tuts in Eagle, I do like the separation of footprints from the schema. But one thing that took me by surprise is that the wire connections don't stay connected or become weird angled if I…
Plasty Grove
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ERC error "ErrType(3): Pin connected to some others pins but no pin to drive it"

The following simple circuit gives the following error message when running ERC check: ErrType(3): Pin connected to some others pins but no pin to drive it @ (2.5000 ",4.0000 "): Cmp #PWR01, Pin 1 (power_in) not driven (Net 5) The CONN_2…
hlovdal
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28
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Can I make KiCAD pcbnew NOT place all components at (0,0)

In EAGLE, when you create a board from an existing schematic or incrementally add components to a linked board/schematic project, it does not overlap components in the board file. In KiCAD/Pcbnew I drew a schematic and created a board from it. Every…
HL-SDK
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15
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How can I reuse sub-circuits in KiCad 5?

How can I implement a common sub-circuit which gets used in multiple places in a schematic with KiCAD 5, so that when only one instance gets edited all the other places it appears are automatically updated? Not by manually repeated…
Rob Kam
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14
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Signal bus in Kicad

I would like to know how does one design a signal bus in schematic in KiCad. I only worked in Eagle before and I cannot figure it out. E.g. - I have 5 digital signals going to another part of circuit and I want to connected them all to some other…
mrkva
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13
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KiCAD vs gEDA vs other open source CAD?

I've been using Eagle for the past 10 years, but I recently started wondering about open sourced CAD tools, figuring if I'm mainly designing Open Source Hardware, might as well do it with an open source tools. I have a mac, and a windows machine, so…
DanyO
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How to position parts relative to each other in Kicad?

Is it possible to automatically position parts in Kicad, relative to each other? I'm making a board that plugs into an Arduino Nano, and I'm finding it difficult to position the straight headers at the exact 17.76 mm span to match the space between…
Cerin
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Which files to version control for KiCAD?

I'm trying to create the .gitignore file for a KiCAD project that is versioned with git and stored remotely on GitHub. What are the minimum files I should I add to my version control system in order for others to replicate the project?
Marmstrong
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9
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4 answers

How do I copy a hierarchical module in KiCAD?

I have a schematic where I'm using hierarchical sheets. I'll have five same sheets and I'd like a way to make one and somehow just copy it for the other four sheets. Any ideas how to do that? I can't find any obvious way to do so. UPDATE: Just to…
AndrejaKo
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3 answers

Is there a way to select a group and copy in Kicad Schematic Editor?

I know we can do that in Eagle by selecting a block and copying them. Has Ki cad Implemented such feature? It documentation says I need to hold "SHIFT" Key and select to copy. Doesn't Work!! Application: kicad Version: 4.0.7 release build wxWidgets:…
MaNyYaCk
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8
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2 answers

Automatically numbering elements in Kicad

Does Kicad have a function to automatically number components? At the moment, whenever I insert a new resistor, I must also number it (e.g. R? -> R12). Is there a way to do that automatically?
alabamajack
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How should I deal with KiCAD Electrical Rule Check warnings?

I have drawn up a modest size schematic in KiCAD, for the first time. It seemed more or less straight forward. But now that I run the ERC error checker, I get boatloads of errors with seemingly disconnected pins even though the automatic junctions…
Gunther Schadow
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7
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How to rotate several parts with respect to origin without changing its (x,y) coordinates in KiCAD?

Say I have a part located at coordinates (50,50) and I want to rotate it 10 degrees w.r.t. origin. To do so, I will select the part and press "Move Exactly" and key in these values: Now the problem is I have 50 seperate parts that I need to rotate…
Wet Feet
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Kicad: Connect power to bidirectional pin

My design uses an IC with bi-directional I/O pins. For various reasons I need to connect GND to one of these pins, but Kicad warns about this: ErrType(4): Conflict problems between pins. Severity: warning * Pin 1 (Power output) of component…
larsb
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