Re: gEDA-user: gEDA pcb features / kicad

[Peter Clifton <pcjc2@xxxxxxxxx>]

On Fri, 2008-06-20 at 07:15 +0200, michalwd1979 wrote:
> Hello,
> I am now learing gEDA (on rather complicated project), but some time ago I found that there is another package similar to gEDA - Kicad. I don't want to start never ending discussion about which is better but can anyone make a simple compare? It seems for me that Kicad is a single application and does not have programs like gattrib, tragesym ect. so I would rather stick to gEDA (I love the idea of apps like tragesym, gattrib) but maybe I am wrong? 
> 
> Assigning footprints to elements (using gattrib or gschem) takes a lot
> of time especially when you did not used pcb before. You need to
> manually search pcb library and pick footprints until you learn them.
> Heavy symbols is not a way to go in my opinion (you never know if the
> symbol has right footprint for you) but maybe it would be possible to
> have another application like gfootprint?

It would be possible, and is quite like how KiCad does it. For now, you
may find copy-pasting speeds things up. If I've got lots of resistors in
a design, I place one from the symbol library, then add
"footprint=0805", "value=?", and copy-paste that one part rather than
leaving the footprint addition until the end.

Hopefully you have a new enough version of PCB that you have a footprint
search box, and a preview pane. (If not upgrade - its 100x easier then
reading through a list of footprint names with no preview.)

>  It could load your schematic, then look for footprints in pcb
> libraries and show you  "preferred footprints" for an element based on
> some attributes. For example something like 1W_Carbon_Resistor from
> pcb newlib can be a resistor, maybe an inductor but a diode or
> capacitor.


> resistor-1 symbol could have a "footprint-type" or similar attribute
> "RESISTOR" and 1W_Carbon_Resisitor could have "symbol-type" attribure
> "RESISTOR INDUCTOR". Now gfootprint will show only footprints where
> "footprint-type" mathes one of "symbol-type". This would reduce number
> of footprints showed by huge number.

The amount of data which would need to be entered is quite high, and
no-one seems to be motivated to do boring tasks like this. I / others
have had the idea that the application "gfootprint" needs to be a bit
"iTunes" like - networked to a server where users can contribute data
(like music ratings). If all users were to enter data for a component or
two, we "might" be able to collect a useful database.

> The problem would be with ICs and special elements but it such case we
> can not set these attributes (and manually set footprint) or have them
> like IC-20 to limit footprints to 20 pins DILs, SOs, TSSOPs and so on.
> I hope that I did not make this all to much confising :-).

If you're prepared to go "heavy" on them, it will work. Just be careful
though. I placed an ADC which the data-sheet called "SSOP/QSOP", using
the SSOP package in PCB. It was too wide. QSOP was the right width, but
had no useable pads for hand-soldering. TSSOP turned out to be a good
choice.

This is why the data entered needs to be vetted carefully, and tagged
according to the level of checking which has been done "data-sheet",
"visual" (component placed on a paper printout), "production"

> I really like the gEDA idea to have small apps for different functions
> so maybe this could be another? My programming skills are not enough
> to write it (I am working only with microcontrollers) but maybe I can
> set attributes?

All contribution is welcome. (There are already sites for sharing
symbols / footprints people make, such as gedasymbols.org).


-- 
Peter Clifton

Electrical Engineering Division,
Engineering Department,
University of Cambridge,
9, JJ Thomson Avenue,
Cambridge
CB3 0FA

Tel: +44 (0)7729 980173 - (No signal in the lab!)



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