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Date: Tue, 17 Mar 2015 19:38:30 +0100
Message-ID: <CAGYR9veihi_M+B0HXptGYQLMO8=B_KOLM2wmrRNkMLG_9MdQrA@mail.gmail.com>
Subject: Re: [geda-user] pcb alternatives
From: Bernhard Kraft <bkraf0j9 AT gmail DOT com>
To: geda-user AT delorie DOT com
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Precedence: bulk

Hi,

On Tue, Mar 17, 2015 at 4:18 PM, GENE GLICK <geneglick AT optonline DOT net> wrote:
>
> FYI, I use make to handle all the exchange between schematic and pcb.
>

I also use GNU "make" for handling the schematic->pcb transition. It
even does the DRC stuff.

gschem and pcb are like any other tool: You have to learn how to use
it. Maybe people try PCB first, find that it is too complex and then
try kicad with all the knowledge they gathered with PCB before. For
them it seems pcb is too complex.

But it is true: the footprint and symbol libraries are quite unsorted.
The pcb footprints even more than the gschem symbols. If I would start
chaning something I would start to restructure the pcb footprints.
Maybe similar to how they are organized at some electronics component
distributor: active/passive/mechanical. The passive components in
resistor/capacitor/coils/etc. and the resistors i.e. again in
surface-mount/through-hole.

For me gschem/pcb became really productive when I started to recall
all the symbols/footprints I use in every design. So when you start
doing your 3rd or 4th design it becomes easier every time. A long-term
project of mine is to create a totally monitored solar water heating
appliance for analyzing and optimizing various parameters. As soon as
I had designed the first board having the CAN interface I just had to
copy the gschem sheet containing the CAN controller and supporting
circutry to every other project using the same controller.

So it is not just about having a good footprint library but also about
having a set of gschem sheets you can juggle together to create your
new board. One sheeet for the CPU, one or two for the interfaces, etc.
etc.

A current software project of mine is to create a PCB file parser in
Java. I guess it could get used to create a tool which allows to
convert kicad footprints to pcb footprints and vice versa.

grz,
Bernhard