[PLUG] Kicad help needed

[Denis Heidtmann]

I am afraid I must be very dense or stupid.  I cannot find a way to find
out what $KIPRJMOD is set to.  Is this not a variable that I should be able
to determine the valve of, either using set, printenv, or echo?  Setting
that question aside, you say "The /libs/footprints.pretty part can be
anything you like, as long as it corresponds to an actual directory
structure within your project directory."  What is my project directory?
It seems my project is not a directory; it is a file.

The file fp_lib_table resides in the same folder as the .pro, and it
contains:
(fp_lib_table
  (lib (name Mounting_Holes)(type KiCad)(uri
"$(KISYSMOD)Mounting_Holes.pretty")(options "")(descr ""))
  (lib (name socketbd)(type KiCad)(uri
"$(KIPRJMOD)/socketbd.pretty")(options "")(descr ""))
)

Some of this may not matter since kicad has tools dealing with the
intricacies of the file structure.  I do not know if the other problems I
am encountering are related to directory-related errors or not.

I have been trying to create a 1/8" ID hole without any Cu and a clearance
to the solder mask and the ground plane.  I keep getting an error stating
"Error: the pad is not on a copper layer and has a hole" in one instance
and something else that I cannot get to repeat at present about needing the
hole and the pad to be the same size, which they are.  These questions are
likely due to vagaries of kicad requirements for NPTH pads and not library
issues, but since I cannot seem to save what I have done, I will blame
anything.

I intend to go to the Clinic this Sunday in the hopes that someone there
can set me on a correct path.

Thanks for reading this rambling complaint.

-Denis

On Tue, Jul 10, 2018 at 2:39 PM, Paul Mullen <pm at nellump.net> wrote:

> On Tue, Jul 10, 2018 at 02:18:05PM -0700, Denis Heidtmann wrote:
> > The issue I expect to encounter is choosing the new file and the
> > file name.  It seems kicad has rules (kept secret) for directory and
> > file names.
>
> I don't think it cares about the directory name.  Footprint files need
> a .kicad_mod suffix, though.
>
> To KiCad's PCB editor, pcbnew, the directory is the library, and the
> files are footprint modules within the library.  pcbnew has a tool for
> adding new footprint libraries,  Preferences->Manage Footprint
> Libraries... (the actual name may differ between versions).
>
> The tool will create a file in your project named fp-lib-table.
> Alternatively, you can create the file yourself.  It should look
> something like:
>
>     (fp_lib_table
>       (lib (name "My Custom Footprints")(type KiCad)(uri
> "$(KIPRJMOD)/lib/footprints.pretty")(options "")(descr "My custom
> footprints!"))
>     )
>
> $KIPRJMOD is automatically set, and points to the directory containing
> your design's .pro file.  The /libs/footprints.pretty part can be
> anything you like, as long as it corresponds to an actual directory
> structure within your project directory.
>
>
> --
> Paul Mullen
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