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# DEM remarks
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## General
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- Assembly documentation
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We should check with people responsible for assembling boards what
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kind of documentation do they expect. Alternatively we can open an
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EDMS project and see what files are stored in xxx-assy.zip
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archives.
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This probably would require a converter or an export plugin in
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KiCad. KiCad should offer export to one of the formats accepted by
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CircuitCam. See also the [DEM documentation
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- KiCad configuration manual
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We need a brief document describing steps to adapt a KiCad
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installation to CERN environment (setting up libraries, generating
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BOM and assembly documentation).
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\* <s>Assembly documentation</s>
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We should check with people responsible for assembling boards what kind
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of documentation do they expect. Alternatively we can open an EDMS
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project and see what files are stored in xxx-assy.zip archives.
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This probably would require a converter or an export plugin in KiCad.
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KiCad should offer export to one of the formats accepted by CircuitCam.
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See also the [DEM documentation
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convention](https://edms.cern.ch/ui/#!master/navigator/document?d:1453943006:1453943006:subdocs).
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**TODO:** Check Tom's assembly drawings generator script.
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*Update**: For assembly documentation we need:
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<!-- end list -->
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\- Gerbers (ok)
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\- drill files (ok)
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\- pick and place machine data (ok, generated with a Python script on
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DFS (Applications/KiCad/scripts/fab/mounter.py) or using Maxime's Excel
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macros)
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\- BOM (ok, Python script on DFS
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(Applications/KiCad/scripts/bom/cern\_csv\_bom.py), needs further
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processing with Maxime's Excel macros)
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now we can go with GenCAD exporter, in the future we may
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\- ODB** (for now it is substituted with GenCAD)
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- Support for long pad names/pin numbers
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- <s>Support for long pad names/pin numbers</s>
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Required for Altium library import.
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Update: fixed in 76d13653
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<!-- end list -->
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... | ... | @@ -32,16 +47,21 @@ |
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## Eeschema
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- Good quality BOM generator
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- <s>Good quality BOM generator</s>
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The current user interface is terrible. It requires to choose a file
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that provides an xsltproc plugin (if you know where to look for
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one). As far as I know, it can generate only .csv files.
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A good candidate to fix the problem is Oliver Walters [component
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table
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viewer](https://lists.launchpad.net/kicad-developers/msg29057.html).
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Drop XSLT, switch to Python plugins? Be sure they are automatically
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detected, so all the user has to do is to pick the output format and
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settings.
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Drop XSLT, switch to Python plugins? **Be sure they are
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automatically detected, so all the user has to do is to pick the
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output format and settings.**
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**Update:** Eeschema is able to take advantage of Python scripts
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when generating BOM. There is a Python script that is good enough
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for CERN needs, could be upgraded if needed.
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Automatic detection of plugins is still needed to improve the user
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experience.
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<!-- end list -->
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... | ... | @@ -49,11 +69,11 @@ |
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Currently there are a few default fields (name, value, footprint),
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so for each new component others have to be added manually (e.g.
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datasheet link, mounted, tolerance).
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These fields should be used by the BOM generator.
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A possible solution is to import .csv files with a list of pins and
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their properties. There are [external
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tools](https://github.com/xesscorp/kipart) that already exploit this
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approach.
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These fields should be used by the BOM generator. A possible
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solution is to import .csv files with a list of pins and their
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properties.
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There are [external tools](https://github.com/xesscorp/kipart) that
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already exploit this approach.
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<!-- end list -->
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... | ... | @@ -75,10 +95,18 @@ |
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<!-- end list -->
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- Update component field values
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- <s>Update component field values</s>
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There are cases when symbol libraries fields change (e.g. Obsolete
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field), but there is no way to reflect the change in already placed
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component.
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Update: fixed in e29d77c8
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<!-- end list -->
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- Custom fields for worksheet templates
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Now there the fields might store only very basic and predefined
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information. Ideally should be able to add own fields that could be
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displayed in a worksheet template (page layout).
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## Pcbnew
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... | ... | @@ -86,16 +114,20 @@ |
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<s>Import and export. It might be already doable with KiCad, I need
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to check. Perhaps it requires a few hackish tricks that could be
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replaced with a nice UI.</s>
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STEPs can be easily assigned to footprints and are correctly
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displayed by 3D viewer. Pcbnew has also successfully exported a STEP
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model for the FMC nanoFIP board.
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**Update**: STEPs can be easily assigned to footprints and are
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correctly displayed by 3D viewer, given the model path is properly
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configured.
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Pcbnew has also successfully exported a STEP model for the FMC
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nanoFIP board. The only missing part are informative error messages
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in case the export
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does not work (most often lack of continuity of the board outline).
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<!-- end list -->
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- Selecting layers when importing DXF files Right now KiCad imports
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all DXF layers, which is not always convenient. Adding a listbox to
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select layers would significantly improve the importer
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functionality.
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- Selecting layers when importing DXF files
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Right now KiCad imports all DXF layers, which is not always
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convenient. Adding a listbox to select layers would significantly
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improve the importer functionality.
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<!-- end list -->
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... | ... | @@ -112,12 +144,20 @@ |
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- Export multiple layers to a single DXF file
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<!-- end list -->
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- Selecting line width or reusing one when importing a DXF file
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In the current version all lines are thin, not sure where is the
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setting to change the imported lines width.
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<!-- end list -->
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- DRC
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KiCad and Altium DRC capabilities are two different worlds at the
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moment. Unfortunately, it might be a long process to introduce more
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complex DRC rules in KiCad.
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complex DRC rules in KiCad, especially that it requires model
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refactor to
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use the geometry library.
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**TODO:** Make the list of the most important rules to implemented
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first.
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... | ... | @@ -140,6 +180,7 @@ |
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Generally speaking, it would be great to have dimension lines
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associated with certain points, so the dimensions are automatically
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updated when the associated point coordinate changes.
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There should be an option to change the relative text position.
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Update: Tom is already working on this.
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<!-- end list -->
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... | ... | @@ -173,6 +214,14 @@ |
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- Tool to place an information about the board stack-up and used
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drills.
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Could be easily done with a Python script, but the board stack-up
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information requires adding such feature to KiCad first (model, UI).
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<!-- end list -->
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- Free rotation of the module texts
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Designators (references) and values are restricted to -90**..90**
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rotation angles.
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# Bugs (to be confirmed and posted on the bug tracker)
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... | ... | @@ -190,3 +239,13 @@ |
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- When saving a footprint with a different name, the 'Value' field is
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not updated.
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<!-- end list -->
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- 3D models might not be displayed until one opens the path
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configuration dialog and closes it.
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<!-- end list -->
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- Opening the path configuration dialog causes round pads to be
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displayed as squares in the 3D viewer.
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