Hello everyone,?

I have been using?Kicad 6 on Win10 laptop for months now and our antivirus software (Trellix Endpoint Security) at the company reported this data as a trojan?C:\Program Files\KiCad\6.0\bin\brotlicommon.dll".?Now the file has been deleted and I cant use any of Kicads subprograms/applications (schematic editor, symbol editor, pcb editor, etc.) anymore. This means that I cant manage any library. Also whenever I try to open an application Kicad presents me 3 different error messages.?

I tried copying the deleted data from a different laptop with the same kicad version, but the antivirus software immediately deletes it after copying into my laptop.

I was hoping if I could still export all of my libraries from Kicad 6 and import them into Kicad 7. Moreover Kicad 7 is working normally and our antivirus software didnt discover any malicious data.

Here are pictures regarding the error messages that I get while opening any Kicad subprogram/applications.
First

Second

Third


Kicad Version



I appreciate any help or suggestion to fix this dilemma.

Best regards,
Lorenzo

?

OK, perhaps I should rephrase my question as the poor circuit I posted seems to be preoccupying the discussion.

Could anyone please post an example of a successful AC response produced using the latest KiCad? So I can see how it is done in general? Any illustrative circuit example would do, forget the one I posted above. I'm trying to understand if it works and how I can get it to work for me.

If the output is a dc level, it will quite fairly refuse an ac sweep.

As others said, this type of circuit (phase splitter?) should swing the output around 0V.
You wouldn't expect a network analyser in the real world to show a bode plot if the circuit between is not functioning.

I am a beginner with KICAD sims, but LTSPICE is fairly familiar.

Thanks - the circuit, as you have pointed out, has not yet had the benefit of 'design', merely 'simulation'.

However I am still not understanding why I can't seem to perform an AC analysis (presumably, even once the circuit is properly designed).

开云体育

It surely is. The base voltage and R5 indicate a current of about 6 mA, which doesn't work with R4 being 17.8 k. I've never seen a concertina phase-splitter with different collector and emitter resistors. R2 and R? look wrong as well. Q1 and Q2 bases are both at about 8 V.

开云体育

Not sure- but it would look like Q3 may be saturated.

I'm having trouble getting an AC simulation to work in 7.0.5. Could be I am just not doing something right but 'the obvious' things don't work - nor does 'doing something similar to what I do in LTSpice' work.



I can set up a Transient simulation just fine.



However attempting to set up and run an AC simulation doesn't seem to want to let me add signals, and it just pops up an error message telling me to 'run the simulation first'. If I run the simulation again, it just gives me another Transient simulation!



Any idea what I am doing wrong, or should I be filing a bug report?

Hi Augustine,
you need to convert the svg file to a bitmap file with a graphics program and then import the bitmap into the drawing sheet.
I've done it on both drawing paper and pcb although, to be honest, they were quite simple logos.
Regards.

Alessandro

I'm having trouble getting an AC simulation to work in 7.0.5. Could be I am just not doing something right but 'the obvious' things don't work - nor does 'doing something similar to what I do in LTSpice' work.



I can set up a Transient simulation just fine.



However attempting to set up and run an AC simulation doesn't seem to want to let me add signals, and it just pops up an error message telling me to 'run the simulation first'. If I run the simulation again, it just gives me another Transient simulation!



Any idea what I am doing wrong, or should I be filing a bug report?

开云体育

The image has a lot of bezier curves and importing the png into the Drawing Sheet Editor does not look as nice as importing the svg in the Footprint Editor to the silk. An extremely high resolution png would likely work, but I feel silly using a 10MB png for what is a 12.6kB svg.

What about the png is not desirable? Perhaps converting with a higher output resolution will provide better results.

David




On 6/12/2023 8:42 AM, Augustine Savoca via groups.io wrote:

Hello All,

I would like to know if anyone has an idea on how to import a vector graphics file (specifically svg in this case) into the drawing sheet editor? Or otherwise place an svg on a drawing sheet?

There is an Add Bitmap feature, but that does not support svg (I have already used this with a png version of the image, but I am unhappy with the result). Likewise, the Image Converter does not support svg either.

There is an Import Vector Graphics File in the Footprint Editor and that seems to work well. I can always place a footprint on the title block containing the image but I would rather not.

Am I missing something obvious? Or is this not currently implemented? I am using KiCad version 7.99.0.1401, if it is relevant. Any suggestions would be appreciated.

- Augustine

What about the png is not desirable? Perhaps converting with a higher output resolution will provide better results.

David

Hello All,

I would like to know if anyone has an idea on how to import a vector graphics file (specifically svg in this case) into the drawing sheet editor? Or otherwise place an svg on a drawing sheet?

There is an Add Bitmap feature, but that does not support svg (I have already used this with a png version of the image, but I am unhappy with the result). Likewise, the Image Converter does not support svg either.

There is an Import Vector Graphics File in the Footprint Editor and that seems to work well. I can always place a footprint on the title block containing the image but I would rather not.

Am I missing something obvious? Or is this not currently implemented? I am using KiCad version 7.99.0.1401, if it is relevant. Any suggestions would be appreciated.

- Augustine

I'm afraid I don't. I'm not familiar with Python.

Thank you for your impressions. I'm yet to start using the simulator.

Do you know of any python-package like pyltspice which allows to work with e.g. stepped result data nicely?

I have just spent a few hours playing around with the ngspice Simulator in KiCad 7. I am already a fan. Some very initial impressions...

Positive

1. The UI, starting from the same schematic entry tool as KiCad uses, is a winner. There is no comparison at all with LTSpice's UI, which is frankly awful.
2. Fairly short learning curve if you come (as I do) from an LTSpice background
3. Much easier process to integrate third-party models (again, in comparison to LTSpice). I had some potentially show-stopping questions that I was able to resolve by experimenting with the UI and finding how it worked

4. SPICE_LIB_DIR - thank goodness for this

5. Was able to import models from Texas Instruments, Infineon, ONSEMI... and have them actually work in simulations without a fight. Winner.
6. Simulation UI is pretty simple and straightforward for this stage of development. And it does work!
7. Things generally 'do what you expect' - a plus.
8. 'Workbook' concept is nice
9. 'Tune' tool, using a slider to manipulate a simulation component's value, is an absolute winner. What a great tool.
10. Lots and lots of potential here. I went in cold, but will be using this a lot more. Great work KiCad team!

Negative

1. A few niggles with the UI; some small fonts that cannot be read easily
   

Wishes

1. So many, but I fully understand this tool is a work-in-progress (and as I said, great work so far)
2. Would like the ability to place Operating Point labels on the schematic (LTSpice .op directive)
3. Rename/label 'signals'?
4. Cursors, measurement tools etc.

Again, a huge amount of potential, great tool, I am a fan thanks just to a short time experimenting.

I'm trying out the SPICE/ngspice simulator in 7.0.5 (Release). The font size used on the axis labels is tiny - unreadable on a 3840 x 2160 display. Is there any way for the user to change it? I don't see anything in any preferences but maybe I missed it.

开云体育

I think you'll find that nets can only have one name on a sheet. In a hierarchical design, connected wires can have different different names in different sheets, but when the netlist is flattened these are resolved.

I think you're basically assigning two different net names to a single net. either use a 0 Ohm jumper, a net tie or consider not using a bus on one side of the connection

PS: not a kicad pro ;-)

Hi

I have made a schematic with multiple cascaded hierarchical sheets. For ease of navigation and convenience, I have used buses throughout the schematic to make wire connections and to bring out as hierarchical ports.?

The problem is that when I unfold from these buses and connect them with another using labels, the following error occurs:?

?

This in-turn results in net-connection issues like shown :

It can be noticed that the labels "MISO_CTRL" and "MOSI_CTRL" are not highlighted. I have realised this error is because they have a different connection (refer images attached below)

where the connection name for the highlighted label is /connectors/MISO_CTRL, which is different compared to the net it is attached to which has the connection name? /connectors/PortA_1

?

This problem goes deeper, where a legitimate connection is not established due to the mismatch of the net coming from another hierarchical sheet.

Here, a connection between PortA_1 and SSPI_MISO are not established.

Moreover, anytime I try to highlight the MISO_CTRL labels and attached nets, the highlight functionality does not work and only the label is highlighted. This causes issues while tracing the nets in the schematic.

?

I would be grateful if someone could suggest a way out of this issue, or how I can get control over the "connection-name" property of the nets and labels.

?

Thank you

Hi Robert,
thanks for your answer.

*
>I've tried not to give away too much of the design, but I hope that
>doesn't render my description too vague to be useless.

*

No, I get what you mean, don't worry.

*
>Yes, you can use the array tools to get yourself the
>pads in the right place (deleting any unwanted pads from a created array
>may be quicker than trying to be clever), but it's still a couple of
>hours work.
*
That's exactly what I did: I created three arrays of 360 vias each on three circumferences of different diameters. Then I deleted the vias that didn't interest me and moved those to the wrong places.
It took several hours...

*
>Doing a one-off the most sensible option is to roll up your sleeves and
>get on with it!
*

It depends on how many times it will happen to do similar jobs. Since led lighting is spreading more and more, probably thinking about some script for KiCad could be a good idea.

*
>So what you would need to
>do is create the basic pattern for one segment using the array tool as
>many times as you need, and then select every pad in the segment and use
>the array tool to create the entire circle.
*
I think I will try to develop this idea as soon as I have some time. I think I understand what you mean, I'll have to try to make vias and leds coexist.

Thanks for you suggestion!
Regards.

Alessandro

OK, I've had a look at this now, and I see two options.

Doing a one-off the most sensible option is to roll up your sleeves and
get on with it! Yes, you can use the array tools to get yourself the
pads in the right place (deleting any unwanted pads from a created array
may be quicker than trying to be clever), but it's still a couple of
hours work. I note that the circular arrays are not simple, ie it's
not, for example, one via every ten degrees. So what you would need to
do is create the basic pattern for one segment using the array tool as
many times as you need, and then select every pad in the segment and use
the array tool to create the entire circle. Once you've finished,
you'll have a footprint with however many pads it has (call it n), and
kicad will have numbered them all for you (1-n). Yes, the numbering
probably wont be as you would like it, but just go with the flow. If
you want everything in the footprint rather than using zones, use a
graphical shape as one of the pads, so it gets rotated in an array
around the circle and kicad will know from the pin numbering which nets
it connects to. It looks like you would need two graphical shape pads
as your start point, one wide and one narrow (hint: use the centre-most
pad in each shape as the anchor, ie the thing you right-click on and
select "Edit Pad as Graphic Shapes"). The downside of not using zones
is you will need to run tracks between the vias (doing something similar
to you, this is the one time when I let the autorouter do its worst, as
whatever mess it created was hidden by the pads; all I cared about was
the connectivity).

For lots of variations on a theme, I would give serious consideration to
coding myself a program to do the job (indeed I have done this). Kicad
uses text files, so writing a program to output a footprint is not
unusually challenging, but the work required will be such that's it's
not worth doing for a one-off.

Once the footprint is created, in eeschema create a symbol with n pins,
and, referring to the footprint, wire them up with the required
connectivity. Don't forget that because you worked with arrays, copy
and paste will be your friend; create a bunch of wires for one segment,
and then copy and paste to wire up the remaining segments. Pcbnew will
then know how all the pads are connected, and how they are connected to
any zones you choose to use.

I've tried not to give away too much of the design, but I hope that
doesn't render my description too vague to be useless.

Regards,

Robert.