4 ms·

Maybe I missed it but why would anyone use this over KiCad?

craftyguy 8y ago
The author of librepcb answered this on reddit: https://www.reddit.com/r/PrintedCircuitBoard/comments/9q4j1n/librepcb_first_release_candidate_is_out_ama/ https://www.reddit.com/r/PrintedCircuitBoard/comments/9q4j1n...
- sowbug 8y ago
  There's also a comparison page: https://librepcb.org/compare/ https://librepcb.org/compare/
  - dbrgn 8y ago
    Yes, since 20 minutes :) https://github.com/LibrePCB/LibrePCB.github.io/commit/b346916524ac679af6d64ba81e93440290b95f82 https://github.com/LibrePCB/LibrePCB.github.io/commit/b34691...
crispyambulance 8y ago
> would anyone use this over KiCad? It appears the key reason is how parts are managed (the part libraries). I use KiCad and mostly like it-- it can do everything. But the biggest problem [with KiCad] is there doesn't seem to be a coherent/opinionated workflow about how you manage parts (part libraries). By "managing parts" I mean the associations in your "project" between the schematic symbol, its footprint, its 3D model, and perhaps even datasheet, spice and vendor info. Keeping this stuff straight is a major pain in the ass and it's stressful to add new parts. These are hard problems and people have wildly different ideas about what's correct. The fact that LibrePCB is signalling improvements in these areas makes me want to give it a spin. There does seem to be some initiatives lately to make this stuff easier (eg SnapEDA, UltraLibrarian, EE Concierge, and others). But to really make it work, EDA vendors need to standardize together or find a way to work with "everything".
- tylerflick 8y ago
  I second this. KiCad is a great software, but it's workflow between schematic and PCB layout is confusing and its parts management is a mess. Hopefully the ideas of this project will make their way into KiCad.
- joshvm 8y ago
  There's an ongoing debate over whether to go the Kicad approach with a unified footprint library or Eagle where every part has its own footprint/symbol pair. The Kicad approach makes it easy to add new parts with known footprints but you still need to make them for non standard parts. Also if a component has a kind of standard footprint, but needs eg bigger pads for some reason, you also need to figure that out. Eagle is a faff be user everything has to either be copied from another library, or you need to make it yourself. But once thaf library is done, it's pretty portable. I'm an Eagle user and am used to it; I can make parts fairly quickly now. There are also parametric component generators (library.io) which takes a lot of the stress out of it.
  - deleted 8y ago
    [deleted]
  - zrobotics 8y ago
    For me, the big problem isn't the underlying systems, but the UI on top of them. I've had a board where identical parts needed different footprints, and the kicad system made that very easy to manage. However, the UI & workflow is far too different between creating symbols and footprints, making it harder to learn and easier to forget.
- Animats 8y ago
  It appears the key reason is how parts are managed (the part libraries). Yes. KiCAD in general isn't bad, but the part management tools in KiCAD have very strange user interfaces. Footprints are in directories while schematic symbols are in archive-like files (or is the the other way around). The user interface reflects this, which is confusing. KiCAD, like most open source, has a large number of annoyance-level problems. Schematic capture isn't bad, but it's strange in some places. For example, the dot that shows a connection between two crossing wires is a separate object which can survive deletion of the wires. Most schematic capture programs, such as LTSpice, do better. There are really two PC layout programs, one using OpenGL and one using some other interface. Each has some features the other doesn't, and you have to switch modes between them. There's an auto-router, and due to some IP dispute it's not fully integrated. The auto-router isn't bad if your board isn't extremely tight.
dbrgn 8y ago
Urban just published a page which compares some aspects of LibrePCB to KiCAD and Eagle: https://librepcb.org/compare/ https://librepcb.org/compare/
IshKebab 8y ago
For one, Kicad is extremely unintuitive.
- rasz 8y ago
  kicad is gimp of pcb packages.

The author of librepcb answered this on reddit: https://www.reddit.com/r/PrintedCircuitBoard/comments/9q4j1n/librepcb_first_release_candidate_is_out_ama/ https://www.reddit.com/r/PrintedCircuitBoard/comments/9q4j1n...

sowbug 8y ago
There's also a comparison page: https://librepcb.org/compare/ https://librepcb.org/compare/
- dbrgn 8y ago
  Yes, since 20 minutes :) https://github.com/LibrePCB/LibrePCB.github.io/commit/b346916524ac679af6d64ba81e93440290b95f82 https://github.com/LibrePCB/LibrePCB.github.io/commit/b34691...

crispyambulance 8y ago

> would anyone use this over KiCad? It appears the key reason is how parts are managed (the part libraries). I use KiCad and mostly like it-- it can do everything. But the biggest problem [with KiCad] is there doesn't seem to be a coherent/opinionated workflow about how you manage parts (part libraries). By "managing parts" I mean the associations in your "project" between the schematic symbol, its footprint, its 3D model, and perhaps even datasheet, spice and vendor info. Keeping this stuff straight is a major pain in the ass and it's stressful to add new parts. These are hard problems and people have wildly different ideas about what's correct. The fact that LibrePCB is signalling improvements in these areas makes me want to give it a spin. There does seem to be some initiatives lately to make this stuff easier (eg SnapEDA, UltraLibrarian, EE Concierge, and others). But to really make it work, EDA vendors need to standardize together or find a way to work with "everything".

tylerflick 8y ago
I second this. KiCad is a great software, but it's workflow between schematic and PCB layout is confusing and its parts management is a mess. Hopefully the ideas of this project will make their way into KiCad.
joshvm 8y ago
There's an ongoing debate over whether to go the Kicad approach with a unified footprint library or Eagle where every part has its own footprint/symbol pair. The Kicad approach makes it easy to add new parts with known footprints but you still need to make them for non standard parts. Also if a component has a kind of standard footprint, but needs eg bigger pads for some reason, you also need to figure that out. Eagle is a faff be user everything has to either be copied from another library, or you need to make it yourself. But once thaf library is done, it's pretty portable. I'm an Eagle user and am used to it; I can make parts fairly quickly now. There are also parametric component generators (library.io) which takes a lot of the stress out of it.
- deleted 8y ago
  [deleted]
- zrobotics 8y ago
  For me, the big problem isn't the underlying systems, but the UI on top of them. I've had a board where identical parts needed different footprints, and the kicad system made that very easy to manage. However, the UI & workflow is far too different between creating symbols and footprints, making it harder to learn and easier to forget.
Animats 8y ago
It appears the key reason is how parts are managed (the part libraries). Yes. KiCAD in general isn't bad, but the part management tools in KiCAD have very strange user interfaces. Footprints are in directories while schematic symbols are in archive-like files (or is the the other way around). The user interface reflects this, which is confusing. KiCAD, like most open source, has a large number of annoyance-level problems. Schematic capture isn't bad, but it's strange in some places. For example, the dot that shows a connection between two crossing wires is a separate object which can survive deletion of the wires. Most schematic capture programs, such as LTSpice, do better. There are really two PC layout programs, one using OpenGL and one using some other interface. Each has some features the other doesn't, and you have to switch modes between them. There's an auto-router, and due to some IP dispute it's not fully integrated. The auto-router isn't bad if your board isn't extremely tight.

dbrgn 8y ago

Urban just published a page which compares some aspects of LibrePCB to KiCAD and Eagle: https://librepcb.org/compare/ https://librepcb.org/compare/

IshKebab 8y ago

For one, Kicad is extremely unintuitive.

rasz 8y ago
kicad is gimp of pcb packages.