--- In kicad-users@..., "shelmichaels" <yahooshel@...> wrote:
Hi...
I'm trying to get up to speed with KiCad, and it's going pretty well. 8^)
One thing that bothers me, though, is the footprint/module for diodes as presented in the standard library. In the library version that I got when installing KiCad just a few weeks ago, the anode is marked as pin 1, and the cathode as pin 2. Good. But, the square pin shape is on pin 2. Not good??
Doesn't this violate conventions on pin shapes? Isn't it always pin 1 that is supposed to get the square shape? Would I be painting myself into some kind of corner if I change all diode modules to have square shapes for pin 1?
Thanks for your time in looking at this.
Best regards,
...Shel
My advice, which applies to any EDA, is to largely ignore the libraries that come with it. When there is a part in the library that is worthwhile, export it to a new library and modify it to suit your preference. It won't take long before you have a nice set of libraries containing many parts that you actually use, without having to sift through thousands of random bits. Another advantage is that if you reinstall or upgrade KiCAD, it won't overwrite your changes as it will if you modify parts in the default library.
As for pad shapes, do it the way you prefer, it makes no real difference in the end as long as you are consistent. I generally use A and K rather than 1 and 2 because there are many diodes in various SMT packages that use other pin numbers.
