kicad-developers team mailing list archive

["Frank Bennett" <bennett78@...>]

--- In kicad-devel@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx, Milan Horák <konference@...> wrote:
>
> Hallo,
> 
> let's look on the specs, no offense:
> 
I'm reposting my comments of a year ago (with an update at the end)

Well, maybe I'm a dreamer as well but it would be nice to have
a web site/service, funded & checked for accuracy by the parts
suppliers, where you pick a part by manufacturing Part#, with
pdf data sheet, place the symbol on the schematic, with a footprint
reference for layout and get BOM info for pricing, by distributor 
part # so parts can be procurred while the board is being laid out.

Ema-eda, Cadence, OrCad have started:
http://www.ema-eda.com/products/other/emacadlibrary.aspx
to keep you committed as a member of their tool set club.

Nasa has a database of parts but no symbols or footprints:
http://nepp.nasa.gov/npsl/
that Intusoft claims to cross reference using XML:
http://www.intusoft.com/nlhtm/nl70.htm#xmldatabaseforpcbfootprint

Frank Frank, Accelerated Designs has a reasonably priced tool:
http://www.accelerated-designs.com/(S(rdiy2e55jhfjh445nadheknd))/Standards.aspx
with a neutral database, a library manager with revision control,
edit symbols/footprints then export to the PCB design package
of choice. This would be real handy for Consultants that have to
re-design boards across different EDA platforms, adding new parts,
referencing/designing/importing symbols, footprints as their primary
design function. Not sure if Frank Frank would share his database
design, but he mentions the IPC-7351 standard.

Update: There are footprints for National parts using Frank Frank's
Data Base, however they are in a binary format.

I mention this primarily as references for ideas. The world got
into this mess from the history that schematic and PCB layout
packages originated from separate proprietary (binary) sources.