kicad-developers team mailing list archive

["Lorenzo" <lomarcan@...>]

--- In kicad-devel@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx, Wayne Stambaugh <stambaughw@...> wrote:

> up in the grid selection list? Does anyone want to snap to a 0.127mm or
> a 0.254mm grid. I propose changing the grid list to only show the
> metric grid sizes when millimeters are selected and English grid sizes
> when inches are selected. The user grid will always be shown in the
> current units. I already have it coded up and working and wanted to
> make sure that there were no objections before I made the commit.

Maybe it depends on how someone works... I personally place components using a 0.5 mm grid and route with a 20mil grid, switching to 5mil for tight spots (like passing between the legs of a SOT). I heard around of an 'unifiedgrid' but I know nothing of it. Anyway when you have metric sized packageswith imperial pitch you WILL have the problem (i.e. all the SOICs and more). I'm resigned to let the last segment of a track wander off grid to join the pins...


> where we want to save the last setting? It seems to me that this more
> of an application setting than a project parameter. If no one 

I'm for a project preference... when designing for breadboards (it's useful, really:P) I stick with the 100mil grid, on common double faces I use the 20mil and with BGA... it's a hell in itself routing between the balls and layers:D

OTOH I switch grid really often so more than where to save the preference I'd prefer some hotkeys to change it (like for zoom and units.

> way. If the consensus is to leave the last grid setting in the project
> file, this will have to be fixed or it will cause problems in the future.

If it will cause problems just fix it!

I would like to renew the proposal for a 'multiunit' entry box so that you could override the current unit for just that entry; it would be mostly useful for two things (other will come to mind):

- For the grid during package design, i.e. SOIC needs a metric grid in one direction and an imperial one in the other.
- For padstacks (well, pad since pcbnew doesn't handle padstacks:P) becausein europe we usually specify track and pad size in mils but drilling is doing in 1/10mm.

Since the entry box parser IIRC is unified it could be a small modification, but a hell to test in all the dialog boxes...