cmcquinn / kipart

Python package for generating multi-unit schematic symbols for KiCad from a CSV file.

KiPart

Generate multi-unit schematic symbols for KiCad from a CSV, text, or Excel file.

• Free software: MIT license
• Documentation: https://devbisme.github.io/KiPart.

Features

• Generates schematic part libraries for KiCad from CSV/text/Excel files.
• Converts lists of pins in a file into a multi-unit schematic part symbol.
• Converts multiple files stored in .zip archives.
• Each row of the file lists the number, name, type, style, unit and side of a pin.
• Pins on a unit with the same name (e.g., GND) can be placed at the same location so they can all be tied to the same net with a single connection.
• Also includes kilib2csv for converting schematic part libraries into CSV files suitable for input to KiPart.

Example Use Case

From a user:

I had a very complex library for a microprocessor that I needed to refactor— I needed to reorder hundreds of pins in a sane human-usable format. I thought I was going to have do it by hand in KiCAD's graphical symbol editor. I tried that, got very frustrated with all the clicking and dragging.

So I then:

• searched and found this tool,
• used kilib2csv to export my KiCAD lib to CSV,
• imported the CSV in a spreadsheet program
• edited the spreadsheet (mainly sorting the pins by function using the spreadsheet's sort() function),
• exported the spreadsheet back to CSV,
• used kipart to export back to KiCAD.

Boom! Usable part in minutes.