New batch of pdp8 OMNIBUS to USB interface! Please Read and react!

[Paul Koning]

> On Feb 17, 2017, at 2:35 PM, Noel Chiappa <jnc at mercury.lcs.mit.edu> wrote:
> 
> ...
>> From: Guy Sotomayor Jr
> 
>> In terms of community supplied libraries, Eagle has those too and I've
>> found that by and large they are junk (it's easier/quicker for me to
>> create a part on my own
>> ... While I haven't seen a lot of KiCAD contributed libraries (that's
>> part of the problem)
> 
> KiCAD came with a fairly large set of user-contributed libraries. For various
> reasons (including working with archaic parts), I've wound up adding quite a
> few, but i've usally found it pretty easy to modify an exising part from the
> libraries, to get what I need. YMMV.

One thing I learned with Eagle (an old version -- I started with it on DOS, with a physical license dongle) is that you can define library stuff via scripting.  This is very helpful when defining 120-pin PCB footprints.

I don't remember precisely, but I think you can export libraries from Eagle in some sort of text form.  If that's true, then it would be SMOP to write a KiCAD library importer.  The key question is whether the library semantics are compatible.  EAGLE is rather nice in the way it handles schematic symbols vs. footprints and all that.

I used EAGLE long ago for one project, and more recently for another, but I haven't found it sufficiently useful to buy it a second time to get the non-free version.  Not that I really need the autorouter, it isn't really all that useful.  But still, it's pretty steep for a hobbyist.  I discovered KiCAD, haven't used it yet, should give it a try.

One nice aspect of EAGLE is that a number of PCB fab shops will accept EAGLE *.BRD files directly, rather than asking for Gerber and drill files.

	paul