ergogen-footprint-generator

Generate ergogen footprints from KiCad footprint module

Overview

The Ergogen Footprint Generator is a Python tool designed to convert KiCad footprint modules into Ergogen-compatible footprints. This tool simplifies the process of integrating custom footprints into your Ergogen projects.

Features

• Automated Conversion: Easily convert KiCad footprint modules to Ergogen format.
• Python-Based: Leverage the power and flexibility of Python for your conversion needs.
• Open Source: Licensed under GPL-3.0, ensuring freedom to use, modify, and distribute.

Usage

To convert a KiCad footprint module to an Ergogen footprint, use the following command:

$ python3 fp-kicad8-to-ergogen.py -h
usage: fp-kicad8-to-ergogen.py [-h] [-o OUTDIR] [-v] file_or_directory

Parse KiCad .kicad_mod files.

positional arguments:
  file_or_directory     Path to the .kicad_mod file or directory to parse

options:
  -h, --help            show this help message and exit
  -o OUTDIR, --outdir OUTDIR
                        output directory, default is 'ergogen'
  -v, --verbose         verbose mode

Replace file_or_directory with the path to your KiCad footprint module and OUTDIR with the desired output path for the Ergogen footprint.
If OUTDIR was omitted, ergogen will be used.

Post Processing

Once the script dumps an Ergogen footprint, it’s almost ready to use. But it’s good to tweak it a bit. Let’s break it down.

module.exports = {
  params: {
    designator: 'X',    // change it accordingly
    side: 'F',          // delete if not needed
    reversible: false,  // delete if not needed
    show_3d: false,     // delete if not needed
    P1: {type: 'net', value: 'P1'}, // undefined}, // change to undefined as needed
    P2: {type: 'net', value: 'P2'}, // undefined}, // change to undefined as needed
    ...
  },
  body: p => {
    const standard_opening = `(

In the params section, designator is the component ID on the PCB, so it’s better to change it to something like 'R' for a resistor, 'C' for a capacitor, etc.

If a padid must be connected, it should be set to undefined, like this:

  params: {
    ...
    P1: {type: 'net', value: 'P1'},         // P1 is optional
    P2: {type: 'net', value: undefined},    // P2 must be connected
    ...
  },

Here, P2 must be connected while P1 is optional.

Finally, you can add more features like this:

     ...

    let final = standard_opening;

    final += front_silkscreen;
    if (p.reversible || p.side == "F") { //  add items to the front side of the PCB
        final += front_pads;
        final += front_fabrication;
        final += front_mask;
        final += front_courtyard;
        final += front_paste;
    }

    final += pads;

    final += back_silkscreen;
    if (p.reversible || p.side == "B") { //  add items to the back side of the PCB
        final += back_pads;
        final += back_fabrication;
        final += back_mask;
        final += back_courtyard;
        final += back_paste;
    }

    final += edge_cuts;
    final += user_drawing;
    final += user_comments;
    final += user_eco1;     //  comment out if not needed
    final += user_eco2;     //  comment out if not needed

    if (p.show_3d) {
        final += model;
    }

    final += standard_closing;
    return final
  }

Contributing

We welcome contributions! Please fork the repository and submit pull requests. For major changes, please open an issue first to discuss what you would like to change.

License

This project is licensed under the GPL-3.0 License. See the LICENSE file for details.

Feel free to customize this draft to better fit your project’s specifics!