How to Turn PDF based IC Chip layouts into KiCAD Symbols

Post Reply
parkview
Guru Maker
Posts: 603
Joined: Tue Jun 24, 2014 8:25 pm
Location: Busselton
Contact:

How to Turn PDF based IC Chip layouts into KiCAD Symbols

Post by parkview » Sun Jan 05, 2020 2:18 pm

I am currently going through a spurt of KiCAD projects. I needed to create a few STM32 64 pin symbols and process some other chips. I was going to grab something that was close and manually convert it to what I need or just draw them up from scratch. This is a great time to try out the free 'uConfig' tool people have mentioned previously: https://hackaday.com/2018/09/11/automag ... from-pdfs/

With Windows 7, I downloaded the software from about 2/3 the way down the front page: https://github.com/Robotips/uConfig

I found I could use the CLI to get the software to extract a list of IC symbols. This only takes a few seconds for the symbol creation:

Code: Select all

../bin/uconfig.exe MP2633_r1.08_1S\ Battery\ Charger-Booster.pdf -o MP2633.lib

In the above it found the chip layout on page 3 of the 34 page PDF:
PDF_PG3.jpg
PDF_PG3.jpg (73.42 KiB) Viewed 5271 times

And this is the result:
uConfig_MP2633_result.jpg
uConfig_MP2633_result.jpg (36.25 KiB) Viewed 5271 times

The one major issue, is that it didn't negate the active LOW lines on pins: 8, 17 & 18.

This can be resolved using the uConfig GUI Editor. Below I have added in a bit more Metadata and set the required pins to active LOW:
uConfig_Library_Editor.jpg
uConfig_Library_Editor.jpg (39.3 KiB) Viewed 5271 times

As I am learning the software, I didn't feel comfortable about having it place the new symbols straight into my personal KiCAD Library, so I get the software to place each set of symbols into their own Libraries. I can then use the KiCAD Librarian software to examine and if ok, rename the new symbol and move them into my Library.

I have had a few issues with some of the STM32 range of chips. Some of the PDFs are over 120 pages long, so I am impressed that it found the relevant chip layouts at all, let alone attempt a conversion. Most only where missing a pin or two and some of the pins where missing multi functions that had been used to name the pins.

<over all, it's a two thumbs up from me!>

parkview
Guru Maker
Posts: 603
Joined: Tue Jun 24, 2014 8:25 pm
Location: Busselton
Contact:

Re: How to Turn PDF based IC Chip layouts into KiCAD Symbols

Post by parkview » Sun Jan 05, 2020 2:37 pm

Oh, and if you don't want to use the CLI conversion software, you can do it one by one via the GUI Editor:
GUI PDF Conversion.jpg
GUI PDF Conversion.jpg (33.46 KiB) Viewed 5270 times

Post Reply