Making a part takes an hour. Finding one takes a minute. Search in this order, every time.
KiCad ships thousands of symbols and footprints. In the Schematic Editor press A (Place → Add Symbol) and type the part number, or the family, or the package (AP2210, LM317, SOT-23-5). The chooser searches names, descriptions and keywords across every library at once.
Stock footprints live in libraries named by package: Package_TO_SOT_SMD, Package_QFP, Package_DFN_QFN, Capacitor_SMD, Resistor_SMD, Connector_JST, Connector_USB and so on. A stock symbol usually comes with its footprint already assigned; check the package against the datasheet anyway (a QFN-20 comes in more than one size).
The Footprint Editor tree filtered to SOT-23-5: stock Package_TO_SOT_SMD on top, the team's UWRL_Regulator below. The chooser in the Schematic Editor searches the same way.
If stock has the exact part: use it, there is nothing to submit. If stock has the package but not the part: you make only the symbol and link the stock footprint.
The same chooser searches the UWRL_* libraries. They hold what stock does not: parts somebody on the team already checked against a datasheet and, in most cases, soldered.
The symbol chooser with a UWRL part selected. The preview on the right is the symbol; the footprint preview is below it.
| library | what is in it |
|---|---|
UWRL_Antenna |
chip antennas |
UWRL_Capacitor |
specific capacitor part numbers (JLC basic parts, electrolytics, hybrids) |
UWRL_Resistor |
specific resistor part numbers (JLC basic parts) |
UWRL_Inductor |
inductors and ferrite beads |
UWRL_Filter |
common-mode chokes and filters |
UWRL_Connector |
board-to-board, FFC/FPC, RF, pogo, debug and hot-swap connectors |
UWRL_Connector_Wire |
wire-to-board: JST SH 1.0, XH 2.54, screw terminals, Qwiic |
UWRL_Connector_USB |
USB-C and USB-A receptacles |
UWRL_Diode |
rectifiers, Schottky, Zener, TVS and ESD diodes |
UWRL_LED |
LEDs, addressable LEDs |
UWRL_Oscillator |
crystals, oscillators, TCXOs, clock generators |
UWRL_Switch |
tactile and slide switches |
UWRL_Mechanical |
standoffs, logos, mounting hardware |
UWRL_MCU |
microcontrollers (RP2040, STM32, CH32, ESP32, AT32) |
UWRL_Memory |
flash and DRAM |
UWRL_Interface |
USB, CAN, isolators, analog multiplexers |
UWRL_Regulator |
linear and switching regulators |
UWRL_Power_Management |
PMICs, load switches |
UWRL_Driver_Motor |
motor drivers |
UWRL_Sensor |
IMUs, magnetic sensors |
UWRL_Transistor |
BJTs and MOSFETs |
UWRL_Power |
power symbols (VBUS variants) |
Found it but it is wrong (a pin type, a missing pad)? Fix it and submit the fix as a pull request, document 5, saying what was wrong.
Not in stock, not in the library: make it. Documents 3 and 4 show how, on a real part.
Boards are assembled at JLCPCB with parts from LCSC. Every LCSC part has a C number (C176959); it goes into the symbol's LCSC field and is what the assembly order is built from. JLC "basic" parts are stocked on every machine and cost nothing extra to place; "extended" parts add a small per-part fee, so a basic part wins when two are equivalent. Parts we solder ourselves come from DigiKey or Mouser.
Search the JLCPCB parts library by MPN. The C number, stock and basic/extended status are in the result row.
