KiCad-Library

Reference library for the incutec OpenDrone hardware line: a semi-maintained mirror of parts we have already used and stocked. Its job is lookup, not enforcement. If a part is here, we have shipped it on a board, so it is already sourced and footprinted and reusing it is cheaper than drawing something new.

Local project libraries are the working default for board design. Nothing requires a part to live here first.

Status

Live, mirror role since 2026-08-06. Assembled 2026-08-04 from the per-project libraries; footprints and symbols upgraded to KiCad 10 format from Bastian's branch 2026-08-06.

Open question, being settled in person: whether board repos keep the submodule copy or point at one shared clone through an environment variable. No board currently references Incutec:, so nothing depends on the answer yet.

Repository layout

Path	Contents
symbol/Incutec.kicad_sym	105 symbols, one library, nickname Incutec
footprint/Incutec.pretty/	195 footprints
3dmodel/	336 model files (175 STEP, 161 WRL). Footprints reference the WRL, plus 19 STEP; the rest of the STEP set is the MCAD counterpart
tools/bump-all.sh	Re-pins the submodule in every consuming repo
PARTS-USED.md	Every LCSC part used on a board, and which boards use it
tools/build-parts-index.py	Regenerates PARTS-USED.md from the schematics

Usage

Git submodule plus project-local lib tables. No global libraries. Every consuming repo pins this library at a fixed path:

<repo>/
├─ .gitmodules                  # pins OpenDrone-hw/KiCad-Library
├─ libs/KiCad-Library/          # the submodule
└─ hardware/                    # KiCad project, one level below repo root
   ├─ <board>.kicad_pro
   ├─ sym-lib-table             # project-local, references the submodule
   └─ fp-lib-table

Add it to a repo:

git submodule add https://github.com/OpenDrone-hw/KiCad-Library.git libs/KiCad-Library

Project-local table entries (KiCad: Preferences -> Manage Symbol/Footprint Libraries -> Project Specific, or edit the tables directly):

(lib (name "Incutec")(type "KiCad")(uri "${KIPRJMOD}/../libs/KiCad-Library/symbol/Incutec.kicad_sym")(options "")(descr "incutec shared library"))
(lib (name "Incutec")(type "KiCad")(uri "${KIPRJMOD}/../libs/KiCad-Library/footprint/Incutec.pretty")(options "")(descr "incutec shared library"))

Cloning a consuming repo:

git clone --recursive <repo-url>
# or, after a plain clone:
git submodule update --init

Path contract (do not break)

Footprint 3D model paths are written as ${KIPRJMOD}/../libs/KiCad-Library/3dmodel/<file>. This resolves only when:

1. the submodule lives at <repo>/libs/KiCad-Library, and
2. the KiCad project directory sits exactly one level below the repo root (hardware/, or a named project dir like OpenRX-Lite/).

All current repos follow this. Keep new ones on the same shape.

Updating the library

1. Edit here, following CONTRIBUTING.md.
2. Commit, push, PR to main.
3. Bump the pin in consuming repos: run tools/bump-all.sh from the directory that contains the hardware repos. It updates and commits every submodule pin.

Repos always build against their pinned commit. Nothing changes under a board until its pin is bumped.

Rules

Membership. A symbol, footprint or 3D model belongs here only if it is used on a board whose repo is at status-alpha or beyond. Alpha means the board was manufactured, so everything here has been through a real assembly run. Parts that exist only on a planned or in-progress design do not qualify, however good they look on paper. When a board reaches alpha, its parts join.

Copy out, do not reference. Board repos keep their own local libraries and copy what they need out of this one. A board then keeps working when this library changes. No board currently references Incutec: and none needs to.

Check before you trust it. python3 tools/build-parts-index.py --check reports every symbol whose part is on no manufactured board, every symbol with no LCSC number, and every manufactured part still missing from the library. Run it after any change here and after any board reaches alpha.

Contributing

Authoring rules for library edits (editing method, naming, property names, pre-PR validation) are in CONTRIBUTING.md.

License

Licensed under CERN-OHL-S-2.0, the same license as the boards. See LICENSE.

Revisions

• 2026-08-04: library assembled by merging the per-project board libraries: 105 symbols, 195 footprints, full 3D model set. LCSC property unified to LCSC, verified FC redraws adopted (ESP32-C3FH4, SX1281IMLTRT). tools/bump-all.sh fixed to commit via pathspec.
• 2026-06-29: initial Incutec.kicad_sym from the OpenRX lineage (21 symbols).