pcb (diodeinc) errors

11 recurring problems engineers report in pcb (diodeinc), ranked by impact.

#39 by errors trackedECAD

Recurring pcb (diodeinc) errors, by impact

  1. 1A KiCad import left out the track and via presets, and the next layout wrote 0.127 mm tracks and 0.25/0.15 vias into the .kicad_pro, below the imported minimums. Nothing errored, because the board rules came in one door and a library default came in another, and the default won.ECAD · Agent failure · 1 report74
  2. 2Since Oct 22, four of nine real customer board imports broke in pcb import. Causes: KiCad exports PWR_FLAG symbols with real references like FLG1, so the schematic and PCB consistency check failed; KiCad nightly files failed after ERC with an opaque KiCad DRC failed; DRC timed out on large boards; and a failed import left partial output behind.ECAD · Agent failure · 1 report74
  3. 3The pcb importer only patched the footprint into the generated .kicad_sym, so every part fell back to the library symbol defaults. MPN and manufacturer were never written, the designator prefix came from the library reference, and an instance marked in_bom yes on a library symbol marked in_bom no silently left the BOM.ECAD · Agent failure · 1 report74
  4. 4A second pcb layout with no source changes still rewrote the board, adding 188 thickness lines and moving PCB_GIT_HASH on KiCad 10's StickHub demo. A sync that does not settle looks like a dirty board even when nothing in the design changed.ECAD · Agent failure · 1 report66
  5. 5Bumping a footprint from 0.1.3 to 0.2.0 loaded the new pads but kept the old embedded STEP model when both versions used the same filename, because KiCad stores embedded files once per board, keyed by filename. A shared-filename conflict now fails the sync and names both footprints.ECAD · Agent failure · 1 report66
  6. 6Diode's API renamed Money from amountMinor to amountMicros. The pcb CLI still read the old field, so every match response failed to parse, and pcb bom only logged a debug warning and printed a BOM with no offers, stock or prices, then exited 0. The fix makes a failed availability fetch an error.ECAD · Agent failure · 1 report66
  7. 7Importing a KiCad project that has a board but no schematic failed with a vague error. In one customer workspace, agents worked around it by hand-generating a schematic from the board, which took 14 to 19 minutes per board. The import now rejects layout-only projects up front.ECAD · Agent failure · 1 report66
  8. 8One placed sheet pointing to a missing schematic gave a full-screen error instead of the design. The new loader shows what is there and lists the missing files, while writes still refuse incomplete projects.ECAD · Agent failure · 1 report66
  9. 9Order DO-F9WRY, a 12-layer 2.0 mm 2 oz copper board, passed every PDK rule and failed at JLC because JLC has one stackup template for that build and no default, with outer prepregs at 0.100 mm against the template's 0.1415 mm.ECAD · Agent failure · 1 report66
  10. 10pcb import failed on any KiCad project that reuses one sheet file for several channels. The workaround was splitting the sheet into a copy per instance, so a change to a channel has to be made N times. Two real customer boards were tested, one sheet used 12 times and one used 10 times.ECAD · Agent failure · 1 report66
  11. 11The panelizer used to fail with no explanation when the outline had no site for a mouse-bite tab.ECAD · Agent failure · 1 report58

How it fails

  1. Agent failure11

Sourced from public community reports. Costs and delays on individual entries are modeled estimates, not measurements.