Battery holder: which symbol should I use?

[candardo]

I’m building a simple board powered by a CR2032 coin cell battery so, after placing the 3V0 and GND power symbols, I’ll need one for the battery or battery holder to associate to a custom footprint. Should I use a battery symbol or place an ordinary connector symbol?

[eelik]

There’s no “should” here, you can choose. KiCad library seems to have generic Battery symbols. You have to attach a footprint anyways. A battery symbol is of course more descriptive and accurate.

[candardo]

Thanks!

Using a battery symbol in the schematic is more “expressive” I guess, since I’m saying how I’ll power the board. Nonetheless the part that needs to be on the board is not a battery but a battery holder with is footprint so… I was wondering what’s the best approach here.

[eelik]

How often the battery is directly connected to the board, without a holder? I believe the battery symbol is usually used for some kind of holder or connector where the battery is attached to.

[kenyapcomau]

It took me a bit of practice to realise how flexible Kicad’s separation of symbol from footprint is. A lot of external components can be represented as a connector and the footprint chosen later. So in your shoes I would put a 2 pole connector then assign it a cell holder footprint.

I suppose you could then connect a battery symbol for accuracy but really would you represent every power source in the schematic? One has to delimit the boundary somewhere.

[Sprig]

I never before gave it much thought:

Then there is this:

Not being a University papered engineer, I have learned a lot of real world engineering by simple osmosis of working on a lot of different electronic systems.

If the power source/battery is on-board, then use the battery Symbol with the battery holder Footprint.

[candardo]

I went for the battery symbol and a custom footprint in the end.

Thanks for helping!

[Piotr]

@candardo

Should I use a battery symbol or place an ordinary connector symbol?

I would use at my schematic 2 symbols:

• battery holder connected to other elements,
• battery itself - simple circle with no pads.

At PCB I would put one footprint on another.
Thanks to that I will get the correct BOM containing both elements.