First Schematic - Looking for Pointers

Depends a bit on what you want to achieve. I would say the junction stuff and possible the label stuff are optional tasks that simply make your schematic neater. (And they might highly depend on personal preference.)

To get to the pcb side of things you will need to annotate the schematic and assign footprints to the symbols (If you did not already do that)

Then you would import the schematic into pcb_new with its tool->update pcb from schematic dialog. This will then be where the real fun begins.

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You mean it gets harder??? I thought that was going to be behind me. It really does seem like such a simple board but hey, never know till you try. Thanks Rene.

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Okay, I have removed four way junctions and made them 2 3-ways. I have removed all the labels.
Next step is to annotate? What is the best way to set up options page?
I did a default annotation on it and then run the rules check. This is what I got. What is it looking for?

This is the subject which is asked here regularry once per month, I think.
Answering can began your next battle.
My suggestion (I think you said something that you have no time) - ignore it at that moment and remember later to go back to it.
Me I have never see such thinks as I just never do ERC :slight_smile:
But @Rene_Poschl will certainly shout at me for speaking such heresy here :slight_smile:
You can really ignore it now.

Well we could point to the FAQ article explaining it in detail: ErrType(3): Pin connected to some others pins but no pin to drive it @bwilliams60 can than make an informed decision if they want to fix it properly or ignore it.

Not sure what I just did but the ERC seems happy. Thoughts?

Looks good to me :wink:

Really - you just told “KiCad” to ignore these errors :slight_smile:
In other words you added the dummy sources KiCad complained for lack of them.

A bit more precisely put: @bwilliams60 told kicad where the power input of the pcb will be by placing power flags. (This is different than telling it to ignore the problem.)

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Yes, I know. I just wonted to be not totally serious :slight_smile:
I were adding next sentence, more serious, when you were writeing.

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I have no practic in KiCad yet (and specially in ERC). When he complains for no pin to drive net.
If you drive input by passives then he shoud not complain. So if in such power line you put 0R may be would be enough to cheat him.
I’m not sure if speaking about KiCad I should use he or it.

A power input must be connected to a power output on the same net. If you have a power output and then place a passive device (example fuse) between it and the power input pin then you need to tell kicad that the output side of the fuse is where power comes from. So you need to place a power flag there.

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Your choice. But I remember only one person here saying you have to do it that way.

Your choice. I think you left 12V and GND which from my point of view are labels like others.

I have done only one PCB with KiCad and it was April 2018. Don’t remember options but they should be rather descriptive.

So I am good to move on to next stage?? The 12V and GND I believe come with the symbol. I did not put any labels on anything.

If @bwilliams60 wants to use power planes (copper zones) then i would suggest to keep the power symbols (GND and 12V)

I would guess so. Next step is to assign footprints to your symbols (If you did not already do that.) You should be good to start with the pcb after that. (You can still change the schematic later if you discover a problem.)

Just a quick question on 12V+ and 12V-

When it is finished, down the ground plane become the majority of one side of the board and am I set up okay to do this right now?
B+ input does not have its own plane, correct?

I didn’t suggested to delete them.

Yes. You can create a copper zone on any layer and assign it to any net. So in your case you would create a copper zone on the bottom copper layer and assign the net “GND” to it.

Thank you. OKay I will try to find my parts in Digikey and start assigning footprints. How many more days away am I from completion? :slight_smile:

I don’t know the whole Kicad library (@Rene_Poschl certainly knows more) but I suppose all (or may be most of) symbols have default footprints connected to them. If you wont to use them you need not to go through step of assigning footprints.
I am slowly (when time allows) preparing myself to use KiCad and all symbols in my libraries would have default footprints and I will never go through assigning footprints step. I have never tried how it works, so will not say anything about that.
I have written it just to give you some basic info (you prefere not only to know what to do but also why).