KiCAD Schematic Text color and Block Diagram

[Lakshmi]

Hi,
Is there any way to place a text in the schematic in a different color. Currently, only the blue text is allowed.
The use case will be pointing different note Assembly, Layout, Programming Note. It could be added in the future?

Another question is there any better way to create a Block diagram in the schematic?
Like the attached example(attached example needs to create a library and adds library in schematic and gives an error in importing netlist in PCB.)

Thanks.

[eelik]

https://gitlab.com/kicad/code/kicad/-/issues/1952

[mendy]

Not sure if it will do what you want but you can go to Preferences / Preferences / Colors and click on Notes and change color. Possible downside in quick check seems to change all existing text also. Have all my colors to black so don’t know what other items are controlled, easy to try other choices and revert.

I like all black, just a personal preference using laser printer. Just upgrades OS and all my colors were default and installed my backup configuration file to turn them all black.

[BlackCoffee]

Perhaps you’ve discovered adding Graphics…

Can dial it in to get close to what you want (not perfect but, usable). Quick example below…

[EDIT] Tip: Make your graphic a PNG and use transparent background - after placing it, it won’t block your actual footprint and all footrpint symbols are selectable and can draw connections to pins…

[John_Pateman]

Personal preferences are clearly personal but I really would think about changing the “brightened” setting to a different colour. You use this to highlight joined nets and cross probe between schematic and pcb. It is enabled via the highlight net tool in the right menu so is only active if clicked. If it isn’t a distinctive colour you lose this functionality. It’s helped me find problems on more than a few occasions.

[John_Pateman]

You can use hierarchical sheets to do block diagrams

There is much more info here

Hierarchical or flat schematic design, what is best for me? (How to deal with multi page schematics?)

Disclaimer: An unofficial colour scheme has been used to make the screenshots of this lecture. You can find it in https://github.com/pointhi/kicad-color-schemes (blue-tone scheme) Introduction The official documentation for this topic: http://docs.kicad-pcb.org/5.1.2/en/eeschema/eeschema.html#hierarchical-schematics KiCad in general is more geared towards the use of hierarchical design. Small flat designs are easily possible as well but making complex systems as a flat design is not as easy. W…

More flexible drawing tools would be helpful in eeschema but at present it is not particularly suited to a detailed style of diagramming. If you need more detailed diagramming you might have a look at qelectrotech for which is well adapted to documenting this sort of block layout and also for wiring harnesses an panel connections.It’s open source and cross platform.

https://qelectrotech.org/gallery/

[mendy]

Thank you John for suggestion as I welcome all suggestions.
Forgot to mention in this post I only use program for illustrative drawings which are not generally electrically correct. Example: I use various box symbols with non visible pins at every grid point. Place the box (or other symbol) and using wire can easily create a visualization drawing that is not a totally valid schematic.

In the Grote Strobe there are just three pins that go nowhere to allow connecting wires and 725177 is same just a box with 3 non visible pins to make drawing connection point.