It keeps to the convention of signals (power) flowing from left to right.
It follows the convention of voltages going from top to bottom.
It keeps the symbols non rotated.
It puts the power conditioning right at the input connector, so you see quickly how it works.
I put the power flags right on top of the power symbols. I am not sure yet if I keep doing that, but it sure does save some space.
Note: I put the +12V power symbol on the other side of the fuse.
Now you can use the +12V power symbol to directly connect to your arduino (and on other locations). In your circuit, Z1 and Z2 also connect to +12V, but they are not protected against reverse voltage by the fuse / diode combination. Mistake or intentional?
Because all power conditioning stuff is now a small block, it’s easy to move to a convenient place later when your schematic gets more crowded.
Nice, thank you so much for time and help. My plan was to add capacitors to each of the stepper motor drivers (Z1 & Z2) too. Don’t know if it’s needed though. Other boards use it like so.
By drawing the power section like you did, will using the +12V symbol (and net) anywhere on the schematic now give me the benefit of the fuse, diode and capacitor, am I right ?
My plan is though to step down 12V to 7.2V and 5V for use my PCB. The 5V will be powering the nano and 7.2 will power a camera.
Yes. You can also additionally use net labels (hotkey L) to mark special nets. For example the wire between your input connector and the fuse could be labled “+12V_INPUT” or something like this. If you open the schematics setup dialog (right beside the “save” symbol") you can also assign netclasses, like “power”, “high speed”, “LED” or whatever you like. If you assign colors to those net classes you also have an instant impression what type of nets are where on your schematics. Can help greatly with bigger designs, you at you own discretion. Might be looking something like this:
Edit: For the caps on the stepper drivers: follow the instructions in the data sheet or the/a reference design until you are definitely sure you know, what you are doing.
The Nano already has a linear regulator from Vin to its 5V rail so you could power it from 12V, or the 7.2V rail if you prefer to transfer the dissipation to the 12V – 7.2V regulator.
