Running v9.0.2 Schematic editor on Win 10 x64
I have a simple 2-node net connecting a transistor’s pin going to a connector pin. Both components came from the parts library without editing. Both pins has a wire segment labeled the same, but in separate segments. When the ERC is run a warning says ‘Warning: Unconnected wire endpoint’. What’s wrong with this? Do the wire endpoints need some sort of a connection symbol?
The first picture is a bit misleading. In the second and third pictures, everything is connected with wires and labels. KiCad does not like “Open Wire ends”, which are the open squares at the end of wires. But you can also see it’s a warning, and not an error. You have a bunch of options to get rid of the warnings:
I think they are asking why doesn’t the label 12V_BATTERY_OUT join the two points. Actually it does, the warning is saying there is leftover wire. Either trim the wire or move the label so that its connection point is on the square at the end of the wire. You can also choose left or right alignment for the label.
Further to Paul’s comment.
The Label has a square which needs to be placed on the wire square.
I never left wires that way.
For computer it is easy to find where is the second label with the same text. For human at sheet having many such ‘connections’ it is very hard to find second wire end and it is also much harder to ensure yourself that there are no third wire somewhere else that it is also connected to the same net.
I always put several such wires into bus ensuring the schematic reader that he have to search for the other connection end only along the bus.
When you enter with wire into bus you don’t have ‘end wire squares’.
retiredfeline : The first shot merely proves that the connector pin is a passive connection so that any type of signal can be attached without an actual electrical conflict. I really don’t want to suppress warnings, especially ones that may cause netlist errors.
I didn’t know the wire label connection point is supposed to be placed right on top of the wire end, itself. Now I understand while the labels have left, center and right side ‘connection position’ properties and show a temporary connection indicator line when they are moved.
Pietr: This is a ‘trick’ I’d rather not depend on. Also, needless buses would be created that would confuse the understanding of the schematic since there is actually no bus intended. I save bus creation for only highly related signals. YMMV!
Your choice, your right.
Over the years we have developed our own standard for relative simple schematics of all our devices. We put all microcontroller lines into one bus and then each block takes from it some of them. There are no connections made out of bus (with just using labels). When during PCB design I see a need to use other uC pins I just replace labels near uC.
Intentionally not detailed schematic of one of our products:
An additional confusion is that sometimes a label attachment point doesn’t need to be placed directly on a wire’s endpoint:
This situation makes it mandatory, but why can’t all wire labels work like this? (like other competing CAD schematic programs)
You can place a label anywhere on the wire. The ERC check is saying there’s a wire endpoint that is dangling. Those two statements are orthogonal.
As above, if you’re happy with dangling wire endpoints in your designs, then you can disable the warning.
JamesJ: Yes, but this situation doesn’t produce a warning when warnings are enabled.
Which situation? Your image a couple of posts up that I was replying to doesn’t have any unconnected wire endpoints.
This screenshot from the original post caused the ERC warning that the wire end point wasn’t connected, thus the motivation this topic.
But, this condition can only be determined by running the ERC and not by simply examining the schematic. That is, without selecting the label to determine where its connection point is located. It would be nice to simply look carefully at the schematic to determine this.
After a total of 13 posts in this thread you are still mixing up “label” and “wire”.
Yes, that is about the wire. It has nothing to do with the label.
That is not relevant. It’s about the wire, not the label. The label is connected just fine.
Also not true. In the screenshot snippet below, you can see a small green square. That square indicates that the endpoint of the wire is not connected.
jmk’s post 3 days ago should have been enough of a hint. Both the label and the wire end have an empty square. If you lace them on top of each other, they both go away (which indicates a complete connection. If you place the label halfway the wire, then the label connects to the wire (and it’s square goes away), but the wire end is still open.
For some examples:
You can label a net however you’d like. The warning is saying “hey, didn’t you want this wire to go somewhere?” You can say “Nope, I’m done,” by placing your net label on the end of the wire.
