Hi,
I want to draw new templates but i think the graphics is not usefull and confuse for users.
Users try to use templates as components or they look for something that looks like.
I tried to confront several provisions and i want to have your opinion :
Is the actual disposition, but Power signal intersect with other and overload the schematic. Pins are represented by “net name”. But all pins are not used always and user can delete it and lost information on what is the function of these pins.
2 and 3. Power signal are align in the same position of each other. Much nice but the problem is the same user lost information and Net name and Label need to be placed manualy.
Shematic seem look like a component all function of pins are writen on comment. Pins are free and user can place what he want on these. For the maker, he need to add these component and just place one comment per component.
You don’t have to have the pins in order. You can group the ground pins together at the bottom. Likewise move VCC to the top. On my screen #4 is the most readable. Old eyes.
If you had not asked, I simply would not have answered.
Simply, I do not understand the intent here. This could be language barrier.
This “appears” to an attempt to merge schematic symbols and schematic net names (and wires) while using connectors to represent the pins on a microcontroller; which is an overly complicated mess in my opinion.
The idea of creating a script to generate line wires and net labels automatically from the pin text already in the symbol is a good idea I think!
What am I going to do in CvPCB or PcbNew when J1 and J2 are really just 21 pin U1?
So in kicad we have “Templates” to make for exemply a shield for Arduino board or Pi or STM32 discovery.
This templates are draw with existing components exemple : conn_01x8…
Templates are not components but component sets. consequently we can not arrange the pins order as we want, like a common component.
My reflexion is how to made a sexy schematic template easy to read and draw ?
“Templates” is a project that serves as a structure for another. You can build a complete circuit which will serve as framework for a future project (not really sense but it’s for exemple).
So “Templates” contain all single symbols.
You can watch this is in french but this gives an idea of what are templates
That’s what I did on a project that used an Arduino board plus some add-on modules. Apart from the time to draft the schematic symbol, it worked well. The symbol I created looked similar to your example #4.
You are correct that it is difficult to create an easily-understood symbol when the component’s pins can have several possible functions, depending on how the component is programmed. This problem has been mentioned in several threads on this Forum. (Seeding the search feature with “microcontroller” might uncover some of those threads.) My approach is to make a custom symbol for each project where I use such a component.
