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From: "karl AT aspodata DOT se [via geda-user AT delorie DOT com]" <geda-user AT delorie DOT com>
To: geda-user AT delorie DOT com
Subject: [geda-user] tools for sub pcbs
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Message-Id: <20230314184208.7302885F61C5@turkos.aspodata.se>
Date: Tue, 14 Mar 2023 19:42:08 +0100 (CET)
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Reply-To: geda-user AT delorie DOT com

Since it is not complicated to make heirarchical
design in lepton/gschem I want to make the same
thing happen at the pcb side.

E.g. let's say I want to do something like
 https://aspodata.se/git/openhw/boards_arm_aspo/stm32f100_styrkort/
which is constructed of six blocks:
 system power relay analog serial and 1w_bus
and the power block is made up of a few sub sheets for different
voltages.

Now I'd like to take a ready made pcb design for 3.3, 5V and the 12V 
switch block and load them into the pcb sub design for power.
That is doable, you just have to add the refdes source sym to all
components within the sub design and since this is a two layer 
prototype design I might want to place the components on both sides
to save space.

  For theese uses I've made
https://aspodata.se/git/openhw/bin/get_sub_pcbs.pl
to collect all sub pcb designs and adjust their refdes'
and https://aspodata.se/git/openhw/bin/pcb_ch_side.pl
to place a specific pcb design on the other side of the board.

Theese programs is just for testing out the possibilities and see what 
is possible. And now I would like to see if there is interests in 
getting them integrated into lepton/gschem/pcb to enhence the pcb
workflow with hierarchical design.

I guess that pcb_ch_side.pl is preferably rewritten as a pcb plugin
so that anyone can turn a buffer so one can apply it on the "other" side
of the board, so I might need some help guiding me rewrite it.

I don't know the best way to handle the collect sub pcb parts.
One could possible enhance {lepton,g}sch2pcb so it does the sub pcb 
collection, just as it collects the footprints today; or one could
similarily change the import schematics function in pcb, suggestions
are welcome.

Regards,
/Karl Hammar