31 May
2007
31 May
'07
3:49 p.m.
that's useful stuff Tony. I have to wonder if there is
software (an algorithm?) that could take a multi-sheet
schematic and produce a big one page schematic out of
it. It's probably easy enough if you sit down and take
the time, but hell what are computers for???
Why would you want to? I find a many-page schematic, logically set out
with saprate circuit blocks on each sheet, to be a lot easier to follow
than a single large page. A few times I've traced out schematics, then
later obtained the official manaul with a schematic on one sheet, and
find my shcemaitcs easier to follow.
I've never found computers (or CAD programs) to be much help in this sort
of thing. I just use a pen and paper. Yes, my schematics would be a lot
neater if re0drawn witha ruler or on a CAD system, but to be honest, I
can follow my hand-drawn squiggles and would rather spend the time
investigating or repairing something else.
I use A4 paepr (mainly becasue it's what I can easily copy, easily get
scannedm etc), and average 5 ICs to a page. So a board with 100 chips on
it is going to end up as a 20 page schmatic. (For the pedants here,
obviously that average doesn't apply to boards with a lot of discrete
components on them, The HP9100B gating board has no ICs or even
transsitors on it, just diodes and resistors, but it was still 30 or so
pages of schematics).
-tony