I’m a new user and have just started using SciCompiler. My projects are very messy, with lots of overlapping wires, and I’m having trouble reading the schematics. How can I improve the visibility of my schematic?
A common issue when working with complex designs is having too many wires cluttering the schematic, which can make it difficult to understand and debug. Fortunately, Sci-Compiler offers several ways to improve the readability and organization of your schematic using variables and sub-designs.
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Use of Variables:
- Instead of directly connecting blocks with wires, you can use variables to reduce clutter. Variables allow you to pass data between components without drawing physical wires. This is particularly useful for long-distance connections across the schematic.
- By using variables, you can assign meaningful names to data paths, making the schematic easier to follow. For example, instead of drawing wires between distant blocks, you can assign a variable for the output of one block and then reference that variable in another part of the schematic.
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Sub-Designs:
- Sub-designs allow you to encapsulate parts of your project into smaller, modular sections. Instead of having all blocks and connections on a single page, you can divide your design into multiple sub-designs. Each sub-design acts like a separate schematic page, where you can organize related components together.
- You can then connect these sub-designs to your top-level design with fewer wires, making the overall structure of your schematic clearer and more manageable.
- This approach not only improves visibility but also makes it easier to debug and maintain your project. Sub-designs promote modularity, which is crucial when scaling up complex designs.
By leveraging variables and sub-designs, you can significantly improve the readability of your schematic, making it easier to manage, understand, and debug as your project grows.
Have a look to the DT5771 MCA firmware example. Even if this is the full firmware of the MCA commercial product, it is really clear to read with no wire crossing the diagram
It also largely use the sub-design
Even a much smaller design without any variable seam much more difficult to read. Have a look to this picture for comparison
