NK Labs thrives on tackling challenging technical problems - the thornier the shrub, the sweeter the raspberry. One such perennial briar patch is the global, century-old scourge of hard-to-read, unparseable, and cluttered circuit schematics. This woe is exacerbated in a modern embedded system by the proliferation of complex ICs - all of which are generally represented in a schematic as a big quadrangular box with a beard of pins. It doesn’t matter if it’s an MCU, FPGA, connector, sensor, interface controller, or fancy resistor - it’s going to be a box.
At NK Labs, we feel that this paradigm is not only boring but also counterproductive - a set of B-sized schematic pages saturated with monochromatic boxes is less readable, harder to review, and, thus, more likely to have errors.
The solution? Fun and descriptive schematic symbols. Electronics are like people, and we believe our employees should have room for self-expression at work to reflect their interests, goals, and personalities. Muxes, buck converters, and kin are the same - each has its unique personality waiting to blossom and brighten your PCB design.
Expressing individuality through schematic symbols
For example, take the oft-overlooked 0430450400 - physically unremarkable, perhaps, but in possession of a rich and purposeful internal existence. Unfortunately, this quirky joie de vivre is entirely absent from the schematic symbols provided by major schematic library resources, such as UltraLibrarian and SnapEDA. No wonder that names such as “MicroFit” and “MiniFit-Jr” remain largely unknown to the public at large.
At NK Labs, we see things differently. It only takes a quick perusal of the part drawing to grasp the exuberance with which “Micro-Fit 3.0 Right-Angle Header, 3.00mm Pitch, Dual Row, 4 Circuits, with Snap-in Plastic Peg PCB Lock, Tin, Glow-Wire Capable, Black” comports itself. The headshot below emphasizes its more striking features - its Roman Nose latch tab; the deftly-composed chamfered corners on its housing sockets; the unique numbering on each and every pin. These are the traits that allow 0430450400 to sparkle, and in our schematic symbol, we let them shine through. Now that is a SchLib entry that you’d introduce to your parents!
Additional case studies abound: the STWD100NYWY3F watchdog timer circuit deserves to exhibit its quirkiness. Kabosu never looked happier.
The AS7341-DLGM 11-Channel Spectral Sensor measures the luminous intensity of all the colors of the rainbow, and deserves a polychromatic symbol to match.
The USB4145-03-0170-C is a USB-C connector that’s not like the other USB-C connectors - it only has connections for power, CC, SBU and the USB-2 data pair. We don’t want it to be mistaken for a Thunderbolt connector, so we tailor the schematic symbol to have the perfect fit.
Does your favorite schematic component need a makeover? What connectors or ICs do you simply adore, and want to beautify for the world at large? Let us know! We’re always open to new technical challenges, and for chances to make the world a brighter, happier place.
This blog post is dedicated to the late Kabosu.
NK Labs, LLC is a product development engineering firm in Cambridge, MA. We have broad experience in the design of consumer electronics, robotics, and other innovative products. Please consider us for your next engineering design project!