7 – Comments with text and graphics

This chapter will show you how to complete the schematic design workflow by adding explanatory comments and graphics. This is the equivalent of adding explanatory comments to software source code.

After completing step six in the previous chapter, your schematic looks like this (Figure 3.11.1):

Similarly to how comments can make software source more readable, annotations in an electronics schematic can improve the document’s readability.

To add annotations to the schematic design, you can use the tools at the bottom of the right toolbar (Figure 3.11.2):

I use the graphics line tool to create simple boxes that enclose the various components in functional groups, the text tool to insert names and information, and the graphics tool to insert images. For example, in the screenshot below (Figure 3.11.3), I use the line tool to create a box around the circuit.

Then, I use the text tool to add a text comment. In this case, the comment is simply  a short name for the box (Figure 3.11.3):

This example circuit is simple enough not to need too much commenting. Apart from the box, I have added two text items and completed the process with the final schematic, as shown in Figure 3.11.5.

And with this, the schematic design is complete.

Let’s continue with the layout design workflow in the next Part of this book.