It also means that somewhere along the line there will be configuration files that have to be constantly edited in order to hold everything together. This usually means keeping careful track of net names and sheet information. I’m sure that I haven’t been the only designer to blow up my schematic after mismanaging files and moving something I shouldn’t have.Īnother issue is in having to configure all of these files to work together. This has often meant keeping track of the files created for sub-sheets in a hierarchy and then making sure to connect to the right sheet and that it was in the expected file folder location. One of the biggest problems that I have had working with a hierarchy in the past was with working with CAD systems that required a lot of file manipulation. The Pain of File Management in Hierarchical Schematic Design Systems These systems can go a long ways towards easing the traditional pain of working with schematic hierarchy and make it so that you will look forward to working with it. Some PCB layout systems today though that make the job of schematic design with hierarchy a whole lot easier than it used to be. Multi-channel hierarchical designs can add an even higher level of complication to the schematic creation process. It’s a shame too because the circuitry flow can often be better represented in a hierarchical design, and a design with repeated circuitry can really benefit from using a multi-channel hierarchical approach. Even though it can be painful to spread a large design file through a lot of sheets in a flat schematic, many users will view this as the lesser of two evils in order to avoid working with hierarchy.

I know this because I used to be one of those design engineers.ĭepending on the PCB CAD system that you are using, there may be a lot of work ahead of you to create a hierarchical design. The problem is that a lot of designers will avoid using hierarchy at any cost because it can be difficult to work with. By including a top hierarchical sheet in your schematic, you can represent the circuit design with a logical hierarchical block that represent the actual lower sheets of circuitry in the schematic. Using a hierarchical schematic design flow to organize a larger schematic makes it even better. Placing and connecting the netlist together so that their logic flows naturally can give you a feeling of great accomplishment. There is a lot of joy in creating a schematic.

Altium multiple schematic sheets