Re: gEDA-user: preferred power connection style?

[stap@dse.nl (Jan Stap)]

Hi Richard,

On Sun, Feb 16, 2003 at 06:51:26AM +1300, Richard Barrington wrote:
> Hi,
> 
> I'm a new gEDA user, and have just made an additional micro-controller
> component as per the docs, but the components on-line mostly see to
> provide power pins rather than using power nets. Explicitly defining
> them as pins makes more sense to me, particularly when you have multiple
> power inputs (Vss, Vssa), but the docs suggest doing it the other way.
> So it prompts me ask which is correct / preferred?
> 
> Richard.

I'm new to gEDA too and a wondering about the same thing (did not post
the question yet though). The doc on this topic (net= attribute mini-HOWTO,
http://www.geda.seul.org/docs/20021103/netattrib/netattrib.txt) advises
to use net= attributes for the power pins, without visible power pins on
the symbols. It also signals the fact that most symbols in the current
library await addition of the net= attribute (and I guess removal of the
visible power pins).

But I wonder how to go about this for e.g. a DC-DC converter that I am 
planning to use, which is providing power for the rest of the circuit. 
And how to go about auto-power-down circuitry, where one part of the 
circuit is shutting down or re-powering another part. This requires
defining net= attributes for each part of the circuit that shares its 
power supply. With regard to readability of a circuit, I guess it's a 
trade-off between having to match net= signal names, or having possibly 
many power wires running around.

Experienced gEDA users out there: please comment.

Thanks,

Jan Stap