skidl.tools.kicad6.gen_schematic module

Generate a KiCad 9 schematic from a Circuit object.

Thin wrapper around the shared sexp_schematic module. Uses SKiDL’s placement and routing infrastructure.

skidl.tools.kicad6.gen_schematic.gen_schematic(circuit, filepath='.', top_name=get_script_name(), title='SKiDL-Generated Schematic', flatness=0.0, retries=2, **options)[source]

Create a KiCad 9 schematic file from a Circuit object.

Parameters:

  • circuit (Circuit) – The Circuit object that will have a schematic generated for it.

  • filepath (str, optional) – The directory where the schematic files are placed. Defaults to “.”.

  • top_name (str, optional) – The name for the top of the circuit hierarchy. Defaults to get_script_name().

  • title (str, optional) – The title of the schematic. Defaults to “SKiDL-Generated Schematic”.

  • flatness (float, optional) – Determines how much the hierarchy is flattened in the schematic. Defaults to 0.0 (completely hierarchical). Use 1.0 to flatten everything into one sheet.

  • retries (int, optional) – Number of times to re-try if routing fails. Defaults to 2.

  • options (dict, optional) – Dict of options and values, usually for drawing/debugging.

Auto-stub options (pass as keyword arguments):
auto_stub (bool): Enable auto-stubbing for large/complex circuits. Converts nets that

would fail routing into global labels, and runs a KiCad ERC correction loop to iteratively fix remaining issues. Power nets (GND, VCC, etc.) are automatically emitted as proper KiCad power symbols. Default False.

auto_stub_fanout (int): Nets with more pins than this are stubbed pre-routing. Default 3. auto_stub_max_wire_pins (int): Max pins on a net before selective routing stubs it

post-placement. Default 3.

auto_stub_max_wire_dist (int): Max manhattan distance (mils) between pins before

selective routing stubs the net. Default 2000.

erc_max_iterations (int): Max ERC correction loop passes. Default 8. auto_stub_fallback (str): What to do when routing fails with auto_stub enabled.

“labels” (default) — fall back to labels-only schematic. “raise” — raise the RoutingFailure so the caller sees it. “warn” — produce labels-only but also raise a warning exception.

Tips for best results with auto_stub:

  • Use @subcircuit to group related parts (e.g. power supply, MCU, amplifier). Each subcircuit gets placed and routed independently, producing more wired connections and cleaner hierarchical sheets.

  • Keep subcircuits to 5-15 parts for best wire routing results.

  • Power nets are automatically detected and emitted as KiCad power symbols (e.g. power:GND, power:VCC) which display correctly in the schematic editor.

Example:

from skidl import *

@subcircuit
def power_supply(vin, vout, gnd):
    ldo = Part("Regulator_Linear", "AP2112K-3.3")
    ldo["VIN"] += vin
    ldo["VOUT"] += vout
    ldo["GND"] += gnd
    ldo["EN"] += vin
    for val in ["1uF", "1uF"]:
        c = Part("Device", "C", value=val)
        c[1] += vout if val == "1uF" else vin
        c[2] += gnd

vcc = Net("VCC"); vcc.drive = POWER
gnd = Net("GND"); gnd.drive = POWER
vin = Net("VIN")

power_supply(vin, vcc, gnd)

generate_schematic(auto_stub=True)