Collaboration to advance power supply design automation

Based on specifications input by the user, PI Expert automatically generates a complete power supply schematic utilising Power Integrations’ power-conversion ICs, including a custom magnetics design. Previously, the automated tool flow covered everything up to full circuit optimisation but required manual transcription into a CAD package to facilitate simulations and physical layout. The new export capability ensures a fast and seamless transfer of the design, including symbols, footprints, 3D models, and electrical netlist into one of four popular PCB CAD tools. Cadence OrCAD, Altium, Autodesk Eagle / Fusion360, and KiCad are currently supported.

Trevor Hiatt, Director of Channel Marketing at Power Integrations, said: "Eliminating the need to manually create or download symbols, draw a schematic and then port those files into a PCB layout tool will save time, reduce transcription errors and, importantly, assist with version control and traceability. The schematic is laid out in a consistent format and optimised for readability on the industry-standard 0.1” format.”

Natasha Baker, CEO and Founder at SnapMagic, added: “Power Integrations has created an extraordinary power supply design tool. By pairing it with SnapMagic’s CAD expertise, we’ve made it possible to export schematics in real time, obliterating the old timelines and freeing engineers to do what they do best – innovate. We’re not just saving engineers weeks; we’re changing the game entirely.”

Wayne Stambaugh, KiCad Project Leader at KiCad affirmed: “I believe that accelerating the product development process while ensuring design success is great for our community. It is exciting to see the product PI Expert and SnapMagic have developed by offering native schematic export for our KiCad users.”

PI Expert Online is a web-based program that takes designers’ power supply specifications and automatically generates a power conversion solution, providing everything necessary to build and test a working prototype. It includes a ‘ready-to-build’ transformer construction report, winding instructions, electrical and mechanical diagrams, BOMs (bill of materials), and board layout recommendations. No download or installation is required. PI Expert Schematic Export is compatible with user-defined custom components, and exported schematic files contain a readme text file providing step-by-step instructions for opening in the desired CAD tool.

SnapMagic created the schematic export capability within PI Expert, which helps engineers speed up the process of designing with their chosen components and removes manual errors. To get started, engineers simply select File > Export Schematic and then select their PCB format of choice. SnapMagic’s schematic translator then provides the completed schematic including schematic symbols and PCB footprints for a seamless flow. In addition to the schematic export, CAD models for select Power Integrations components can also be downloaded on the main SnapMagic Search website, previously known as SnapEDA.