PI and SnapMagic collaborate on PSU tool
PI Expert now features schematic and netlist export, made possible by SnapMagic technology
Chip firm Power Integrations (PI) and design company SnapMagic aim to streamline the power supply design flow with their announcement that PI Expert, Power Integrations’ online design tool, now features schematic and netlist export, made possible by SnapMagic’s new schematic export technology.
Based on specifications input by the user, PI Expert automatically generates a complete power supply schematic using 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 inch 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 said: “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.”
