A collaboration between power conversion IC developer, Power Integrations, and AI driven electronics components search engine, SnapMagic (formerly SnapEDA) claims to reduce power supply specification to PCB layout time to just minutes.

SnapMagic announced that PI Expert, Power Integrations’ online design tool, now features schematic and netlist export, through the use of its new schematic export technology. 

Based on specifications input by the user, the design tool automatically generates a complete power supply schematic using Power Integrations’ power conversion ICs, including a custom magnetics design. Before this innovation, the automated tool flow extended up to full circuit optimisation but required manual transcription into a CAD package to facilitate simulations and physical layout. This 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 currently supported, namely Cadence OrCAD, Altium, Autodesk Eagle / Fusion360 and KiCad.

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 . . . freeing engineers to do what they do best - innovate. We’re not just saving engineers weeks; we’re changing the game entirely.” 

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, 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. Engineers simply select File > Export Schematic and then the PCB format of choice. SnapMagic’s schematic translator provides the completed schematic including schematic symbols and PCB footprints. In addition to the schematic export, CAD models for select Power Integrations components can also be downloaded on the main SnapMagic Search website.