How to create pin diagrams?

[zapta]

Pin diagrams like this one are very popular. Are that tools that make it easier to create them?

[Mad ID]

You can do it in MS Word or in MS Visio

[zapta]

You can do it in MS Word or in MS Visio

Thanks, Is was hoping for a more specialized tool.

[T3sl4co1l]

You could use a TABLE in a variety of preferred environments (Word, Excel, HTML, LaTeX...), and add the lines and boxes as border or graphic elements.  Specifically for LaTeX, there's likely a PGF/TikZ package that draws tables like this (even tabu alone will get close, but may not handle the bubble shaped outlines directly).

You could also do worse than make partial or complete drawings in your preferred EDA environment.  Most provide graphical primitives and a fixed grid referenced layout.  Some schematic environments aren't as quantitative, but PCB environments can usually be used to draw proper scaled mechanical drawings, with dimensions and everything; certainly suitable for a diagram like this, though perhaps a bit droll (have fun getting colors on that .DXF).

Tim

[Alex Eisenhut]

Paging Don Lancaster! We need you to hand-code some Postscript over here!

[T3sl4co1l]

Paging Don Lancaster! We need you to hand-code some Postscript over here!

I've read many a Hardware Hacker and Tech Musings... never wrote a character worth of PS though.

Tim

[Richard Crowley]

Is was hoping for a more specialized tool.

Like what exactly?
That is trivial to do in MS PowerPoint.  I have done it a few times.

[zapta]

I ended up drawing it with Libre Office (free and OS agnostic, os a good for this OSH project). Will insert later the actual board picture.



Source file and svg rendering here https://github.com/zapta/arm/tree/master/pro-mini/www

[zapta]

Is was hoping for a more specialized tool.

Like what exactly?

Don't know, something that already understands the general format, takes care of formatting and alignment and just requires the core data. Can be GUI based, can be text based. Similar to that specialized signal timing diagraming tool that was mentioned here once.

[Alex Eisenhut]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DGML

maybe something like this? Check out the dot language too.

[DonEduardo]

Which tool in Libre Office did you use? Draw?

[zapta]

Which tool in Libre Office did you use? Draw?

Yes, the source file is on github. The grid is your friend ;-)

https://github.com/zapta/arm/blob/master/pro-mini/www/pin_out.odg?raw=true

[zapta]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DGML

maybe something like this? Check out the dot language too.

Thanks. I used the dot language in the past for program generated graphs, you defined the nodes and their relations and it automatically lays out the graph.

For this application I was hopping for something more high level and application specific. E.g. define the center image, define labels on both side using let's say row/column notation and basic formatting (e.g. color) and the tool would do the rest.  This style of pinout diagram is so popular that I am surprised that such a tool does not exist.

[DonEduardo]

Thanks. Just grabbed a copy of the file. Looks great. Have never used Draw yet. Might be just what I need for documenting modules I've purchased from eBay that don't have good datasheets and I end up figuring it out by experimentation. That's fine for a couple months but when I need to go back a year or so later I can't remember what I did to get things working. Thanks for the tip.

[Alex Eisenhut]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DGML

maybe something like this? Check out the dot language too.

Thanks. I used the dot language in the past for program generated graphs, you defined the nodes and their relations and it automatically lays out the graph.

For this application I was hopping for something more high level and application specific. E.g. define the center image, define labels on both side using let's say row/column notation and basic formatting (e.g. color) and the tool would do the rest.  This style of pinout diagram is so popular that I am surprised that such a tool does not exist.

There's also LibreOffice Basic, although I find the documentation obtuse.

tools -> macro -> organize macros-> libreoffice Basic

https://forum.openoffice.org/en/forum/viewtopic.php?f=45&t=46682