Schematics

Schematics are first and foremost a communication tool. Don’t try to make things as compact as possible, aim for understandability at a glance.

Things to look out for (expand each point for more detailed information):

Is the schematic pdf up to date?

PDFs are useful for when you need to look at a schematic on a device that doesn’t have KiCad installed. We definitely don’t want to be making critical fixes in the field using an out of date schematic!

Prefer local net labels / hierarchical labels to global net labels.

This helps keep things understandable and prevents name collisions. Power rails should be kept as global.

Are the parts of the schematic labeled? Are all non-obvious part values explained?

Use text fields liberally to explain what each part of the schematic does and how part values were decided upon (eg “from the datasheet” or showing calculations).

Is it pretty?

This is nitpicky and hard to define but it’s nice when a schematic ‘looks good’. For example,

Try to align similar components.
Keep some wire (I like 2 grid cells) on either side of intersections / corners. For example,

Are input and output connectors facing the right way?

We try to place input connectors (data / power) on the left side of the schematic with wires exiting to the right, and output connectors on the right of the schematic with wires coming in from the left.