Hello!

I'm working on an audio sequencer circuit schematic in KiCad.

I have a bank of 6 audio oscillators, which I've individually connected to monojacks. I have a CD4051B switching through a selection of potentiometers, also wired up to a monojack. This is so I can use a patch cord to choose which oscillator I want to sequence.
Here's the idea, with a big red line representing where I might make a patch cord connection:


KiCad sure doesn't like this, though. Lots of "Pin connected to other pins, but not driven by any pin" errors, which all seem related to me using these monojack connectors everywhere.

Do I just ignore these errors, suppress them (somehow), or is there a way to let KiCad know my intentions here?

Thanks!

 

Why do you want to include an external patch cord or connection cable etc if making a PC board, if just needing a schematic, you can draw what you like in KiCad.
Random Patch cord selections or external connections have no place in a schematic.
Of course it will error.
When does it "not like it"?

 

Why do you want to include an external patch cord or connection cable etc if making a PC board

I don't. At least, I don't want to have it on the schematic.

Random Patch cord selections or external connections have no place in a schematic.

I agree.

When does it "not like it"?

During the Electrical Rules Check.

 

I would have to replicate it.
I suspect it is because the connector has a pin designated 'Power' ?
If so you could copy the part and rename it and designate the pins as bi-directional or input, rather than power pin.

 

Ok, I will explore copying and modifying parts. Thanks for your reply!

 

Ok, I will explore copying and modifying parts. Thanks for your reply!

I will investigate the reason when I get the chance, maybe tomorrow, test the part pins designations.

 

The error usually has to do with power pins. Symbols like the CD4069 have multiple units, A B C etc. Unit G will be the power pins. Do you have it in the schematic and connected to power? Also put unused units on the schematic and connect unused inputs and outputs as appropriate for the IC.

I would not copy and modify parts but instead use power flags:
https://docs.kicad.org/5.1/en/eeschema/eeschema.html#power-pins-and-power-flags

If you run the debugger and click (or double click?) the error message, green arrows will appear on the schematic indicating where the debugger thinks there's a problem. This particular error could be ignored but then you're on your own in checking that everything is powered correctly.

 

"Pin connected to other pins, but not driven by any pin" is typically safe to just ignore.

When a part is created each pin can have a defined type. The best example is a power regulator where one pin is a "Power In" type and another a "Power Out" type. Obviously you don't want to connect two "Power Out" pins together... or that may be just what you need to do.

Personaly I mostly use the "Passive" type as it connects to everything without a warning.

 

If you run the debugger and click (or double click?) the error message, green arrows will appear on the schematic indicating where the debugger thinks there's a problem. This particular error could be ignored but then you're on your own in checking that everything is powered correctly.

This is where I'm at. But I notice all the little green "problem arrows" are pointing to places that always connected to my mono jack connectors, so I guess I can just try to ignore them.

"Pin connected to other pins, but not driven by any pin" is typically safe to just ignore.

When a part is created each pin can have a defined type. The best example is a power regulator where one pin is a "Power In" type and another a "Power Out" type. Obviously you don't want to connect two "Power Out" pins together... or that may be just what you need to do.

Personaly I mostly use the "Passive" type as it connects to everything without a warning.

Thanks for the tips! Looking again these are technically "warnings" and not "errors", so perhaps I'm overreacting a bit... I'm still getting the hang of KiCad.

I mostly don't want to miss an important warning among the ones I think I can ignore, but I guess that all comes back to being careful.

 

I could not find the exact socket you were using, all the ones in the edition I have had no live designated pins.
What you could do is assign it a power bus and place a appropriate power flag in order to satisfy the checker.