Recommendation for Software to Create Arduino-Based Connection Diagrams

Community General Discussion
1

I’m working on a project involving multiple modules like Arduino Mega, Ethernet shields, Arduino Nano, MAX3232, and other components. I need to create a detailed and visually clear connection diagram for my setup.

Could you recommend any software or online tools that are user-friendly and suitable for creating such diagrams? Ideally, I’m looking for options that provide:

  • Built-in symbols for common modules (e.g., Arduinos, shields, converters).
  • Easy drag-and-drop functionality.
  • Export options for sharing in forums or documentation.
2

https://www.circuito.io/

3

A few ideas here

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5

Isn't Kicad being discontinued shortly?

6

ASCIImatics - will never be made redundant.

            +-----------+
            │ESP32 WeMos│
            │  D1 Mini  │       +------------+
            │RST      TX│       │POWER SUPPLY│
            │A8       RX│  +----│GND         │
            │D0       D1│  │ +--│5V          │
  +-----CLK-|D5(14)   D2│  │ │  +------------+
  │         │D6       D3│  │ │
  │ +--DATA-|D7(13)   D4│  │ │
  │ │ +--CS-|D8(15)    G|--+ │
  │ │ │     │3V3      5V|--│-+  +-----------+
  │ │ │     │           │  │ │  │MAX7219 8x8│
  │ │ │     │RESET      │  │ +--│5V       5V│
  │ │ │     +-----------+  +----│GND     GND│
  │ │ +-------------------------│CS     DOUT│
  │ +---------------------------│DIN      CS│
  +-----------------------------│CLK     CLK│
                                +-----------+
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7

I hadn't heard of that.

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I may be wrong, but I know one of the more commonly recommended drawing tools is in favour of a much bigger and complicated. I am still looking for a simple drafting type tool so I will look at those mentioned above.

9

WOW, my autistic brain can't handle that one, still looking.

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Lol, KiCad is alive and well.

However, you are probably thinking of Eagle. Eagle was sold to Autodesk, and will soon be retired as a standalone program. Instead the functionality of Eagle will be incorporated into Autodesk Fusion.

https://www.autodesk.com/support/technical/article/caas/sfdcarticles/sfdcarticles/Autodesk-EAGLE-Announcement-Next-steps-and-FAQ.html

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YEP, that's it.

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It is an interesting site, though the Terms of Service require some study. I am unsure about this part :

The Content is provided to you for your information and personal use only and may not be used, modified, copied, distributed, transmitted, broadcast, displayed, sold, licensed, de-compiled, or otherwise exploited for any other purposes whatsoever without our prior written consent, except as otherwise provided in these Terms, any Contest Rules, or in the terms or conditions or notice provided in respect of specific Content (for example, Third Party Terms – defined below).

This seems to say that I couldn't copy and paste a wiring diagram from there without their written consent, unless somewhere it says you can.

13

IKR?! The beauty of simplicity. Blinding.

14

What is IKR?

15

Early PLC ladder logic used the same technique.

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The acronym of, "I know, right?" It is how the kids say, "I agree with you."

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I interpret this that you can only use it for personal use, and that The Content would be the site and the tools.

18

This will allow only one controller at a time

19

I second the advice to use KiCad. I suspect that you don't think that you are looking for a standard electrical schematic capture tool, but in the long term I believe that you will find that this approach is most effective.

Although KiCad is worth using even solely as a schematic capture tool, learning how to use its schematic capture capabilities will also directly apply to using it for designing PCBs if you decide to do that for projects at some point in the future.

KiCad is the most popular free open source EDA application

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20

EasyEDA is nice. It has most of the common Arduino modules you might use

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