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KiWay Extract Pins Plugin

KiWay Extract Pins is a powerful KiCAD plugin designed to automate documentation and signal analysis. It allows you to extract pin data, trace signal flows, and generate diagrams directly from your PCB layout.

Features at a Glance

Feature Description
Data Extraction Export pinouts to CSV, Markdown, or JSON. Filter by reference, value, or connector type.
Signal Flow Trace signals from Source to Destination (e.g., Connector → IC).
IC Charts Generate complete pin maps for ICs, showing where every pin connects.
Visual Diagrams NEW! Generate self-contained SVG block diagrams and flowcharts.
Automation NEW! Full CLI support for scripting and CI/CD integration.

Installation

Method 1: Plugin Manager (Recommended)

  1. Open KiCAD 9.0+.
  2. Go to Plugin and Content Manager.
  3. Click Manage Repositories -> (+) Add.
  4. URL: https://raw.githubusercontent.com/wayri/KiWay/main/pcm/repo.json
  5. Click Save, then select "KiWay Plugins" from the repository dropdown.
  6. Install KiWay Extract Pins.

Method 2: Manual Install

Download the latest release zip and extract the extract_pins_plugin folder to:

  • Windows: Documents\KiCad\9.0\scripting\plugins\
  • Linux: ~/.local/share/kicad/9.0/scripting/plugins/

GUI Usage Guide

The GUI is designed for interactive exploration.

  1. Open PCB Editor: Launch your board layout.
  2. Launch Plugin: Click the toolbar icon or go to Tools -> External Plugins -> Extract Component Pins.
  3. Select Components: You can select components on the PCB before or during the plugin session.
    • Auto-Refresh: Enable this checkbox to have the list update automatically as you click components on the board.

User Flow

Tabs Overview

  • Extract Pins: The main table view. Configure filters and export pin lists.
  • Signal Flow: Define a "Source" (e.g., J1) and "Destination" (e.g., U1). The plugin will find all nets connecting them.
  • IC Chart: Pick an IC (Uxx) to see a report of all its connections.
  • Diagrams: Generate visual block diagrams.

CLI Reference (Command Line)

You can use KiWay without opening the KiCAD GUI. This is perfect for generating documentation automatically.

Note: You must run these commands using KiCAD's bundled Python environment.

1. Basic Extraction (extract)

Export pin data for components.

# Export all connectors starting with J to CSV
kiway-python -m extract_pins_plugin extract --refs "J*" --format csv board.kicad_pcb

Options:

  • --refs "J*,P*": Select components by reference patterns.
  • --net-filter "SPI_*": Only show pins connected to nets matching the pattern.
  • --ignore-power: Exclude GND/VCC pins.

2. Signal Flow Analysis (signal-flow)

Trace signals between two sets of components.

# Trace signals from Connector J1 to Microcontroller U1
kiway-python -m extract_pins_plugin signal-flow --source "J1" --dest "U1" --format md board.kicad_pcb

Output Example (Markdown):

Source Pin Net Dest Pin
J1 1 SPI_MOSI U1 14
J1 2 SPI_MISO U1 15

3. Visual Diagrams (diagram)

Generate vector graphics of your components.

# Create a block diagram for U1 and U2
kiway-python -m extract_pins_plugin diagram --refs "U1,U2" -o schematic.svg board.kicad_pcb

4. Path Finding (find-path)

Find specific signal paths designated by max hops.

# How does signal get from TP1 to U1?
kiway-python -m extract_pins_plugin find-path --start "TP1" --end "U1" --max-hops 5 board.kicad_pcb

Developer Guide

For contributors who want to understand the codebase structure.

Program Structure

FAQ

Q: Can I run this on KiCAD 8? A: The metadata targets KiCAD 9.0+, but it may work on KiCAD 8 if you manually edit the metadata.json version requirement, though it is untested.

Q: Where are the SVG diagrams saved? A: By default, they are saved in the same directory as the PCB file.