====== Snaiks ======
**Signals and Systems from KiCad to C++**

March 2017

This page is a successor of the [[Snaiks-Study]]

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===== Introduction =====
{{ ::snaiks-logo.png?nolink&200|}}


**Snaiks** provides a tool chain to get from a signal plan, drawn in **KiCad**s schematic editor to a generated standard **C++** code, runnable on **any platform**. 

This tool chain consists of following parts:
  * **Snaiks KiCad Library**, providing all the symbols
  * **Snaiks Compiler**, generating C++ code out of KiCads netlist
  * **Snaiks C++ Library**, defining the functionality of the KiCad symbols

It's purpose is to create complex systems by drawing them in KiCad's schematic editor and generate out of the netlist a working C++ code, which also compiles for micro controllers without dynamic memory allocation. 

It can be used to implement PLCs or digital signal processing like filtering. 

===== Goals =====
  * Generate beautiful C++ code from a KiCad schematic
  * Compiles without dynamic memory allocation (embedded, safety)
  * Read and write system states during runtime (e.g. with a simple terminal)
  * Simple custom system creation (KiCad component editor + sub-class implementation)
  * Hierarchical design (sub-systems)
  * full documentation within the schematic

===== Status =====
==== Implemented ====
  * A set of basic blocks in KiCad and C++
  * Snaiks Compiler, in alpha state
  * auto arrangement of block-execution to provide transparent behavior



==== Open Tasks ====
  * communication with the system in runtime
  * unit tests of all Snaiks Objects

===== Mini-Demo =====
[[https://gitlab.com/KarlZeilhofer/snaiks-demo-2|This demo project on GitLab.com]] shows the usage of snaiks in a simple console application, a Qt app with GUI and a realtime-application running on the [[RevolutionPi]]


===== Installer =====
TODO: make an installer repo, which clones all the sub-repos, compiles and installs the snaiks compiler, installs kicad and a demo project. 

  # using git clone --recursive to check out all submodules
  git clone --recursive https://github.com/chaconinc/MainProject
===== Source Code =====
  * https://gitlab.com/KarlZeilhofer/snaiks-cpp-lib
  * https://gitlab.com/KarlZeilhofer/snaiks-kicad-lib
  * https://gitlab.com/KarlZeilhofer/snaiks-compiler

===== Library Presentation =====
  * https://gitlab.com/KarlZeilhofer/snaiks-kicad-lib-presentation
  * {{ ::snaiks-lib-presentation.pdf |Presentation as PDF}} (perhaps outdated)
===== Blue Prints =====


==== Properties ====
A Snaiks component can have properties. For example:
  * monoflop period
  * schmitt trigger limits
  * saturation limits
  * corner frequency or filter-type of a digital filter
  * filter coefficients
  * gain value
  * value of constants

A property consists of 
  * a value
  * a name
  * a persistent initial value
  * a setter method
  * a getter method
  * a method to store a changed value into the persistent memory
==== Info-System ====
A system generated by Snaiks should be fully discoverable and manipulatable during runtime. 

=== Use cases ===
  * change filter characteristics
  * change regulator parameters
  * adjust offset or gain
  * change system constants
  * change enable/disable flags
  * reset a component or the whole system
  * start/stop recording

=== Needed Features ===
  * list inputs and outputs of an object
  * list properties of an object
  * change property values permanently


==== Any-Type Inputs/Outputs ====
Perhaps it would be useful, that not all inputs must have the same type. For example a mute gate, where the enable is bool and the signal is double. 

Pros:
  * more flexible systems

Cons:
  * every pin must have a type specified in KiCad (could be done with net-annotators, similar to PWR_FLAG). 
  * we cannot use a simple template-interface class any more

=== Proposal ===
  * in cases, where this is really needed, a specific C++ class could be implemented
  * mixture of numbers and bool shouldn't be any problem

{{tag>english software signals kicad snaiks technical}}