How to insert 80 dipchips using CircuiTikz?

Question

\foreach is very restricted, how may I insert three different numbers into a dipchip, the x and y position as well as the chip number?

See this question and answer.

I was requested to share my knowledge, therefore I wrote the answer myself.

Answer 1

Although I also do a lot of things writing Python and outputting LaTeX (invaluable for student's feedback sheets from excel!), in this case, I think that it is easier to write the loops directly in LaTeX, and as customizable as the Python ones (notice that you can \define a macro for the various 5.5, 11, etc...)

I wrote this basically directly translating your Python loops into LaTeX:

\documentclass[]{article}
\usepackage[siunitx, RPvoltages]{circuitikz}
%\usepackage{verbatim}
\usepackage{geometry} % to change the page dimensions
\geometry{a3paper} % or letterpaper (US) or a5paper or....
% set the basic length to 0.5in (1 in is very big, but could work)
% SET THIS ONCE and only in the preamble.
\ctikzset{bipoles/length=0.5in}
% pin spacing is in basic lengths, see manual, section 3.27.1, around page 135
\ctikzset{multipoles/dipchip/pin spacing=0.2} %0.1in
\ctikzset{multipoles/external pins width=0.1} %0.05in
\ctikzset{multipoles/dipchip/width=0.8}       %0.4in
\ctikzset{multipoles/dipchip/width=0.7}       %0.35in body + 2*0.025in half pads 
\ctikzset{multipoles/external pad fraction=4} %draw the pad
\begin{document}
\begin{figure}[ht]
% work with units of pin distance
\begin{circuitikz}[x=0.1in, y=0.1in,
    chip16/.style={dipchip, anchor=pin 1, num pins=16, hide numbers, rotate=90},
    chip14/.style={dipchip, anchor=pin 1, num pins=14, hide numbers, rotate=90},
    ]
    \newcounter{chipN}\setcounter{chipN}{38}
    % redefine the labels here
    \newcommand{\mylabel}[1]{\large\ttfamily\rotatebox{-90}{#1}}
    \newcommand{\xstep}{11}
    \newcommand{\ystep}{5.5}
    \foreach \j in {0,...,5} {
        \path (9,{ 2.5+\j\ystep}) node[chip16]{\mylabel{IC 1.\arabic{chipN}}};
        \path (9,{57.5+\j\ystep}) node[chip16]{\mylabel{IC 2.\arabic{chipN}}};
        \addtocounter{chipN}{-1}
    }
\foreach \i in {0,...,3} {
    \pgfmathsetmacro{\y}{52-\ystep*\i}
    \pgfmathsetmacro{\x}{20+\xstep*\i}
    \pgfmathtruncatemacro{\n}{\i+1}
    \path (9, \y) node[chip14]{\mylabel{IC 3.\n}};
    \foreach \j in {0,...,7} {
        \path (\x, {2.5+\j*\ystep}) node[chip16]{\mylabel{IC 1.\arabic{chipN}}};
        \path (\x, {46.5+\j*\ystep}) node[chip16]{\mylabel{IC 2.\arabic{chipN}}};
        \addtocounter{chipN}{-1}
    }
}



\draw [black,  thin] (0in, 0in) rectangle (160.0mm, 233.4mm); % draw the rectangle for the double euro format board
\end{circuitikz}
\end{figure}
\end{document}

...and you have the same (I had to switch IC 1. and IC 2. in your last loop, I think that the image corresponds to this). I had also used a mix of things to do the calculations (directly in coordinates, using various \pgfmath... things, etc.) to show several possibilities.

For the chip number, I used a counter, because they are global in LaTeX and they save a few local group headaches.

Answer 2

This may be done combining the power of LaTex and Python.

The LaTex code:

\documentclass[border=10pt]{article}
\usepackage[siunitx, RPvoltages]{circuitikz}
% set the basic length to 0.5in (1 in is very big, but could work)
% SET THIS ONCE and only in the preamble.
%\usepackage{verbatim}
\usepackage{geometry} % to change the page dimensions
\geometry{a3paper} % or letterpaper (US) or a5paper or....
\ctikzset{bipoles/length=0.5in}
% pin spacing is in basic lengths, see manual, section 3.27.1, around page 135
\ctikzset{multipoles/dipchip/pin spacing=0.2} %0.1in
\ctikzset{multipoles/external pins width=0.1} %0.05in
\ctikzset{multipoles/dipchip/width=0.8}       %0.4in
\ctikzset{multipoles/dipchip/width=0.7}       %0.35in body + 2*0.025in half pads 
\ctikzset{multipoles/external pad fraction=4} %draw the pad
\begin{document}
\begin{figure}[h]
% work with units of pin distance
\begin{circuitikz}[x=0.1in, y=0.1in]
\input{mountICs.tex} % import the Python generated file with the placement of 80 chips
\draw [black,  thin] (0in, 0in) rectangle (160.0mm, 233.4mm); % draw the rectangle for the double euro format board
\end{circuitikz}
\end{figure}
\end{document}

The Python code:

# define the LaTex strings
# the double backslash \\ is needed in Python to get a single \ for the LaTex string
first part of the LaTex string
left = '\path ('
second part of the LaTex string, two versions: mid1 and mid2
num pins = 16
mid1 = ") node[dipchip, anchor=pin 1, num pins=16, hide numbers, rotate=90] {\large\rotatebox{-90}{"
num pins = 14
mid2 = ") node[dipchip, anchor=pin 1, num pins=14, hide numbers, rotate=90] {\large\rotatebox{-90}{"
third and last part of the LaTex string
right = "}};\n"
tex = open('mountICs.tex', 'w') # open output file mountICs.tex for writing
n = 38 # number for chip label
for j in range(6) : # 6 chips in a row
compose a LaTex string using the left, mid1 and right string constants
and write it to the opened .tex file
chip label number n is pasted to IC 1.
y = 2.5 + j * 5.5
   tex.write(left + "9, " + str(y) + mid1 + "IC 1." + str(n) + right)
   y = 57.5 + j * 5.5
   tex.write(left + "9, " + str(y) + mid1 + "IC 2." + str(n) + right)
   n -= 1 # decrement chip label number n
for i in range(4) : # 4 chips in a row
   y = 52 - i * 5.5 # vertical position
   x = 20 + i * 11 # horizontal position
   tex.write(left + "9, " + str(y) + mid2 + "IC 3." + str(i+1) + right)
   for j in range(8) : # 8 chips in a column
       # insert the numbers x, y and n as strings into the LaTex string
       y = 2.5 + j * 5.5 # vertical position
       tex.write(left + str(x) + ", " + str(y) + mid1 + "IC 2." + str(n) + right)
        y = 46.5 + j * 5.5 # vertical position
        tex.write(left + str(x) + ", " + str(y) + mid1 + "IC 1." + str(n) + right)
        n -= 1
tex.close() #close the file and write all to the disk

The Python script writes to the file mountICs.tex, this file is inserted into the LaTex code using \input{}.

Python and LaTex should use the same local directory for the exchange of mountICs.tex, a filepath may be added if another than the local directory should be used.

No parameters are passed from LaTex to the Python script, if the number of chips in rows and columns should be changed, the Python script must be edited and rerun. There is no automatic build of mountICs.tex whenever the Python script is edited.

The Python script is modification friendly, if the number of chips in a row or column is to be changed, just change the number in range(4) or range(8). If the distance of chips is to be changed modify only the 5.5 in y = 2.5 + j * 5.5