Detailed explanation of circuit design software, how to transfer protel circuit design software design to DXP

Circuit design software is widely used, and modern circuit design cannot do without circuit design software. Among many circuit design software, protel is a commonly used one. In order to enhance everyone’s understanding of circuit design software and protel, this article will introduce how to convert protel 99se design to PCB project in DXP based on this circuit design software. In addition, this article is only the first part, please refer to the second part for more content.

1.Generate project

It is very simple to open the database file in the DXP menu to convert a 99SE database file to a project in DXP. Confirming this operation starts a two-step process. First, all the contents in the database file are placed in a new Windows folder (with the same name as the database file and stored in the same path). Secondly, some nearby files are generated and opened in DXP, that is, a project group file, with several independent project files.

When your 99SE database contains multiple types of documents – all of which are written to disk in the first step – then only PCBs, schematics, libraries and netlists are considered in the automatic project build that occurs in the second step. A separate project file is created for each folder that contains at least one of these file types. The type of project depends on the contents of each folder.

If the folder contains schematics, netlists or PCB files, a PCB project is created and all recognized design documents are included in it (that is, schematic, PCB and library files). If there are only schematic libraries in the folder but no schematics or PCBs, a library package is created and the schematic library files in the folder are added to the library package. (PCB libraries are not automatically added to the library package; you can specify a search path to find the models.) DXP identifies documents by the file extension. Any documents in the database that do not have the appropriate extension (or no extension at all) are lost when the DXP project is generated. Keep in mind, however, that these documents are written to disk, and that they can be included in a project by renaming them with the appropriate extension and dragging them from Windows Explorer to the DXP Project Panel.

Components

When you examine your design documents in DXP, you’ll notice some changes – changes that won’t interrupt your workflow. One change is that all text fields and part fields for schematic components and libraries have been converted to parameters. While 99SE provides eight text fields and 16 part fields for each component, DXP ​​can add an unlimited number of available parameters. The contents of some special fields in 99SE components are saved as simulation data. When these field contents are also used in simulation, DXP ​​transfers their values ​​to the Model field instead of the Parameter field. Like parameters, an unlimited number of models can be added to a single component. Unlike parameters, only one of a given model can be enabled at a time.

2.Libraries

DXP offers some innovations in its handling of libraries, but none of them are mandatory. All the libraries in your 99SE work directly in DXP; simply load the libraries you need (schematic or PCB) into the DXP Library panel and they will work just as they always have. That said, it is highly recommended that you adapt to the new library resources in DXP. The list of loaded libraries in the Library panel can be rearranged to allow you to prioritize which libraries to search for matching footprints. This also allows you to use a third type of library: Integrated Libraries.

Integrated libraries allow you to assign specific models to specific components and then bind them together. That way, when a component is dropped into the schematic, a PCB document appears in sync with the footprint model in the library for that component you are going to use. There are no “component not found” errors, because the integrated library file is actually a database containing all the models in the integrated package. You will eventually want to include integrated libraries in your design flow, taking advantage of the security and portability they provide. In the meantime, the libraries you have already created will continue to work just fine.

3.Connections and Uniques

Uniques are the same in 99SE and DXP, and keep objects in the schematic and PCB linked, even when the basic parameters of one of them are modified. However, it is important to note that when you generate a new DXP project from a 99SE design, all the connections between the schematic and PCB components will disappear.

Re-establishing the connection relationship is simple. First, reset all the uniques in the schematic part to make them shorter and easier to manage, and then give new values ​​to other objects, such as schematic symbols. Then in the PCB part, pairs of components with packages appear in the Component Connection dialog box. Fully synchronizing the 99SE database requires two procedures: first, add the connection relationship based on the identifier match (the default connection), and then perform the update. The fundamental difference between DXP and 99SE is that establishing a connection is not a prerequisite for synchronization. For example, if you skip the sequence described above and simply try to run the Update/Import command on a PCB design brought from 99SE to DXP, you will get the following message. Based on the failure to synchronize the unique names, you can still continue to match based on the identifier. This will not affect the contents of the unique identity column in your design, which means that when you repeat the process, the same failure error will be reported. Assigning the same unique identity to the schematic component and the PCB footprint is the only way to maintain a reliable connection between them.

4.Net Identification Scope

Specific net definitions should be assigned appropriately in your schematic objects. By default, the settings in the Project Options dialog box are automatically assigned (based on content). This means that if your project contains schematic symbols and sheet entries, the scope will be set to hierarchical. If your project has ports but no sheet entries, the scope will be set to parallel. If your project has neither sheet entries nor ports, the net labels will be global. If you do not want to use automatic detection, you can simply assign a separate scope to apply to the project regardless of its content. It is recommended to use global scope for ports and net labels in 99SE projects, because these will not be found by DXP’s automatic detection.