PADS-LOGIC Version 2.X enhancements and advisories
Contents:
[Document Version: 2.xx]
[Last Updated: 3/26/94]
PADS-LOGIC now uses proportional text which is different
from the text used in the past. Please be advised this
could change the way items appear when plotted inside
charts or drawings.
For additional enhancements see the Pads-Logic 2.X
enhancement list.
In order to support all of the new Library features that we
have incorporated into the software, you are going to be
required to convert any library items that you have created
into the new Library format. This letter will explain how
to use the Library Conversion Program CONV3TO4 to accomplish
this.
If you are a new user of PADS-LOGIC and/or PADS-PCB, you
will not have any customized library shapes, therefore you
can disregard this note.
If you are an existing user and have PADS-PCB Version 4.0
already installed, and you are updating to PADS-LOGIC
Version 2.0, pay special attention to items 8 and 9
regarding initializing existing libraries.
Customers Converting V 1.2X PADS-LOGIC Libraries to V 4.0
Format:
- Load the Version 2.X Update.
- Type:
CD \PADS <CR>
to change to the \PADS directory.
- Type:
CONV3TO4 <CR>
- Select Item #4.
- Select the version of the package that you are converting.
- Select the type of library that you are converting.
- Enter the drive letter (followed by a colon) and the
path to your old PADS Library. (<CR>
defaults to the
current drive and the \PADS\LIB directory.)
- Initialize or add to existing V4 Library? I/A. "I"
should be used if your User Library does not exist. "A"
should be entered if you are adding parts to an existing V
4.0 Library.
- Overwrite duplicate items? (This prompt will only appear
if you have responded with the letter "A" to the question
#8, and intend on replacing parts already existing in the
V4.0 library. If you are only planning on adding parts to
the new library, enter an "N" for "NO").
- Confirm the selection.
Keep in mind that one of the new features with the library
is that you can have up to 30 different libraries, not just
a standard and a user library. As an example, CAD Software
has split the Standard Library into two libraries, an STD
Library and a TTL Library.
To do this with your User Library, once you have finished
converting the libraries, go to the User Library and write
out the Part Type and Decal information that you wish to
make a separate library from. Then, create the new Library
through PLIB\INITIALIZE and feed the ASCII files back into
the new Library using PLIB's WRITE.
Once the Library Conversion is complete, you may also want
to remove nonessential files located in the Library
directory. Files with .DAT and .IDX extensions are among
the old library data files which can be removed once the
conversion process is complete.
When a user specifies a netlist out, using PADS-PCB, the
user should note that the PCB decal defined in this ASCII
file identifies a specific decal which will appear in
his/her PCB database. We have enhanced this new version to
allow all the alternates to be available in Pads-Pcb
providing the alternate decal being called out, is one of
the alternates presently defined in the part type used to
bring the part in. If the decal is completely independent
of the part type being used, then only that specific decal
will be available in the board design.
Attempting to replace a part in a schematic which has less
pins than the original part will result in the prompt: "NEW
PART HAS LESS PINS THAN ORIGINAL PART", and the part will
not be replaced. This is an error checking function that is
performing correctly. You should never want to change a
part with fewer pins since you will lose connections.
Always replace with a part containing the same number or
more pins. If not possible, the original part must be
deleted and the new part (with fewer pins) put in
and reconnected.
Unable to have duplicate pin names in LOGIC decal! Names
such as NC or N/C must be different, ie: NC1, NC2, etc..
This is functioning correctly and will not be changed.
Bus names with alphanumeric characters are not supported,
ie: DA1[00:13], only names such as DA[00:13]
If a customer uses the directory variable statement (i.e.,
set PLOGIC or PPCB), the batch files associated with PADS
Software must also be modified to match the new directories
assigned.
Customers using Pads-Logic must have 1 Megabyte of expanded
memory available in order to run the program. Customers who
are using a 286 CPU MUST have the expanded memory loaded on
a true expanded memory card. Customers with a 386 CPU can
configure their expanded memory via an expanded memory
manager.
It has come to our attention that a lot of users are
modifying existing parttypes to make other parts. While
this is all well and good, please be aware that if you make
changes to a gate decal at this level (physical changes
rather than text modifications), any other parttype that
utilizes this gate decal in its configuration, will also
assume these physical changes. The correct way to implement
these changes is as follows:
- To use an existing gate decal as a base for generating
another, call up gate "A" under the "GATE DECAL" command in
the library menus, produce all the modifications necessary
at this point, and save it away as gate"B". This way gate
"A" is preserved in its original form and gate"B" has now
been created.
- To generate a new gate decal at the parttype stage, you
simply define the name in the electrical section. When you
complete (F9) the parttype, the system will alert you that
your gate decal doesn't exist. At this time, select "MOD
GATE" and generate your gate decal. Once you have finished
defining the gate, select complete (F9), and save the part
away in the normal fashion.
GROUP/MOVE no longer displays highlighted information as the
group is placed in its various area.
The GROUP (F4) menu selection has some additional features
which were implemented during the later stages of the
development of PADS-LOGIC Version 2.X. Unfortunately, these
enhancements were not added to the manual. They are as
follows:
- GROUP/MOVE has a feature called DRAW GROUP (F2), which
will display all the items which are currently selected in
the group, at the location of the group, when DRAW GROUP
(F2) is selected. NOTE: any redraws, pans, or further
selections of DRAW GROUP will remove the existing
representation.
- GROUP/MOVE also has another new menu selection called
ERASE GROUP (F3). This feature will simply remove the group
images created when DRAW GROUP (F2) is selected.
EDIT TEXT will now update attribute information that was
modified in the library for parts existing in a schematic.
NOTE: If you have added or deleted attributes in your part,
a prompt will appear confirming your intentions.
To better organize our Bill of Materials report, we have
added a field called "item".
To help prevent accidental exiting and loss of schematic
data, we have added a safety feature which requires a Y(es)
or N(o) response when EXIT (F0) is selected.
If a schematic is brought to another design station and a
GROUP/CUT is performed which contained offpage symbols, when
that cut is re-added to a new sheet, the offpage symbol may
be added using the wrong symbol. This is caused by the
differences between the offpage parts which can vary from
system to system. We recommend modifying the offpage part
on system two to match that of system one, then paste the
group back in.
We are now storing CAM selections inside the ASCII files.
The "scale-to-fit" selection will save as a part of the
ASCII file, but it may not be as apparent as other
selctions. This particular entry becomes stored as a
combination of other entries in conjunction with certain
flag settings.
The REPORT/NETLIST selection called "other" should not be
used by any customer as a type of output netlist. It is a
spare entry which CAD Software, Inc. will use when new
output formats become available.
Several output formats have been removed from PADS-LOGIC
Version 2.X. These outputs have been removed to avoid
confusion and will be re-instated as they become available.
They are as follows: CADnetics, ViewLOGIC, and Mentor.
There have been some changes made to our standard library
for Version 2.X. The TTL parts have been moved into a
separate library file and the alias character has been
changed from "X" to"?". As parts containing aliases are
added to the library, the item count will increment equal to
the number of aliases found in each part type. On older
versions of the software, the item number would only
increment once regardless of how many aliases were contained
in the part type.
Please be advised that in certain instances, when combining
parameters, such as text sizes or decal line widths, which
cause the parameters form to get smaller, and the mouse
cursor is on the last line of data, the cursor will become
locked into the area in which the old data once resided. A
reboot of the system is required to get out of the software.
PADS products have now been modified to truly install and
operate in a network environment.
We have, however, only tested the software in a Novell
environment. Therefore, we will only support our product on
this particular network. Customers wishing to operate PADS
products on any other network, must do so at their own
discretion.
DOS 5.0 is functioning fine on two systems here at CAD
Software, Inc.. The hardware configurations are as follows:
386/25 MHz CPU
VGA graphics/Number Nine SGT Pepper Card
386MAX Memory Manger/QEMM Memory Manager
80 MB hard drive
4 MB of extended memory
Both systems are loading all available drivers into high
extended memory which provides a large additional amount of
DOS 640K memory to our programs. This additional DOS memory
allows for larger numbers of parts, as well as connections.
We have, however, run into several cases where certain
statements when executed through the CONFIG.SYS file would
cause the programs to lock up or act unpredictably. We
advise customers to strip their CONFIG.SYS file down until
they find which statements are causing the problem. One
known statement is:
DOS = HIGH, UMB
If customers would like additional information, they can
contact our Technical Support Staff at (508) 486-3328.
PADS-LOGIC Version 2.05
PADS-LOGIC no longer backs up the schematic to a file called
LOGIC.SCH, but to files called LOGIC.QBK and LOGBAKUP.XXX
(page#) which may be loaded back in by using (F1) BACKUP
under "JOB IN". These files are found under the
\PADS\LOGFIL directory. Also, PADS-LOGIC will create
temporary files which get deleted when the software is
properly exited. If the system, however, unusually crashes
when you are in PADS-LOGIC, upon re-entering PADS-LOGIC, you
will receive a message detecting the crash. If you say
"YES" to the prompt, the system will automatically reload
the last file you had accessed in the software from the
temporary files.
Please be advised that on systems with low amounts of hard
disk space, a message will appear indicating this, and the
backup files cannot be created without clearing up more disk
space. If message goes unheeded, the system in some cases
will attempt to try backing up the schematics and get caught
in a never ending loop. A reboot of the system is the only
way out of the software.
11/14/91
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