[PROTEL EDA USERS]: PADS ASCII netlist reference designator bug - is there a workaround?

["Michael Reagan" <edsi@netstorm.net>]

You must have a heck of allot of parts using 16 characters for reference
designators.   If you start at 1 you probably wont get past 4 or 5
characters. This might be a simpleton solution to chasing a loose goose
problem of finding out why a program doesn't accept 16 characters for a ref
desig.  I wouldn't blast Protel for their limitation of not accommodating a
zillion virtual parts

Mike Reagan
EDSI




----- Original Message -----
From: Drew Lundsten <drew@ccpu.com>
To: Multiple recipients of list proteledausers
<proteledausers@techservinc.com>
Sent: Friday, September 08, 2000 9:12 PM
Subject: RE: [PROTEL EDA USERS]: PADS ASCII netlist reference designator
bug - is there a workaround?


> It's very clear that the Protel "PADS ASCII" netlist output, as it stands,
> is flawed - when the reference designator is 8 characters long Protel cuts
> the delimiter (the space between the ref des and the footprint/library
> name).
>
> Our current version of PADS cuts off reference designators at the 16th
> character, not the 8th. We are okay with having ref des lengths less than
16
> characters but not 8.
>
> We have run into no problems whatsoever with long net names. This seems to
> be limited to the reference designator itself.
>
> Drew
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: TSListServer [mailto:owner-proteledausers@techservinc.com]On
> Behalf Of Michael Reagan
> Sent: Friday, September 08, 2000 6:01 PM
> To: Multiple recipients of list proteledausers
> Subject: Re: [PROTEL EDA USERS]: PADS ASCII netlist reference designator
> bug - is there a workaround?
>
>
> Drew,
> I would look at a couple things
> 1.  Does Pads allow net names longer than 8 characters
> 2. Does Pads allow reference designator as long as you have them.
>
> 3. I was told by PADS support that they no longer will support their old
> netlist format.  The last two versions of PADS used a new format to
support
> Viewlogic attributes.
>
> The problems you are experiencing probably come from PADs not supporting
> their old netlist format .  Personally, I would start taking some of those
> PADS files and importing them into Protel and convert them.  You will also
> find the same problems with Orcad schematic to PADS now.   PADs is trying
to
> redirect customers away from ORCAD and outside program created netlist and
> attempting to tie in closer with Viewlogic.
>
>
> Mike Reagan
> EDSI
>
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: Drew Lundsten <drew@ccpu.com>
> To: Multiple recipients of list proteledausers
> <proteledausers@techservinc.com>
> Sent: Friday, September 08, 2000 4:45 PM
> Subject: [PROTEL EDA USERS]: PADS ASCII netlist reference designator bug -
> is there a workaround?
>
>
> >
> > I am using Protel 99SE for schematic capture and exporting netlists to
> PADS
> > for layout (at least for big digital boards). I've run into an error and
> I'm
> > hoping that bouncing it off the user group will result in confirmation
and
> > workaround!
> >
> > Here's a sample netlist exported (single sheet, nets/ports global, as
> > 'Protel':
> >
> > [
> > JP123456
> > test890
> > 4 HEADER
> >
> >
> >
> > ]
> > (
> > NetJP123456_1
> > JP123456-1
> > )
> > (
> > NetJP123456_2
> > JP123456-2
> > )
> > (
> > NetJP123456_3
> > JP123456-3
> > )
> > (
> > NetJP123456_4
> > JP123456-4
> > )
> >
> > and as 'PADS ASCII': .NET and .PRT files
> >
> > *PADS-PCB*
> > *NET*
> > *SIGNAL* NetJP123456_1
> >  JP123456.1
> > *SIGNAL* NetJP123456_2
> >  JP123456.2
> > *SIGNAL* NetJP123456_3
> >  JP123456.3
> > *SIGNAL* NetJP123456_4
> >  JP123456.4
> > *END*
> >
> > *PADS-PCB*
> > *PART*
> > JP123456test890
> > *END*
> >
> > The long reference designator forces the part (JP123456) and footprint
> > (test890) to run together and PADS obviously won't import this
correctly.
> >
> > Any advice? Other than to shorten reference designators, of course (not
an
> > option for some clients).
> >
> > Thanks in advance,
> >
> > Drew
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
>
>
>
>
>
>
>