help??! question about the libraries

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djman123
Posts: 3
Joined: 19 Mar 2012, 21:32

help??! question about the libraries

#1 Post by djman123 » 19 Mar 2012, 21:40

how do i reference the parts in the libraries? how do figure out what parts are which parts in the real world? some are obvious .. some .. are anything but obvious? please help! thank you

MDman
Posts: 43
Joined: 25 Oct 2011, 19:53

Re: help??! question about the libraries

#2 Post by MDman » 20 Mar 2012, 00:46

Hi Djman123,

Could you please be a little more specific, which parts are you looking for in the library?

When I go looking for a part in the library I : Click on the objects menu at the top, then click find component, which brings up a dialog box.
In the dialog box put in the part name, do not be too specific. try cd4066
In the "search in" section select "all library's" then hit the "find now" button

A list will appear on the RH side. If there was a specific one you were looking for, look for it here. If the specific one is not there, click on the "pattern" button. Then scroll through the search results until you find the one with the footprint you want.
The hit "place".

As far as fets go if you search for the one you want, it might be there or it might not. In this case, search for "fet". Scroll through until you find a fet with the schematic symbol you want. Don't worry about the footprint at this stage. Place the component. Then in the schematic, double click the component(or right click and select properties) This brings up the component properties. Put in the correct part type there, and click on attached pattern.
This brings up the attached pattern dialog box. On the right hand side you will see an empty box with add and clear at the top.
Click add and find the library that contains the pattern you want to use, lets say "general"
Then click on the library in the list, pattern names will appear in the box in the RH bottom corner. Scroll through until you find the pattern you want, select it and press ok.

There may be some parts that you cannot find an equivalent schematic symbol for. Check your parts supplier website, they may have the part models for download. Import this into your library editor(if it is a compatible format) and save it. Analog Devices have models for most of their parts and a convertor program so you can convert it to a format that is compatible with Diptrace.

I do seem to have a few difficulties importing a new part and adding it to an existing library, but somehow if I hold my tongue right I get it to work :D Don't ask me how I do it though!!!! :lol:

I hope this helps.

Cheers

Alex
Technical Support
Posts: 3897
Joined: 13 Jun 2010, 23:43

Re: help??! question about the libraries

#3 Post by Alex » 20 Mar 2012, 03:02

We named most components based on manufacturer part numbers. But we simplified component names if there are identical components with minor differences (Pb-free and non-Pb-free, temperature range, packaging, etc.) because we didn't want to duplicate components with identical pinout and pattern.

Some components are common electronic parts like resistor and capacitors. We named them based on physical dimensions like RES_0805 or CAP_1206.

What parts are not obvious for you?

djman123
Posts: 3
Joined: 19 Mar 2012, 21:32

Re: help??! question about the libraries

#4 Post by djman123 » 20 Mar 2012, 07:23

for example .. right now i building a circuit with a atmel processor(arduino) and i need to use two 22pf caps .. trying to to figure out which of the possible cap numbers equals the one i desired .. is though .. for me at least.

just by looking at the footprint alone .. i found some that would work .. but than they all seemed to be polarized caps ..
http://www.mouser.com/catalog/specsheets/mkseries.pdf <-- here is a link to a vishay cap .. how does the library part number coincide with the dimesons?

the 16mhz crystal .. again .. basically i just used a footprint that is what looks to be close enough?

i'm sure this will all make sense eventually .. and once i figure out the parts that line up to what i use .. i will make my own library .. but it's sure challenging at first!
thanks for the input so far!

Alex
Technical Support
Posts: 3897
Joined: 13 Jun 2010, 23:43

Re: help??! question about the libraries

#5 Post by Alex » 21 Mar 2012, 02:55

Different capacitors can have the same value (capacitance). You should think about other parameters ( SMD or through-hole footprint, tolerance, rated voltage, etc.) and choose a capacitor. Then find a component from standard libraries that correspond to capacitor you have already chosen.

The same is with crystal. Knowing the frequency is not enough for selecting component from libraries.

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