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Should Links Use Up Strips? (Read 1600 times)
spammy
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Should Links Use Up Strips?
Aug 9th, 2019 at 3:31pm
 
Although components (or rather their pins) mark strips as used, links connected between a used strip and another free strip does not mark the latter as used (see attached).

Assuming this is by design, what am I missing? Isn't it of value to see which tracks have been used even if indirectly?

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Roger Lascelles
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Re: Should Links Use Up Strips?
Reply #1 - Aug 10th, 2019 at 4:44am
 
Hello Spammy and welcome to the forum!

The three buttons "Draw Net Errors", "Trace Net" and "Show Free Strips" rely on an imported netlist. With no netlist, VeeCAD considers the R8 pins as having no net and no connections, and views your link as an error, and leaves the connected strip as free. If you click down the "Draw Net Errors" button you will see how VeeCAD shows an error on your link.

It is possible for me to write new versions of "Trace Net" and "Show Free Strips" that are applied when there is no netlist, but I am not planning to build those at present. I think VeeCAD is still very good as it is, even when no netlist is loaded.
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spammy
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Re: Should Links Use Up Strips?
Reply #2 - Aug 11th, 2019 at 5:21pm
 
Thank you for the reply.

This is a shame. I tried using tinycad to generate a netlist, but it appeared way more trouble than it was worth for my specific use (I have things like terminals and an MCU and it was too high barrier for me to represent those in tinycad), especially with veecad being so much fun to use as is.

The only downside is that I can't verify that my circuits make sense. But thank you for the confirmation either way!


I found a tutorial here:

https://veecad.com/resource/TinyCAD%20with%20VeeCAD.pdf

which I plan to follow. However I'm wondering how I can add custom components (eg the MCU, terminal blocks and ceramic resistors etc). Is there a similar tutorial? I have already built appropriate outlines but I know how to do that so can do again if necessary.
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Roger Lascelles
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Re: Should Links Use Up Strips?
Reply #3 - Aug 12th, 2019 at 5:37am
 
After the initial pain of learning and setting up, CAD gives you a lifetime of quality circuit building. Your layouts will:
  • work!
  • be documented
  • be compact and well organised
  • be allowed to be big and complicated
For help with creating a symbol (component) in TinyCAD, on the menu go "Help -> Open TinyCAD User Manual". You can also email me as often as you like. See http://veecad.com/contact.html .
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