Any DipTrace user here?

Thread Starter

shortbus

Joined Sep 30, 2009
10,045
I have a question to you guys that use Diptrace. What symbols do you use when you take a wire from one circuit to another circuit on another board? I see schematics that have a symbol the looks like a rectangle connected to a triangle, kind of like a sales tag shape. What is this symbol or what do you users do in this case? Thanks for any help.
 

ErnieM

Joined Apr 24, 2011
8,377
Do you mean between two separate boards? Generally (I don't use Diptrace) you need some part to do the connection, even if you just have a hole to accept a wire: You still need to make a part with just a hole to have something to connect.

Each board is made as a separate entity.
 

Thread Starter

shortbus

Joined Sep 30, 2009
10,045
Do you mean between two separate boards? Generally (I don't use Diptrace) you need some part to do the connection, even if you just have a hole to accept a wire: You still need to make a part with just a hole to have something to connect.

Each board is made as a separate entity.
Yeah I know that part of it:) I am trying to make a schematic that has two boards, a power board and a logic board to drive the power. But i see some online schematics that have the symbol that shows where a connection leaves one board and enters the other one. Some people use numbers in the symbol others use letters. I'll try to find or draw what I mean and post a picture. In the real circuit I will just use a through hole with a wire soldered, but wanted a way of illustrating what and how they to circuits are interfacing.
 

spinnaker

Joined Oct 29, 2009
7,830
One method is to use hierarchical blocks



You might also try net ports. You are likely already using them and don't realize it. Ground, VCC etc are all net ports. You can connect to netports between sheets in the same file.


upload_2017-3-4_20-46-58.png
 

ErnieM

Joined Apr 24, 2011
8,377
The connection you are describing sounds like a named net where the wire on one board gets named so you do not have to draw it from point to every point.

You do not have that. You have multiple boards. If show their connections then you are drawing a cable or such.

How you document this depends on how your project is being built.

If your hand wiring or such then you can mash all the boards onto one file and page. You can document board connections any way you choose because they do not have to be part of any netlist.

If you are making PCBs you want each board on its own sheet so the netlist jives with the board. What we do at my job is we also do an interconnection diagram showing all the major parts and cables that make up the unit. Here we note each cable wire giving at least the signal pin number of the other end if not the signal name, or both, so you can always see how each wire connects. Note this is not really a true schematic, close but more of a graphic.
 

mcgyvr

Joined Oct 15, 2009
5,394
Diptrace currently only does a 1 to 1 relationship.. So 1 board per schematic..

But yes you would want to create a nets as spinnaker shows but you need to manually ensure that each net is properly connected as needed on each board/schematic
 

Thread Starter

shortbus

Joined Sep 30, 2009
10,045
Diptrace currently only does a 1 to 1 relationship.. So 1 board per schematic..
OK, I misunderstood their selling points, I guess. Thought they said it could do more than one page per circuit.
 
Last edited:

spinnaker

Joined Oct 29, 2009
7,830
Those hierarchical blocks seem to be closest to what I want. Can they be just free standing or do they need to be made into a"system" like the video shows? Thanks Spinnaker.
Don't know. Haven't used them but I am guessing they are just used as to not muck up your main drawing.
 

spinnaker

Joined Oct 29, 2009
7,830
Diptrace currently only does a 1 to 1 relationship.. So 1 board per schematic..

But yes you would want to create a nets as spinnaker shows but you need to manually ensure that each net is properly connected as needed on each board/schematic

If you wanted to do multiple boards you could use multiple files and just use netports or conventional connectors for the connection points.
 

mcgyvr

Joined Oct 15, 2009
5,394
If you wanted to do multiple boards you could use multiple files and just use netports or conventional connectors for the connection points.
Of course..
You just need to manually track that to ensure proper connections between boards..

Other software I've seen you can basically define one part of a schematic as "board 1" and another as "board 2",etc.. and you could still use the "compare to schematic" ,etc.. to ensure nets are still connected as needed and ensure all components are on the right board,etc...
 

mcgyvr

Joined Oct 15, 2009
5,394
OK, I misunderstood their selling points, I guess. Thought they said it could do more than one page per circuit.
Have a multisheet schematic does not always equal multiple boards..
Many schematics are simply broken up into logic "groupings" per sheet.. Like high voltage stuff on sheet 1, power regulation sheet 2, logic sheet 3,etc...
So long as its all 1 physical board its fine in Diptrace..
 

Thread Starter

shortbus

Joined Sep 30, 2009
10,045
Have a multisheet schematic does not always equal multiple boards..
Many schematics are simply broken up into logic "groupings" per sheet.. Like high voltage stuff on sheet 1, power regulation sheet 2, logic sheet 3,etc...
So long as its all 1 physical board its fine in Diptrace..
So what do you use when doing that? To show how the boards are connected? My circuit is too complicated to fit in the available space when I click on the "print" button. When I try to print only a 8 1/2" x 11" paper size is outlined and printed. Reducing the size make it too hard to read. My skill at this is very bad.
 

mcgyvr

Joined Oct 15, 2009
5,394
I'm not entirely sure shortbus... I use Diptrace all the time BUT
#1 my schematics so far have never been very "complicated" (so far)
#2 I've never needed to actually print the schematic..

Some quick googling shows that you want to use hierarchical sheets and labels..
edit...oops... saw spinnaker already posted about that including the video I was going to link to
Thats the way to go there..
 

ErnieM

Joined Apr 24, 2011
8,377
seems you don't have a Diptrace problem, you have a printer problem. Try something like printing to a PDF then print that out in sections, then tape them together.
 

Thread Starter

shortbus

Joined Sep 30, 2009
10,045
seems you don't have a Diptrace problem, you have a printer problem. Try something like printing to a PDF then print that out in sections, then tape them together.
While I said "print", but it works the same way when posting to the forum. I need to learn CAD better, no training at all on my part.:( And none of the tutorials seem to show what I'm doing wrong.
 
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