Hey guys, Hello again.

I've just disccussed with my collegues about the pros and cons of hierarchy in OrCAD tool.

As our opinions,

@Pros : The hierarchy ..
- Reduces human error
- Reduces circuit drawing time
-
@Cons : The hierarchy ..
- Makes debugging harder with printed PDF file
-

Let me know if you have any ideas more??

Thanks all read.

 

As a clear well laid out schematic is the initiall cornerstone document of anything electronic I would say your single "con" overrules and pros.

Not only debuggibng but anyone attempting to understand the circuit for any reason needs that schematic in a clear readily readable form. If going to multiple pages each page should cover a function (or entire functions).

One can also make an argument for various versions of the schematic. Many components have multiple connection points that only appear once on a schematic, but have several "pads." Think of a TO-3 transistor: each collector screw needs a pad, so the schematic symbol needs two collector connections for the netlist to flow. Such tool artifacts get in the way of grasping simple details.

 

I haven't used OrCad since its DOS days, but that was a very good tool. I liked the hierarchy function because it enforced discipline. I usually do a block diagram before a large schematic anyway, so there is no net time penalty. The hierarchy function made sure that all of the required interconnects were there. That can be worth tens of K$ down the road, way worth a little printing hassle

ak