Protel 99SE netlist issue

D

Dennis

Guest
I have a file project.prj with three associated schematics schem1.swch,
shem2.sch......

When I create the netlist the third sheet is not included. The netlist also
seems to be ignoring some parts on one of the other sheets.


The design explorer on the left shows all three sheets as being in the
hierarchy for the project. When I go <file> <open full project> all the
required 3 sheets open as expected.




I have ports & net labels set to global etc.

Anyone have any ideas what I'm doing wrong?

thanks
Dennis
 
"Dennis" <dennis@nowhere.com> wrote in message
news:4a307632$0$32351$5a62ac22@per-qv1-newsreader-01.iinet.net.au...
I have a file project.prj with three associated schematics schem1.swch,
shem2.sch......

When I create the netlist the third sheet is not included. The netlist
also seems to be ignoring some parts on one of the other sheets.


The design explorer on the left shows all three sheets as being in the
hierarchy for the project. When I go <file> <open full project> all the
required 3 sheets open as expected.




I have ports & net labels set to global etc.

Anyone have any ideas what I'm doing wrong?

thanks
Dennis
Click to expand...
It gets worse.

I can create a new design, fresh single sheet schematic, add a few parts,
annotates ok. When I netlist the netlist is completely empty. When I check
the servers the netlist server shows up as loaded & started. IF I load up an
old design the netlist seems to run fine.

SP6 is installed & I just reinstalled both 99SE & SP6 and still have the
same problem.

Aaaaaaagh!! Its not April 1st or Fri 13th so WTF am I missing?
 
I've now found that <design>/<update pcb..> will load the parts on the PCB
and show valid nets between the pads, however <design>/<create netlist..>
still does not creates an empty netlist.

The "update pcb" step does not create a "xxxx.net" netlist file - why???


thanks
 
Dennis,
I can't help you with your problem, from your descriptions thus far I
cannot see that you are doing anything wrong. When you use the Update PCB
function do you get any warnings? If there are any warnings you will see a
Warnings tab behind the configuration tab where you set the net connectivity
to ports and nets global. Those warnings, if they exist, could possibly
point you toward your issue(s).

Hmmm, are all your annotations (designators) unique? Duplicated
designators will result in duplicate parts being ignored in a netlist or
partslist. That might explain why some random parts are being left out on
the two pages that do netlist.

You state that all three sheets show in the lefthand explorer window,
but do all three sheets appear as sub-sheets below the *.prj sheet? Like
subdirectories to the *.prj sheet if you were just looking at a MS Explorer
window? All three should be inset and below the *.prj sheet. I am wondering
if the third sheet is somehow not a subsheet of the *.prj sheet. Collapse
the project sheet and all three of your schematics should not be visible in
the Protel Explorer window.

On your last question, a netlist is not created because the Update PCB
function doesn't need to create a netlist, it updates the PCB file directly.
The only time that you need to create a netlist in P99SE is if you want ot
pass that netlist to other PCB software. The update PCB function replaced
the older generate a netlist, then load the netlist into a PCB
functionality.

Now if you are saying that you can use the Update function to get a
correct PCB with all the components and connections, have you tried to
create the netlist from the PCB file? You can do this under the "D"esign,
n"E"tlist function through the "Menu" button in the lower left of the pop-up
netlist manager window. It should be a properly formatted Protel netlist,
just the same as a netlist created from the schematic. Although you don't
have the option to create differently formatted netlists from the PCB.

--
Sincerely,
Brad Velander.

"Dennis" <dennis@nowhere.com> wrote in message
news:4a31e1a9$0$32342$5a62ac22@per-qv1-newsreader-01.iinet.net.au...
I've now found that <design>/<update pcb..> will load the parts on the PCB
and show valid nets between the pads, however <design>/<create netlist..
still does not creates an empty netlist.

The "update pcb" step does not create a "xxxx.net" netlist file - why???


thanks
Click to expand...
 
"Brad Velander" <bveland@SpamThis.com> wrote in message
news:fAmZl.628$cx5.574@newsfe01.iad...
Dennis,
I can't help you with your problem, from your descriptions thus far I
cannot see that you are doing anything wrong. When you use the Update PCB
function do you get any warnings? If there are any warnings you will see a
Warnings tab behind the configuration tab where you set the net
connectivity to ports and nets global. Those warnings, if they exist,
could possibly point you toward your issue(s).

Hmmm, are all your annotations (designators) unique? Duplicated
designators will result in duplicate parts being ignored in a netlist or
partslist. That might explain why some random parts are being left out on
the two pages that do netlist.

You state that all three sheets show in the lefthand explorer window,
but do all three sheets appear as sub-sheets below the *.prj sheet? Like
subdirectories to the *.prj sheet if you were just looking at a MS
Explorer window? All three should be inset and below the *.prj sheet. I am
wondering if the third sheet is somehow not a subsheet of the *.prj sheet.
Collapse the project sheet and all three of your schematics should not be
visible in the Protel Explorer window.

On your last question, a netlist is not created because the Update PCB
function doesn't need to create a netlist, it updates the PCB file
directly. The only time that you need to create a netlist in P99SE is if
you want ot pass that netlist to other PCB software. The update PCB
function replaced the older generate a netlist, then load the netlist into
a PCB functionality.

Now if you are saying that you can use the Update function to get a
correct PCB with all the components and connections, have you tried to
create the netlist from the PCB file? You can do this under the "D"esign,
n"E"tlist function through the "Menu" button in the lower left of the
pop-up netlist manager window. It should be a properly formatted Protel
netlist, just the same as a netlist created from the schematic. Although
you don't have the option to create differently formatted netlists from
the PCB.

--
Sincerely,
Brad Velander.

"Dennis" <dennis@nowhere.com> wrote in message
news:4a31e1a9$0$32342$5a62ac22@per-qv1-newsreader-01.iinet.net.au...



I've now found that <design>/<update pcb..> will load the parts on the
PCB and show valid nets between the pads, however <design>/<create
netlist..> still does not creates an empty netlist.

The "update pcb" step does not create a "xxxx.net" netlist file - why???


thanks
Click to expand...
Many thanks for your reply Brad.

All designators are unique and the project shows correctly (the .sch files
are shown indented below the .prj file etc).

Even though I've used 99SE for around 10 years I'd never taken the "update
pcb" route to layout a board. I've always created a netlist & then loaded
it. At the end of the day I can at lease progress with laying out the board
so I am happy. I'm thinking it may be a set up issue as I am getting error
messages sometimes when it tries to auto back up. At least I can get the
board laid out!

thanks again
Dennis
 
Dennis,
Okay it is good that you can progress. I thought that you may be using a
different PCB package of preference and that is why you needed a netlist.

You mentioned that you had done an uninstall and re-install. Are you
aware of the full clean uninstall process? P99SE uninstall leaves some
files, actually a fair number of files, that can continue to mess you up
after a re-install. The following process should give you an absolutely
clean re-install.

Uninstall as usual through Windows remove programs facility.
Search your drive for all files *99SE.* and delete them.
Search your drive for *.bpl files and delete any of the the following that
still appear: vclx50.bpl, vcldb50.bpl, vcl50.bpl, Protelcomponents50.bpl,
CSRTL50.bpl
Search your drive for *.dpl files and delete any of the the following that
still appear: vclx50.dpl, vcldb50.dpl, vcl50.dpl, Protelcomponents50.dpl,
CSRTL50.dpl
Then you should be ready to do a clean re-install.

Cross your fingers that a clean re-install fixes the problem if you
don't find some other configuration type problem. I have know several users
to continue having problems after re-installing because of those files that
are not deleted/replaced in the normal Windows uninstall. And the uninstall
is somewhat random, I have done hundreds of re-installs on various work
acquantance's computers over 10+ years and seen that the list of files
leftover after a Windows uninstall of P99SE varies from time to time. i.e.
sometimes there are none of the significant *.dpl files left, other times
they are all still there.

--
Sincerely,
Brad Velander.

"Dennis" <dennis@nowhere.com> wrote in message
news:4a3604f5$0$32391$5a62ac22@per-qv1-newsreader-01.iinet.net.au...
Many thanks for your reply Brad.

All designators are unique and the project shows correctly (the .sch files
are shown indented below the .prj file etc).

Even though I've used 99SE for around 10 years I'd never taken the "update
pcb" route to layout a board. I've always created a netlist & then loaded
it. At the end of the day I can at lease progress with laying out the
board so I am happy. I'm thinking it may be a set up issue as I am getting
error messages sometimes when it tries to auto back up. At least I can get
the board laid out!

thanks again
Dennis
Click to expand...
 
"Brad Velander" <bveland@SpamThis.com> wrote in message
news:zEIZl.1033$9Z.399@newsfe08.iad...
Dennis,
Okay it is good that you can progress. I thought that you may be using
a different PCB package of preference and that is why you needed a
netlist.

You mentioned that you had done an uninstall and re-install. Are you
aware of the full clean uninstall process? P99SE uninstall leaves some
files, actually a fair number of files, that can continue to mess you up
after a re-install. The following process should give you an absolutely
clean re-install.

Uninstall as usual through Windows remove programs facility.
Search your drive for all files *99SE.* and delete them.
Search your drive for *.bpl files and delete any of the the following that
still appear: vclx50.bpl, vcldb50.bpl, vcl50.bpl, Protelcomponents50.bpl,
CSRTL50.bpl
Search your drive for *.dpl files and delete any of the the following that
still appear: vclx50.dpl, vcldb50.dpl, vcl50.dpl, Protelcomponents50.dpl,
CSRTL50.dpl
Then you should be ready to do a clean re-install.

Cross your fingers that a clean re-install fixes the problem if you
don't find some other configuration type problem. I have know several
users to continue having problems after re-installing because of those
files that are not deleted/replaced in the normal Windows uninstall. And
the uninstall is somewhat random, I have done hundreds of re-installs on
various work acquantance's computers over 10+ years and seen that the list
of files leftover after a Windows uninstall of P99SE varies from time to
time. i.e. sometimes there are none of the significant *.dpl files left,
other times they are all still there.

--
Sincerely,
Brad Velander.

"Dennis" <dennis@nowhere.com> wrote in message
news:4a3604f5$0$32391$5a62ac22@per-qv1-newsreader-01.iinet.net.au...
Click to expand...

Thanks Brad, thats very helpful - I'll archive your reply for future
reference. When its working Protel is good, its odd bugs can be frustrating.
After I've got this current job done I'll do a unstall/clean/reinstall cycle
and see what happens.

cheers.
Dennis
 
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