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Understanding libraries

Posted: 23 Nov 2016, 09:38
by Dave92F1
Newbie struggling to understanding how the libraries are organized.

1 - Does "Symbols EIC" mean IEC symbols (is EIC a typo?)

2 - How does "Con Board In" differ from "Con Headers" and "Con Wire to Board"? Those all sound very similar to me.

3 - Where do I find standard 0.1" (2.54mm) header pins? (Single and double row.) It's not obvious which library to look in. When I look, I see lots of things that might be what I'm looking for, not sure what the differences are.

4 - In the "Con" libraries is there any pattern to the numeric names of each symbol? (Other than the last digits are the number of pins - I figured that out.)

5 - Is there a way to mark keying pins on a header (pins knocked out for polarization)?

6 - Within each library, is there a way to sort the component names? Sometimes they seem to be already sorted, but at other times (for example "Con Headers") the order seems kind of random.

I saw this old thread: http://www.diptrace.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=1162

That's from 5 years ago, when there was (I think) only one "Connectors" library. Now in v3.0.0.2 there are 20 "Con" libraries, so things are not so simple!

A general explanation of how the libraries are organized, and what to expect in each one would be really helpful.

Re: Understanding libraries

Posted: 23 Nov 2016, 10:42
by Tomg
Dave92F1 wrote:"...How does "Con Board In" differ from "Con Headers" and "Con Wire to Board"?..."
The only thing I can think of is to hover the mouse over the library name and wait for the hint to pop up.
Dave92F1 wrote:"...Where do I find standard 0.1" (2.54mm) header pins?..."
Try the Con Headers library. It looks like the component names are the manufacturer's part numbers. Watch the Component Properties window while scrolling through the components list to see what additional information DipTrace may have included with each of their components. The cupboard is usually pretty bare here.
Dave92F1 wrote:"...is there any pattern to the numeric names of each symbol?..."
The only reference I am aware of is the Pattern naming document found here - http://diptrace.com/books/Pattern_names_help.pdf
Dave92F1 wrote:"...Is there a way to mark keying pins on a header (pins knocked out for polarization)?..."
Only in your custom libraries. The standard DipTrace-supplied libraries are locked to prevent changes (for these, you would have to do it in the PCB Layout editor, which would be quite tedious).
Dave92F1 wrote:"...is there a way to sort the component names?..."
Only in your custom libraries. The standard DipTrace-supplied libraries are locked to prevent changes.
Dave92F1 wrote:"...A general explanation of how the libraries are organized, and what to expect in each one would be really helpful..."
See this link for a very basic primer on the Diptrace library manager - http://www.diptrace.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=5&t=10937

Re: Understanding libraries

Posted: 23 Nov 2016, 13:37
by Dave92F1
Thanks, @tomg. Unfortunately those pop-ups aren't terribly informative.

I discovered that if I search the library for "HDR" a set of pretty standard-looking Berg headers are there. I can't figure out which library they're actually in, tho.

Also, a friend who's been using DipTrace told me to beware that the drills for header pins might be too small. Standard Berg headers use square 25 mil pins at a pitch of 100 mils - so the drill has to be at least 35.4 mils (25 * sqrt(2)).

I don't know how to check what drills are being used...I suppose I'll figure it out.

Re: Understanding libraries

Posted: 23 Nov 2016, 14:22
by Tomg
Dave92F1 wrote:"...I can't figure out which library they're actually in..."
1) In the Schematic or PCB Layout editors, right-click on the desired component (avoid the pins/pads) in the Design Area and select Properties... in the pop-up menu.
2) Click on the Main tab in the Component Properties dialog window. The source library will be listed near the bottom.
Dave92F1 wrote:"...I don't know how to check what drills are being used..."
Pattern Editor
1) Bring up the desired pattern in the Design Area, right-click on the pad in question and select Properties... in the pop-up menu.
2) In the Pad dialog window click on the [Type/Dimensions] tab. If a [Pattern's Pad Properties...] button appears, click on it.
3) The Hole (drill) diameter will be found near the bottom of the Pad Properties dialog window.

PCB Layout editor
1) Right-click on the desired pad in the Design Area and select Pad Properties... in the pop-up menu.
2) If a [Pattern's Pad Properties...] button appears in the Pad dialog window, click on it.
3) The Hole (drill) diameter will be found near the bottom of the Pad Properties dialog window.