The Electrical Rule Setup panel has five "Rules to Check", one of which is "Pin Superimposing". Schematic Help advises that activating this rule means that "DipTrace will consider all superimposed pins as errors."
What are superimposed pins?
Thanks.
Steve
Superimposed pins
Re: Superimposed pins
The DipTrace tutorial definition: "Pin Superimposing – the program searches for pins overlaying each other"
When only the [X]Pin Superimposing option is enabled in the ERC setup, superimposed pins will not be reported as being "superimposed". Instead, they will be ambiguously reported as not being connected. For example...
"Error - No Pin Connection: U1: Input A"
"Error - No Pin Connection: U2: Input A"
This is identical to the error message generated when only the [X]Not Connected Pins option is enabled. Seems to me that the ERC error message for the same two "superimposed pins" should read something like the following...
"Error - Superimposed Pins: U1(Input A), U2(Input A)"
When only the [X]Pin Superimposing option is enabled in the ERC setup, superimposed pins will not be reported as being "superimposed". Instead, they will be ambiguously reported as not being connected. For example...
"Error - No Pin Connection: U1: Input A"
"Error - No Pin Connection: U2: Input A"
This is identical to the error message generated when only the [X]Not Connected Pins option is enabled. Seems to me that the ERC error message for the same two "superimposed pins" should read something like the following...
"Error - Superimposed Pins: U1(Input A), U2(Input A)"
Tom
Re: Superimposed pins
So superimposing pins are pins that physically overlay one another in the schematic drawing?
Re: Superimposed pins
Yes. That is my interpretation. To me, error reporting for "Pin Superimposing" is too ambiguous and could be confused with "Not Connected Pins" error reporting. Also, if overlapping pins are connected there will be no "Pin Superimposing" errors reported (even if they are not even connected to each other). Here are some examples...
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Tom
Re: Superimposed pins
Thanks Tom. That clarifies the topic as well as some of the curious behavior I was seeing with the ERC Pin Superimposing rule.
Steve
Steve
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Re: Superimposed pins
I still do not understand...why is there even a "pin superimposing" notification, if all it means is that in the schematic there are wires that are overlapping? In some layouts, it's impossible to draw wires from one IC to another without wires overlapping. Moreover, what does "pin superimposing" have to do with "no connection"? I have a working device in which the Diptrace schematic gave me dozens of "pin superimposing" notices. So I don't see the point of that notice.
Re: Superimposed pins
It seems like a useful subset of the ERC tool to me, as long as it is properly implemented. The "pins superimposing" check needs debugging. As for wires, here is an example of superimposed wires...
So Is this the actual circuit?...
...or is it this one?...
Tom