I am using PADS Logic 2007, and no matter where I look I cannot find a way to run a real ERC to see if there are any unconnected nets or open pins in the finished schematic (is the text-based "Reports" function under File all there is??). And since I cannot find a way to perform an ERC, I also obviously cannot find a way to have all errors marked visually on the schematic, nor to jump to these errors on- screen. I clearly remember being able to do all of this in earlier PADS versions. (As a related question, I also cannot see where I can assign unused pins with an "X" for a "Not Connected" so as to be ignored during an ERC). How can I perform a real connectivity check in this new PADS??
Believe me Marra, I know what you mean: Every schematic capture program I have ever used, no matter how low in cost, has the ERC clearly visible -- but PADS for some reason has it well hidden (this particular package costs the company I work for well over =A39,000.00). It is powerful capture and layout software, and a standard in the industry over here, so that is why companies still use it extensively.
"Every schematic capture program I have ever used, no matter how low in cost, has the ERC clearly visible -- but PADS for some reason has it well hidden"
As far as I can tell, the PADS design philosophy is to make many features hidden! While PADS is quite powerful, the GUI design seems to come from a different era.
This would be an excellent question for the PADS "talk" forum, where users are constantly posting their problems and solutions. I use PADS2004sp2, and there is a connectivity check in the same dialog as the clearance check. The connectivity errors show up as special icons at the points where the discontinuities appear to be.
I have heard that version 2007 fixed many of the bugs that were reported in earlier versions, but I am unwilling to pay the huge expense of back maintenence and a 40% penalty on top of that. If you are on maintenance, I would file one or more SRs and demand a quick resolution to your problem. And it is also helpful to post your problems to the forum, so others may benefit from your experience.
Much of PADS Logic and PADS Layout was based on the old MSDOS version that I started with in the early 90s, and they have mostly patched what they had rather than rewrite it according to new Windows GUI standards. Their Blaze Router had a more advanced GUI, but I have found it hard to use, and there are still many things that it cannot do, so you must go back to Layout to finish the design. They were going to merge the products, but now I think they are planning to phase out all of the PADS products and have everyone migrate up to their more pricey Expedition products.
Just for fun, try this application I wrote which puts a new spin on the dreaded PADS error message that tells you it has crashed, and all you can click on is "OK".
Paul, The connectivity check you mention is in PADs PCB, not PADs Logic as queried by the original poster. The original poster is looking for a PADs Logic schematic ERC check. I don't have much experience with PADs Logic, I never used it except to view schematics done by others in PADs logic.
I just checked my PADS2004sp2 Logic design that I am working on, and the Net Statistics Report shows any possible problems based on the definitions of component pins. It does not specifically give a warning for unconnected pins, but it does show nets with only one connection if you use off-page symbols.
I have never used this functionality. If this report is no longer in PADS2007, it would probably not be too hard to write a script to generate a report based on the electrical pin types in each net and verify that, for instance, there is only one source and all other pins are loads or otherwise suitable.
Thanks Paul and Brad. Yes, PADS 2007 still has the primitive text- based "Reports" function under the File menu, but I was hoping for something a lot more sophisticated than that nowadays, especially since there are economy schematic entry programs out there that do far more than have a text list of open pins and dangling nets. I thought I was missing something, but I guess I'm not! (Heck, I cannot even seem to find a way to do a basic thing like assign unused pins with an "X" for a "Not Connected" so that they can be ignored during the PADS' text-based "ERC").
Bill, Do what I always did when I used PADs, use a real schematic tool. Ditch the PADs Logic it really is crap. I can't believe that Mentor can sell the stuff, either morally or actually.
I used OrCAD for years along with PADs and then switched to Protel when they first came out with their Protel For Windows (PFW) schematic tool back in approx. 1991/92. The schematic tool was better than OrCADS but the PFW PCB tool sucked big time and continually corrupted databases. (Be warned though, I don't know if the current Altium schematic tool will work adequately with PADs any longer. They have dropped some things like netlist formats over the years and I don't know if the required ones for working with PADs still exist in the package.)
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