[Diptrace 2.3 User Name Registrat
Ainoha Sistek
On the Mouser web site, you can download CAD models for DipTrace using a conversion program called the Library Loader. Although not every part is covered, there are many that will provide a schematic outline, a footprint, and sometimes a 3D model. These can be used in a number of ECAD programs including DipTrace.
I've mentioned this before on this Forum but was not sure I understood how to use it at the time and am sure that I don't know the whole story or if I'm using it correctly but I'll tell you what I can.
After it has been downloaded, I believe you select RUN from the download complete dialog box at the bottom of the screen. That will install it and ask some questions about file directories and such. I always choose the defaults.
If you then click on "Help" of the DipTrace Settings dialog box, you will be linked to a web page that contains detailed instructions on how to use the Library Loader with DipTrace. You should read through that because it's important. I may overlap with this information as I explain how I use it but that's okay.
1. If you have not yet run the Library Loader, do that. When you click the big X to exit the proram, it continues to run in the background. If you don't hit the big X, the program remains on the screen and is annoyingly in the way.
Note that the 3D symbols here include a footprint in the rendering. The drop down list "Device on Footprint" allows you to select it without the footprint. I always do that. I'm not sure how it would affect DipTrace if your 3D model includes a footprint but I always change it.
The last step is to save this new library. I usually just hit exit because I don't know how else to do it. Then it askes if you want to save the changes. You respond YES and another file directory dialog box shows up:
Again, you need to navigate to the proper place to store the library. I use my user directory where there is a DipTrace directory for this kind of thing. It stores it as an ".eli" file. You have to type the name you want it to be called carefully so you know what it is:
Everything that I've picked up from Mouser in this way has worked without a problem. You don't have to buy anything to do any of this. You can search the Mouser site for whatever you're looking for; maybe a 3D model. If they have it you will know by the "3D" symbol on their product page.
I dunno. I haven't had good luck with the Mouser library loader. I used it a few times and found it quite lacking. I did better (and faster) by finding a close-to-what-I-want part in DipTrace and then modifying to my exact needs and saving it in my custom parts library.
I've managed to 'hack' (and save) a few parts (very few) as GRJ & CJ mention above. I got them saved to the .eli files like you have done with your Mouser files, but I haven't gotten the 'Library' (as put them all in one User library) part mastered either? Havent messed with it for a while, but I will definitely have to try your instructions above.
CJ & GRJ: It's not surprising that you seasoned veterans with electronic design would prefer a hands-on approach. You guys know all the jargon. But for lame-brains like me who can easily get lost in a datasheet, its better to rely on leaving dimensional criteria to the experts at Mouser, DigiKey and other electronics distributors.
The other day, while wandering through a datasheet, I came across the terms PDIP and CDIP and wondered if that was an important difference in terms of package dimensions. I had to look it up after staring at the component drawings with tiny, little dimensions in both inches and millimeters. I didn't know that it had to do with plastic vs ceramic materials. You guys don't even have to think about it.
So I downloaded some parts from Mouser and saved them each in their own library. They show up under the "User Components" group with their own names. These correspond to those ".eli" files we talked about earlier.
Start up DipTrace using the Schematic Editor. Then the component libraries are on the left side of the screen. Select "User Components" and the individual libraries are displayed just below that. Select the parts that you want to add to a new library and put them on the layout section.
Then you select a part (normal mode with the arrow from the tool bar) by clicking on it. The four little widgets appear showing the part is selected. Then right click to produce the context menu that goes with that part. In the list it says "Save to Library". If you click that, another selection appears that asks if you want to save to the current, active library (no) or save to file (yes). Then a dialog box appears where you give it the name for the library and select the "group" (User Components) where it will be placed.
Click OK and the file save dialog box comes up. You navigate to where you want the new ".eli" file to go and you should see a list of other files there with the ".eli" extension. You have to fill in the name for the new library at the bottom and click on SAVE.
First you want to make your new library the "active" one by selecting it from the list under "User Components" that should now include the name of the one that you just created. If it doesn't show, select the "Components" group at the top and then go back to the "User Components" group. You should see the new library in the list.
Select the new library to make it the "active" library. And you will see in the bottom half of that section the parts that belong to that library. Again, you want to have your parts in the layout area of the screen. Select the next part to save, right click to get the context menu, then "Save to Library" and this time just save to the active library (your new one). That's where it will go and it should show up in the components list at the left.
Finally, if you want to remove the individual libraries with just the single parts in them, use the "Library Tools" item also on the left side of the screen. It should have an entry that asks if you want to "remove" the selected library from the "User Components" group. Click on that and it will disappear. However, it does not delete the ".eli" file from your computer. It's just no longer seen by DipTrace as one of the libraries in the User Components group.
Leo, Good you got it figured out. Just saved this entire thread to a PDF to try out and also for future reference! Thanks for documenting this so we can all use it! I have several items saved in the ".eli" files that I want to combine into one library so there is plenty here to try it out on.
Miscellaneous Items
I would be remiss if I failed to mention one feature that I really love about DipTrace. This feature involves the way in which you can miter, or chamfer, a corner. In order to do this, you simply grab the node of a corner and pull it at an angle to the corner. The GIF below shows how simple this really is. I have experimented with a few different PCB design programs, and all of them require you to either activate a tool function or double-click on the node to be able to perform the miter. These extra mouse operations required by other programs take time and degrade something that should be intuitive to the process.
Despite all of its great features, I do feel that DipTrace has one glaring flaw that (a) would keep me from using it professionally, and (b) makes me cautious about using it in home projects. This flaw is the difficulty of getting changes to propagate throughout the system. In the current version, this is a very tedious process that could cause problems.
To me, once I make a change in any one element of the program, that change should be automatically propagated to all other elements of the program. An example of this is if you change the footprint of a part. This may be a simple change in the way Pin 1 is marked in the silkscreen. Currently, to get this to propagate through the design, you must open your design in each of the modules of the program and update each instance of the component. If you forget to update one of the instances, you can have a board that ends up with both the old and new footprint.
I think that if the program were not as loosely coupled as it is, then this would help. If it was more of a project approach, then this would allow you to easily have various configurations of the project. I do not think that I need to belabor this point; suffice it to say that this could cause some major issues that would be hard to debug later.
Conclusion
DipTrace is a very decent entry-level product. It is very easy to get comfortable using this program. Its strengths lie in the fact that a new user can figure out the basics in an hour and have a small board ready for manufacture in just a few hours. This should not be underestimated and it makes this software very attractive. In fact, it has made it hard for me to go out and look for a product that might be better in the areas where DipTrace is lacking.
Adam Carlson has a degree in aerospace engineering, and is currently a Lead Engineer with GE Aviation. Throughout his career, Adam has worked on everything from wind tunnel models to parts for some of the most sophisticated jet engines in the world. At home, he has his own workshop that includes tools to make both mechanical and electronic projects. Seeing a need to increase the capabilities of his mechanical designs, Adam embarked on a path to learn digital electronics. After a handful of smaller projects involving controlling motors and lights, Adam's current projects include stability augmentation for underwater autonomous vehicles and radio receivers for RC submarines. Adam has a love of learning and probably spends more now on textbooks than he did while in school.
Hi Adam -- this is tremendously useful stuff -- I can't wait to see your similar treatments of the other free PCB tools, including DesignSpark PCB and Eagle PCB -- this is going to help a lot of hobbyists and small companies make a decision.
Great -- thanks for providing feedback -- a lot of folks read these articles and say to themselves "I agree with that" or "I don't agree with that" or "He/she should have mentoned..." but then they wander off and do something else without realizing that just saying "I agree" can be incredibly valuable to other readers...
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