PSpice model not found error when trying to use on_bjt.lib and on_bjt.olb
Andy C
Another PSpice newbie question. I downloaded on_bjt.lib and on_bjt.olb and
copied them to my OrCAD\Capture\library\PSpice folder. Using Place, Part, I
was able to insert the MJE15032 and MJE15033 symbols into the schematic no
problem. But when I simulated, I got the error:
ERROR Model QMJE15033/ON used by Q_Q2 is undefined
ERROR Model QMJE15032/ON used by Q_Q1 is undefined
How do I get PSpice to recognize the connection between the symbol in
on_bjt.olb and its electrical model in on_bjt.lib? This seems like it should
"just work".
Thanks,
Andy C
Jim Thompson
I defer to Charlie Edmondson.
I personally think Capture sucks!
Uninstall, then do a new install, but select "Custom", then pick
PSpice Schematics... much more intuitive product.
...Jim Thompson
--
| James E.Thompson, P.E. | mens |
| Analog Innovations, Inc. | et |
| Analog/Mixed-Signal ASIC's and Discrete Systems | manus |
| Phoenix, Arizona Voice:(480)460-2350 | |
| Jim-T@analog_innovations.com Fax:(480)460-2142 | Brass Rat |
| http://www.analog-innovations.com | 1962 |
For proper E-mail replies SWAP "-" and "_"
Democrats, The Axis of the Evil Empire
Andy C
>
>I defer to Charlie Edmondson.
>
>I personally think Capture sucks!
>
>Uninstall, then do a new install, but select "Custom", then pick
>PSpice Schematics... much more intuitive product.
>
Thanks Jim. I will do that.
Andy C
Andy C
Hi all,
Well, just in case someone else has the same problem, I thought I'd post the
solution here. I had to go to PSpice, Edit Simulation Profile and choose the
"Libraries" tab. I chose "Browse" and located the on_bjt.lib. Then I chose
"Add to Design". One can also choose "Add as Global" as well. The expected
behavior when adding a library component defined by xyz.olb is to look for
xyz.lib in the same folder and add it automatically if found. Such
functionality would in no way interfere with non-simulation schematic capture.
But hey, that would be too easy! Really, the association of electrical models
to schematic outlines has doodly squat to do with the concept of "simulation
profiles", so it's in the wrong place entirely. It's really associated with
library management, which is currently done on the "place part" dialog, using
"Add Library", "Remove Library" and "Part Search".
<Rant on>So what happens when you choose "Add Library" from that dialog then?
Okay, I can add a .olb file just fine. Ahh, but I can also choose "SDT Library
(*.lib)". That must be it, right? WRONG. If you do that and choose a PSpice
.lib file, you get an error message "File xyz.lib is not a valid library file".
The whole *&^%% Capture program is like that too! When I first tried a
simulation, I got all these errors saying that my ground nodes were floating.
What??? Turns out I had picked a ground symbol that was "non-simulatable". Of
course, there is absolutely no way to determine whether a symbol or part you
place is simulatable when you place it - at least not that I can see. I've
also had numerous errors where nodes were marked as connected but really were
not. The simulation results were complete garbage. The only way to tell what
was going on was to display the bias voltages and currents, find the nonsense
values, and delete and recreate nearby wires semi-randomly until it worked.
Heaven help you if you're working with a passive circuit and this happens. And
wires don't snap to the nodes you drag them to very reliably either. I am
completely disgusted with this POS Capture program.<Rant off>
Andy C
Kevin Aylward
Well, I think my SuperSpice is piss easy to do this sort of thing. If
you are using standard spice models in a file_name.lib, just drag drop
the file from windows explorer. The new file with model names will show
up in the docked file browser in the main window. Drag or double-click
the model name to the schematic and your done. SuperSpice automaticlly
figures out the correct symbol. If you do want to change the symbol,
right clicking on the name and using the menu will allow browse
naviagation to the symbol lists.
Kevin Aylward
sa...@anasoft.co.uk
http://www.anasoft.co.uk
SuperSpice, a very affordable Mixed-Mode
Windows Simulator with Schematic Capture,
Waveform Display, FFT's and Filter Design.
Jim Thompson
PSpice *Schematics*, not Capture, has a very simple dialog box,
"Library and Include Files...", that is intuitive and trivial to use.
But, since I have so many clients and processes, I simply use the "Get
Part" feature (in Schematics) and add the library (.LIB) to that
schematic only. You can also do that with "Library and Include
Files...", "Add Local", but the list gets huge and hard to find
yourself in.
Kevin Aylward
But I was referring to how you don't need to manually connect a symbol
to a model in SS, if its a basic spice device. You can place parts in SS
by model name *or* symbol name. SS looks at the model type to figure out
what symbol to use.
Jim Thompson
<ke...@anasoft.co.uk> wrote:
>Jim Thompson wrote:
>> On Sun, 20 Apr 2003 07:42:08 +0100, "Kevin Aylward"
>> <ke...@anasoft.co.uk> wrote:
[snip]
>>
>> PSpice *Schematics*, not Capture, has a very simple dialog box,
>> "Library and Include Files...", that is intuitive and trivial to use.
>>
>
>But I was referring to how you don't need to manually connect a symbol
>to a model in SS, if its a basic spice device. You can place parts in SS
>by model name *or* symbol name. SS looks at the model type to figure out
>what symbol to use.
>
>Kevin Aylward
I only have maybe 1000 different NMOS models... without specifying a
library, which one gets used ?:-)
Charles Edmondson
Welcome to the world of high-end tools... 8-)
(And for those that don't think of Capture as a high end tool, what else
do you call the front end for PSpice, NCsim, and Allegro...)
Actually, while you have a nice idea on library functionality, the
reality is that PSpice has never worked that way. For one thing, it
doesn't force the model library to have the same name as the symbol
library, so you can have part library of myparts.olb while having model
libraries of mymos.lib, mydiodes.lib, mybipolars.lib, etc. and be able
to modify them all.
Of course, if you had glanced at the readme, or any of the
documentation, you would have seen this pretty clearly. The floating
ground thing is considered FAQ #1 (so much so, that there has actually
been discussion of changing the text of the error message to include "By
the way, did you use the 0 ground?" 8-)
Charlie
Edmondson Engineering
Unique Solutions to Unusual Problems
Andy C
>[...]
>Of course, if you had glanced at the readme, or any of the
>documentation, you would have seen this pretty clearly. The floating
>ground thing is considered FAQ #1 (so much so, that there has actually
>been discussion of changing the text of the error message to include "By
>the way, did you use the 0 ground?" 8-)
>
As someone who makes his living doing UI design for a high-end EDA tool myself,
I'm surprised that another alternative - that of fixing the software - didn't
come up in these discussions. One could have a boolean flag "isSimulatable" in
the data structure for each symbol. The dialog could then be modified to have
a checkbox labeled something like "show only simulatable components". Good UI
design requires putting yourself in the place of the user. It's not a job for
the arrogant or condescending.
Andy C
Charles Edmondson
Actually, when you place parts, there is a little icon that shows up at
the bottom of the dialog box that lets you know if the part has PSpice
or Layout properties defined!
Remember, this is for a tool to which analog simulation is just one of
the lesser uses of the software!