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PSpice Release 9 November, 1998 Most of the information contained in these release notes is not included in the PSpice manuals or online help. Please read the notes carefully to see if any apply to your designs. These release notes are divided into the following sections:
Installation notesThere are no known installation problems specific to PSpice Release 9.
What's newThis section gives you information concerning:
PSpice now fully integrated with OrCAD CaptureOrCAD PSpice Release 9 connects two of today's most popular EDA products, Capture and PSpice. With OrCAD PSpice Release 9, you can:
User interface with presentation quality graphics
Simulation Profiles
The following table lists new and enhanced libraries for R9:
Known problemsThis section gives you information concerning:
The "Simulation Examples" chapter is not clear with regard to which ground symbol to use.
Use the '0' symbol in <orcad_dir>\capture\library\pspice\source.olb. You can access this symbol after configuring this library
in the Place Ground dialog box.
These problems have been reported and are not yet fixed for this release of PSpice. This list is intended to cite the most serious problems and is not an exhaustive list of all known problems. Many of these problems have workarounds. Please consult the OrCAD Knowledge Base for updated information.
General notesThis section gives you information concerning:
Frequently Asked QuestionsQ: Can I run Release 9 under Windows 3.1/3.11? A: No. Release 9 will not run under Windows 3.1/3.11. Release 9 will run under Windows 95, Windows 98, or Windows NT.
Q. Why can't I see the PSpice menu in Capture? A. To access the PSpice menu, you must be working on an "Analog or Mixed-Signal Design" project. Every design is associated with a project whose type determines the commands available for it (PCB, Analog, etc.). If the design is separated from its project file, Capture cannot tell the project type and creates a default PCB project for the design. If you create a new design by using the File menu and choosing New, Design, you will get a default PCB project. If you want to create an Analog or Mixed-Signal Design project you should use the Project creation wizard. (From the File menu, point to New and choose Project.)
A: Right-click on the desired trace in PSpice. Choose Properties to access the Colors pull-down. The corresponding marker in Capture will reflect this setting. A: NT4.0 Service Pack 4 requires Aladdin hinstall v3.74. Call OrCAD Tech Support for the latest information on this problem.
Q: Where is the .ini file for PSpice Release 9? A: <windows_dir>\pspice.ini
Q: Why do I get missing PSPICETEMPLATE DRCs when I create a netlist? A: Check that the problem part was obtained from a library from the PSpice folder (under the Library folder). For example there are resistor symbols in <orcad_dir>\capture\library\device.olb and in <orcad_dir>\capture\library\pspice\analog.olb. For PSpice simulation, the resistor in analog.olb should be used, since it has a PSPICETEMPLATE property.
Q: How can I keep my model and part libraries configured from project to project? A: These libraries may be added to the <orcad_dir>\capture\capture.ini file: [Part Selector Configured Libraries] Number of Configured Libraries=2 Library0=E:\ORCAD2\CAPTURE\LIBRARY\PSPICE\ANALOG.OLB Library1=E:\ORCAD2\CAPTURE\LIBRARY\PSPICE\ANL_MISC.OLB
Q: How to set a command line option for PSpice (for example -p, -i)? A: Options are now read from the PSPICE.INI file, PSPICE section, PSPICECMDLINE key. PSpice.ini has an entry PSPICECMDLINE that can be changed (using a text editor) to specify what command line options should be used when starting up PSpice. [PSPICE] PSPICECMDLINE= -i <user_dir>\<ini_file>
Q: Why doesn't PSpice run the simulation when started with a command line pspice <circuit_file>? A: Use pspice -r <circuit_file>. -r is a new option meaning run/simulate file(s); if not specified, the file will just be opened, and PSpice will wait for he next command.
Q: Where can I find tips for getting started in Capture? A: See Chapter 2 in the on-line Schematics-to-Capture Quick Start manual.
Q: How can I create a subcircuit for my schematic design? A: Go to Project Manager and select the .dsn file. From the Tools menu, choose Create Netlist. Check Create Subckt format netlist.
Q: How can I define my own set of properties to display in the spreadsheet? A: The file "prefprop.txt" can be edited to allow custom "filters".
Q: Why does my library list change in Capture when I use both Place Part and Place Power/Place Ground? A: Place Part and Place Power/Ground keep different library lists (thus you have to add source.olb for each one). The libraries source, sourcstm, special, and analog are configured for all PSpice projects created with the project wizard.
Q: Why don't ground symbols from CAPSYM.OLB netlist as node '0'? A: The standard power and ground symbols in capsym.olb must be renamed to the global PSpice node name. Nearly always this should be node 0 for grounds in PSpice. Thus, the need for the '0' symbol. You can, of course, double-click any ground and rename the part to 0.
Q: Why do my markers appear gray sometimes and are colored at other times? A. Markers inherit their color from Probe traces. Also, markers are specific to a simulation profile. If the active simulation profile is open in PSpice and the traces corresponding to the markers are shown in the active Probe Waveform window then the markers are colored in the schematic pages. Otherwise, the markers show up gray. The colors allow you to identify traces in the Probe window by the colored markers in the schematic pages. Q: Why do my markers disappear after changing simulation profiles? A: Markers are specific to a simulation profile. Only markers that were created for the currently active simulation profile are displayed.
Q: Why is the Darlington extraction in the Model Editor slow? A: Darlingtons are complex models with characteristics that require many calculations to evaluate. We recommend that the auto-update option be disabled while entering specifications, or when tweaking model parameters by hand.
Q: Why is Edit/Model or Edit/Stimulus grayed out in Capture? A: The menu items to edit a PSpice model or PSpice stimulus are disabled when the selected part is not associated with the root schematic.
Q: Why can't I simulate when I specify the Output Variable with two nodes? A: This problem has not yet been corrected for Release 9. As a workaround, enter any alphanumeric names with square brackets enclosing them in the Simulation Settings dialog box. Example: v([N0009],[N00010])
Q: Why have .cir, .net, .als, and .out file names become longer than in Release 8? A: These PSpice filenames in Release 9 have the format: <project>-<schem>-<profile>.ext This makes it easy to identify the analysis and the schematic to which these files apply.
Q: Why does the Model Editor sometimes display a text editor and other times use the extractor dialog box? A: The Model Editor will use specification based entry for new models, or models that have previously been extracted and have not been modified. Note that the model libraries supplied by OrCAD do not contain datasheet specification data. For intrinsic models, from the View menu, choose Normal to load the parameter data only into the extractor. Doing this may modify the original model and is not recommended, except to enter datasheet specifications and perform new extractions.
Q: Why do I get "Skipping section 1. Section 1 has less than 2 rows of data." from PSpice when attempting to load the .dat file after a simulation? A: If a simulation is aborted very early, or if there are fatal errors it is possible for the data file to be corrupt. The simulation must be run longer. Contact Tech Support if the simulation can not be run longer due to non-convergence or a fatal error.
Q: Why does the percent complete reported by PSpice sometimes read 100%, incorrectly? A: PSpice percent complete shows 100% whenever the simulation ends whether terminated or completed. PSpice shows percent complete 100% even when the simulation is aborted at mid analysis.
Q: Why are there obsolete Schematics symbols in some libraries? A: Libraries with hierarchical symbols can contain symbols translated from Schematics in their Design Cache (such as INTERFACE in anl_misc.olb). We do not recommend using symbols from the Design Cache of these libraries.
Q: Why does the Schematics-to-Capture translator attempt to write libraries to the old MSim_8 library directory? A: The only way that you would write files to the standard MicroSim directory is if you don't have the Consolidate option checked. If you aren't translating custom symbol libraries/hierarchical schematics (designs to be re-used), then always use Consolidate.
Q: In PSpice, when I right-click on a trace to edit the Properties, why does Show Symbol have no effect? A: From the Tools menu, choose Options and check Attributes in the Use Symbols frame.
Q: Why can't I add Model Libraries, Stimulus Libraries, or Include Files folders from the Project Manager window? A: You cannot add files to the Model Libraries, Stimulus Libraries, or Include Files folders from the Project Manager window. Use the simulation settings dialog box, and add the desired files using the appropriate tabs. This dialog box can be accessed from Capture using the following command sequence: From the PSpice menu, choose Edit Simulation Settings or New Simulation Profile.
Q: What is the .OPTIONS PREORDER enhancement and how do I use it? A: .OPTIONS PREORDER causes the circuit to be ordered in a fixed way prior to performing any analysis. The matrix diagonal is sorted in ascending order of Markowitz count (a criterion which tends to minimize the number of "fillins" that can appear in the matrix during LU decomposition). Ties are broken by taking the lowest row element count first and then taking the lowest column element count. .OPTIONS PREORDER Q: I have setup my simulation to collect data only at markers. I simulated once, went back to the schematic, added more markers, and re-simulated. However, these markers do not show up in my Probe waveform window. What is wrong? A. When collecting data at markers, close the Probe windows before re-simulating after adding more markers.
Q: How do I assign a default net name to power type pin in Capture? A: To do this:
Q: How do I assign the PWR_NODE and GND_NODE for DIGIFPWR in SPECIAL.OLB? A: To do this:
Q: How do I use the DATACONV and FILTSUB libraries? A: To change a design to a non-primitive state: In the Project Manager, right-click the .DSN file, choose Design Properties, then click the Schematic Design tab. Click the Design Properties button, click the Hierarchy tab, and select Non-primitive. To change the global default to non-primitive: From the Options menu, choose Design Template. Click the Hierarchy tab and select Non-primitive in the Parts frame. In order to use the hierarchical symbols in the DATACONV.OLB and FILTSUB.OLB libraries, the Primitive attribute needs to be set to No after placement. All parts in these libraries currently have the Primitive attribute set to Default. You will not be able to Descend Hierarchy or Netlist without errors if this setting isn't changed to No for hierarchical symbols.
Translating MicroSim Schematics to OrCAD Capture projects
MicroSim Schematics to OrCAD Capture Project Translation can be very easily done through the import utility in Capture.
In Capture, from the File menu, choose Import and in the PSpice tab select the source schematic, the destination project, and the MicroSim msim.ini file for existing settings. Then click OK to start the automated translation utility. For last minute information about the Schematics to Capture Translator, see the OrCAD Capture 9 Release Notes. Translated designs with unconnected pin error Translated schematics, when netlisted for PSpice, may get "unconnected pin" errors in Release 9 if there
are voltage sources or ABM parts with outputs connected to ports where the ports have no corresponding port
with the same name. These designs will need their design cache changed to Unique Net to work correctly. To do this: Descending hierarchical parts in a translated .SLB library If you use a part in a translated library and the library is not in the same directory as your design, you will not be able to descend. As a workaround, you can edit the part in the library and clear the name of the library from the implementation cell so that it is blank. Creating new PSpice projects In Capture
Please see NewPSpiceProject PSpice libraries The PSpice part libraries (.olb files) and simulation model libraries (.lib files) are located under the Capture\ Library\PSpice directory under your installation directory. If you wish to add more PSpice part libraries to your design, you can do so using the Place Part dialog box (From the Place menu, choose Part or use the Place Part toolbar button) and adding a library from the above mentioned subdirectory. Placing Ground Symbols To place a ground symbol for PSpice simulations, you must use the '0' symbol. To select the '0' symbol:
Save As and Archive commands Please see Save As and Archive Global parameters in Capture The new PARAM part works differently in Release 9. You simply add new properties and assign them values in the spreadsheet. They should display on the schematic and netlist as in Release 8. For example, you can add a property named VAL with value 10K with the following steps:
Unlike the PARAM symbol in Schematics, you can add more than three parameters for a single part instance. HI and LO symbols The HI and LO symbols for digital inputs have been renamed and moved. These can be used by choosing Place Power in Capture. $D_HI and $D_LO are now in the library Capture\Library\PSpice\special.olb under your installation directory. Simulating without Displaying Waveforms The settings for Probe Window in the Simulation Settings dialog box have no direct equivalent to choosing None at Probe startup from the Probe Startup menu in Schematics. As a workaround, you can uncheck both "Display Probe window when profile is opened" and "Display Probe window" in the Simulation Settings dialog box, under the Probe Window tab. NRD and NRS default for MOSFETs Prior to Release 9 the default values for NRD and NRS in PSpice were 1. Starting with Release 9 the defaults values are 0. This change will not affect device instances with NRD and NRS specified in the netlist. MEMUSE has been removed from the .OPTIONS ACCT report Due to lack of accuracy with current dynamic memory allocation methods, MEMUSE will no longer appear when you simulate with .OPTIONS ACCT in the netlist. The memory used can be obtained from Windows. Command line options, such as "-i" to load a user defined initialization file (.ini), can be specified by adding the following line to the <windows_dir>\pspice.ini file: [PSPICE] PSPICECMDLINE= -i <user_dir>\<ini_file> A custom .ini file can contain a configuration of PSpice library, include and stimulus files. For other command line options, see the on-line PSpice A/D Reference Manual. Change of function of PRINT STEP Print Step no longer needs to be specified for a transient analysis. When left at the new default value of 0, the following is used in its place: maximum step size if defined, otherwise Final Time/100. PSpice uses TSTEP for the following things in addition to setting print and plot intervals for the text output file:
PSpiceDefaultNet IPIN(<pin>) attributes present for hidden pins in Schematics are replaced by the PSpiceDefaultNet property on Power type pins in Capture. When creating a part with a Power type pin, create the pin property: PSpiceDefaultNet=<net_name> The PSpiceDefaultNet pin property cannot be displayed on the schematic.
Use the Project Wizard to create a new PSpice project. PSpice libraries The PSpice part libraries (.olb files) and simulation model libraries (.lib files) are located under the Capture\Library\PSpice directory under your installation directory. If you wish to add more PSpice part libraries to your design, you can do so using the Place Part dialog box (from the Place menu, choose Part or use the Place Part toolbar button) and adding a library from the above mentioned subdirectory. Placing ground symbols To place a ground symbol for PSpice simulations, you must use the '0' symbol. To select the '0' symbol: In Capture a design file (.DSN) is always accompanied by a project file (.OPJ). Each time you do a Save As function to save a design file to another name or directory, it is recommended that you also Save As the project file. To do this: This process saves a .DSN file and a .OPJ file into the same directory and allows you to continue editing the current project without altering the original files. Using the Archive menu command in Capture You can use the Archive menu command to save your project and associated files to a different directory. The Archive menu command is accessible if the Project Manager window in Capture is active. Note: For PSpice projects, the simulation profiles and the local files (.lib, .stl, .inc) will all be archived along with the project. The output files option currently does not archive simulation output files (.dat, .out, etc.). OrCAD PSpice A/D Release 9 ships with two libraries which contain hierarchical symbols with underlying sub-schematics: dataconv.olb and filtsub.olb. To use a hierarchical part in a design you must use the Edit Properties command, then set PRIMITIVE=NO using the pull-down in the property spreadsheet. PSpice .OPTIONS to improve simulation of large circuits (STEPGMIN, PREORDER) PSpice A/D Basics In the libraries provided with PSpice A/D Basics, there are a number of parts that use delay line models that are not supported by the simulation. The use of these models may produce erroneous simulation results. The names of these parts and their libraries are as follows: Additionally, the following libraries are not supported by the Basics package, therefore you should not place parts from these: Optimizer specification file The .OPT file is not archived automatically. You must drag and drop this file manually into the Outputs folder after working in Optimizer in order to archive it. You can also use the copy command to do this.
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