Hw Tools Helpers

HanishKVC, 20XYs

Orcard related Helpers

Exp file util

THis is very useful to when creating or working with large schematics spanning over many 10s of pages. Equally for simple projects / schematics also it can be used to track or verify changes and or update things or so, along with a easy to look at or study or process or ... textual paper trail.

Updating properties

cmd: update BOM/MapFile EXPFile

Update a given field's value in Orcad ExportProperties file by using another field(of that component)'s value as the key into a database and getting the updated value to use.

Usecase: After one creates and or decides to change the PCBFootprint associated with a component, to update the same into the schematic, if the component is used a lot, then

1. create a map file
   • could be a simple csv file containing the MfgPartNumber and the new PCBFootprint name
   • or could be the BOM file updated with the new MfgPartNumber
2. export the properties file
3. run this program in update mode
4. if you want to, run this program in diff mode to cross verify the updates/changes.
5. import the properties file

UseCase: Similarly if one decides to change the value of one or more components used in many places, then this can be used to execute the changes in a controlled and for sure manner.

Comparing/Diffing between Schematic revisions

As orcard doesnt have a builtin change tracking logic. this can be used to check the differences between schematic revisions. ie instead of trying to look through the schematic visually (wont help identify non visible property changes) or wade through a long BOM or worse still EXP file.

NOTE: _int suffix means interactive, where for each change/difference found the program pauses.

NOTE: the simple diff is simple minded in its comparision, while the diff_search tries to be bit more exhaustive and or make it easy for the user by trying to dig out the needles from the hay stack ;-)

Property changes only

If one has changed some properties due to updates/corrections, and inturn wants to cross verify the same in a simple and for sure manner (instead of going thro the gui or the exportprops/bom file manually) then use the simpler diff command.

cmd: diff/diff_int OldExpFile NewExpFile

Even Additions or Deletions

If one has also added or removed components, in addition to changing properties, then use

cmd: diff_search/diff_search_int NewFileToCheckLineByLine BaseFileToCheckAgainst

It will not only help find the differences in properties of the components, or if required even position changes. It will also show the list of components that have been added and or removed. Thus making it easy to understand the difference between the revisions.

Prepare Exp file for use

Working with a Very Old Revision

Sometimes over the life of a design, either properties get added or removed or the tool decides to change things around or so. While the core set of props generally remain the same and logically consistent. When one wants to compare a very old revision of a design with a newer or latest revision, with such changes inbetween them, then running the previously mentioned diff commands directly will lead to too many changes being flagged.

Interested in only a subset of properties

To keep things simple, we may be interested in tracking only a subset of the properties or so and not every thing.

In either of the above cases, one can transform the Exp file to get the job done by using the below command

cmd: norm OldOrTheFileToNormalize NewOrTheFileUsedAsReferenceWrtFieldsToRetainAndSequence

This will generate a new Exp file for use with the diff commands of this program which is easier to work with for the user.

History

I had created this utility a very long time back and inturn used it and tweaked it as and when required over the years. As usual I had forgotten to track the changes and or document it then. What is commited is the version which seems to have survived as a backup from sometime back.

This readme is being created after a gap of few years now, so it only contains what I remember now by looking at the begining of the program file now and not necessarily all the details.

Others

KiCad helpers

MISC

NOTE: If and when I find other revisions or other of my previous helper utilities, I may nuke and recreate the git repo to try and follow the history and or to better structure the things around.