OrCAD X Frequently Asked Questions

To add a library in OrCAD X, go to Place -> Part. Within the Place Part pane, under Libraries, click the Add Library icon. You’ll find the default libraries provided for OrCAD X in this directory: C:\Cadence\SPB_(your_version)\tools\capture\library Select all files within the library folder and click Open. If you want to add your own library, your files must be in .olb format. If they aren’t, you will need to convert them from .xml to .olb. Do this by going to File -> Import -> Library XML. Browse for the .xml file, leave the defaults, and click OK. Then go to File -> Library and open the .olb file to add it to your library.

To be able to simulate your design, you must have the following ready first: a saved schematic with parts and their connections; a simulation profile that is set up for the analysis you want to run; a part library containing simulation models that correspond to the parts in your circuit; and either voltage, current, or power probes depending on the results you’re looking for. Once you meet all the requirements, select Run Simulation (it looks like the play button).

Once you have a PSpice model downloaded to your system from your chosen manufacturer’s website, search for and open the PSpice Model Editor via your start menu. Select your design entry tool as Capture and click Done. Go to File -> Open and select and open your downloaded model file. Make sure your PSpice model file has one of these file extensions: .text, .cir, .lib, .net. Go to File -> Export to Capture Library and make sure your file paths are correct before clicking OK. Then open OrCAD X Capture and go to Place -> Part. Within the Place Part pane, under Libraries, click the Add Library icon. Browse for the directory that your model is in and add it to your library.

To rotate an object on your schematic, simply select it so that the object is highlighted, then right-click and select rotate or use the keyboard shortcut R.

To open a schematic in OrCAD X Capture, go to File -> Open -> Design and select your .dsn file. Then go to File -> Export -> PDF. Select your output directory, provide a PDF file name and adjust any of the other options available, and click OK.

Note #1: If you intend to print, make sure that your schematic theme is set to legacy or light so that the PDF is generated with a light background. Change the schematic theme settings by going to Options -> Preferences.

Note #2: If you see this error message - ERROR (ORCAP-43004), download and install the recommended ghostscript converter from the URL provided in the error message. Choose the public license that best fits your system requirements. Install the executable to your Programs folder. Then, within the PDF Export GUI, change the directory listed under Converter Path. Browse through your Programs folder for the ghostscript executable and set the new path. Here’s an example of how your path should look: C:\Program Files\gs\gs10.00.0\bin\gswin64c.exe.

Create footprints in OrCAD X PCB Designer by going to File -> New. Within the New Drawing GUI, select your Drawing Type as “Package symbol”, provide a name for your footprint, if necessary, change the directory where the .dra file will be saved by clicking on Browse, and click OK. Then define your design parameters and extents and click OK. To add pins, go to Layout -> Pins. On the Options pane, select and fill in the necessary details to meet your design needs to create the pins.

To create footprints in OrCAD X Presto PCB Editor, select File -> New -> Footprint. Select Add Pin using Search from the floating toolbar to use the pin wizard to create from scratch or modify existing footprints. Select your pin configuration, enter the values, and name your padstack. Then define any other inputs that are necessary, such as the type, pin count, pitch, and more.

For a walkthrough on how to create footprints in OrCAD X PCB Designer, watch this video.

For a walkthrough on how to create footprints in OrCAD X Presto PCB Editor, watch this video.

To create a netlist in OrCAD X Capture, go to Tools -> Create Netlist. Within the PCB tab, make sure the Create PCB Editor Netlist checkbox is selected. Next to Netlist Files Directory, browse to the directory where you want to save your design files, and click OK.

When you simulate your circuit, PSpice automatically generates a PSpice netlist for you. To view the netlist, go to PSpice -> View Netlist in the menu. If you haven’t simulated your circuit, go to PSpice -> Create Netlist.

To create a new part in OrCAD X Capture, go to File -> New -> Library. Under Library in the project hierarchy, right-click the .olb file, and select New Part. Fill in the necessary details and click OK. Adjust the boundary box and text by clicking and dragging. Place your desired shape (such as Rectangle) by going to Place in the menu. Click and drag to draw your shape. Once you have completed your shape, hit escape to exit the command. Next, add the pins for your part. Go to Place -> Pins, then fill in and adjust the pin property settings based on the pins you need, and hit escape to leave the command. Make any necessary changes within the property sheet or make adjustments on the canvas, such as renaming and rotating text. Then save and close the part you created; it will be visible in your design library.

To update your cache in OrCAD X Capture, find and expand the Design Cache folder in the project hierarchy pane. Then find the part(s) you want to update, right-click over the part, and select Update Cache.

To create a Gerber file in OrCAD X PCB Designer, go to Export -> Gerber. Under available films in the Film Control tab, select the available films or add any others that you don’t see by right-clicking and selecting Add Manual. Make changes to the Film options for each artwork if necessary, then review the settings within the General Parameters tab. Go back to the Film Control tab, select the films of interest, and select Create Artwork.

To create a BOM in OrCAD X Capture, right-click your canvas and select Selection Filter. Click Clear All, only select Parts, and click OK. Then window-select the circuit on your canvas, right-click, and select Edit Properties. Some information may already be pre-populated, but you can add any necessary or missing properties to the spreadsheet by clicking on the New Property button and filling in its details. Close the property editor and click the design file (.dsn) within the project hierarchy. Then go to Tools -> Bill of Materials. Complete the information for both fields under Line Item Definition. If you need to change the directory where your report will save, click Browse to choose a new path, then click OK. For a step-by-step walkthrough of how to generate your BOM, watch this video.

Within OrCAD X Capture, click PSpice -> New Simulation. Name your simulation profile (example: schematic name-analysis type), choose whether you want to inherit settings from an already created profile, and then select Create. From there, select the settings for your simulation, such as analysis type, options, run time, and more, and click OK.

Unfortunately, PSpice models cannot be used directly within LTspice.

DC Sweep analysis in PSpice allows you to evaluate your circuit’s performance in response to a direct current source. You can sweep your sources, voltages, currents, model parameters, or temperatures over a range of values.

Within the simulation window in PSpice, go to Tools -> Options, and click the Color Settings tab to change the background color of the graph.

Within OrCAD X Capture, go to Place -> Part or use the shortcut P. Type VPULSE in the Part search field, double-click the object from the part list to add/connect it to your circuit, and set the necessary parameter values. Or go to Place -> PSpice Component -> Modeling Application -> Sources -> Independent Sources to create a dedicated square pulse. In the Pulse tab, select the fields of interest and fill in the parameters to meet your design needs.

Note: If VPULSE is not visible on your part list, make sure that the PSpice libraries are enabled. Under Libraries in the Place Part pane, select Add Library (Alt + A) and make sure the PSpice library is pointed to this directory: C:\Cadence\SPB_(your version of tool)\tools\capture\library. Select all files and folders, then click Open.

Measure the current and voltage of your circuit in PSpice by adding current and voltage probes to your circuit. Within the PSpice simulation window, select Trace -> Evaluate Measurements from the PSpice simulation window and create the trace expression to measure current and voltage at any node.

VPULSE is used to simulate a step response when performing a transient analysis, and it can be applied as an independent source in PSpice. There are seven parameters that need to be defined for the waveform: V1 – First Voltage, V2 – Second Voltage, TD – Initial Delay, TR – Absolute Rise Time, TF – Absolute Fall Time, PW – Pulse Width, PER – Period. Access and add VPULSE/source to your circuit from Place -> Part in the main toolbar or by using the shortcut P.

VOFF is known as an offset voltage. For transient analysis, VOFF should be set to 0 if you need a pure sinusoid.

Depending on what your error is, there are a few things to check. Make sure the components connected are creating a complete circuit – check your wire connections. Use parts from the PSpice library, such as the ground symbol – use 0/Source ground.

To create a transformer model in PSpice, go to Place -> PSpice Component -> Modeling Application within OrCAD X Capture. Then within the Modeling Application pane, select System Modules -> Transformer. Then select your transformer type (example: Flyback), define its parameters, and click Place.

To plot the frequency response of your circuit, set up a new simulation profile. Set your analysis type to AC Sweep/Noise, select your sweep type, and define any other parameters necessary, such as start and stop frequency and points/decade. Add any necessary probes to your circuit and run the simulation. To get the results of the frequency response, select Trace -> Evaluate Measurements from the PSpice simulation window and create the trace expression.

Once you’ve got logic gates, inputs, outputs, and probes set up and connected, go to PSpice -> New Simulation Profile. Name your simulation profile (example: schematic name-analysis type), choose whether you want to inherit settings from an already created profile, and click Create. Select the settings for your simulation—in this case, it will be a Transient Analysis, where you can define the rest of the settings such as run time—and click OK. Then select Run Simulation (it looks like the play button). If the simulation window looks empty, go to Trace – Add Trace, select your trace input and output expressions one trace at a time, and click OK.