I have learnd that for connecting two schematic pages, you can use off-page connectors with the same name in the desired page.
On the other hand, I saw an engineer uses ports to connect two schematic pages.
What is the difference between ports and off-page connector, and what is more common?
Yeah.
You know, I'm studying Orcad from the link you once gave me, and they teach it very well.
I guess that the problem is that this file was written in 2002 and maybe then it was common to use off-page connectors.
Are you familiar with anything that is more up to date?
I am not aware. I found it, it suited my purposes and so I never bothered to look for another one. I actually didn't read it or follow it as closely as you. I mainly used it to figure out how to convert a schematic to a layout and how footprints worked on both capture and layout.
I've always used off page connectors with the same name, but that was the way i was taught in school. They have always worked fine for me but i have never used ports.
Not sure of the difference. Whatever works i guess, depends on the application.
Maxx is on the right track. Ports are for hierarchical schematics. Fortuneately, these can usually be avoided! Just use the off-page connectors. And if you are not going off-page, just use a net alias and not an off-page connector.
WHat is a hierarchal block? I could never understand what the help files were talking about. THe best I could get was it let you make a resusable "black-box" type component.
Apparently you can also do the same thing for a PCB layout.
Maxx, that is not correct! They may do so, but those nets will not be connected without an off-page connector!
To be certain of what I speak, i just tested this. When you generate a netlist, you will find OrCad will append some numbers to one of the net-names, making them distinct nets.
To connect nets on different pages, that is what off-page connectors are for!
A good reason to avoid using off-page connectors when a net does NOT go off-page is that you can pick up design rule errors in the design rules check.
Sadly, I am something of an expert, as I do this all day long