Data Sheet

LABCENTER ELECTRONICS LTD.
54
We can also use the Design Explorer to investigate the connectivity of the schematic – for this
we need to switch into netlist mode via the icon at the top left of the dialogue form. This will give
us a view as shown below.
The Netlist icon
The first point to note is the net names which, as we discussed earlier, are either named
according to terminal or label or simply assigned a number if the net consists only of wire
connections. We can right click on any net to view its connections on the current sheet by
selecting the ‘Goto Schematic Net’ option from the resulting context menu. This is particularly
useful when we want to check single pin nets for example, or if we want to name a net manually
(see the section on connectivity considerations earlier in the tutorial). Finally, where we have a
net or nets grouped with a named net class (far right column on the right hand pane) it can be
useful to check our assignments.
Goto Schematic Net will highlight the selected net
The Design Explorer is an extremely powerful tool and has many different uses
throughout the lifecycle of a typical project. In particular it can be used as a link
between the schematic and the PCB, facilitating cross-probing and PCB lookup. We
recommend that you read and work through the chapter in the reference manual
(Help Menu – Schematic Capture Help) for more information.
Assembly Variants
Assembly Variants provide a simple method of managing multiple product configurations in a
single schematic/pcb project. This is done by specifying the fitted or not fitted status of each
component on a per variant basis. They are often used for excluding parts from cheaper
versions of a product or for identifying PCB versions to firmware by controlling the use of pullup
resistors on an MCU port.
In Proteus, Assembly Variants are configured primarily through the Design Explorer. Let's look
at a simple example and we'll remove the SHT15 temperature and pressure sensor from a new