Probe

Parent page: Sch Dialogs

Summary

The probe dialog allows designer to edit the properties of a Probe. A probe is a design directive. It is a special marker which is placed on a schematic sheet to identify nodes for digital simulation during netlist generation. It can also be used to interrogate the status, in real time, of a net connecting to a pin on a programmed FPGA device.

Access

The Probe dialog can be accessed in following methods:

• The Probe dialog can be accessed prior to entering placement mode, from the Schematic. Default Primitives page of the Preferences dialog (Tools » Schematic Preferences). This allows you to change the default properties for the probe directive, which will be applied when placing subsequent probe directives.
• During placement, the Probe dialog can be accessed by pressing the Tab key.
• After placement, the Probe dialog can be accessed in one of the following ways:
  
  • double-clicking on the placed probe directive
  • selecting the probe directive and choosing Properties from the right-click pop-up menu
  • choosing the Change command from the Edit menu and then clicking once over the placed probe directive.

Options/Controls

Properties

• Name - Edit this field to give a name for this Probe object.
• Orientation - This field specifies the rotation of the Probe object relative to the horizontal. Select an orientation from the drop-down list. The Probe object can be rotated in 90 degree increments. This object can also be rotated graphically. To do this, click-and-hold the mouse over the Probe object and then press the Spacebar to rotate this object. While holding the mouse button you can also reposition the Probe object by dragging the mouse.
• X-Location - The field shows the current X coordinate of the object. Edit the value in the field to change the position of the object directly.
• Y-Location - The field shows the current Y coordinate of the object. Edit the value in the field to change the position of the object directly.
• Locked -  If this option is checked, the probe is protected from being edited graphically. Lock a probe whose position or size is critical. If you try to edit a design object that is locked, you will be informed that this object is locked and asked if you wish to proceed with the action. If this option is unchecked, the design object can be freely edited without confirmation.