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6-4 Electronics Workbench
6.2.1 Nested Circuits
When a circuit file is opened or created in Multicap, by definition it is the top-level circuit of
the current design. All circuits may reference other, embedded (subcircuit) or linked-to
(hierarchical block) nested circuits, which act as building blocks to control circuit complexity.
In addition, any circuit (nested or otherwise), may comprise multiple pages for ease of
understanding and printing. The
Hierarchy tab in the Design Toolbox displays a graphical view
of the open designs.
If the same nested circuit is used more than once in a design, it will appear more than once in
the hierarchy view, and will have more than one tab in the main workspace. Each appearance
is an instance of use of that nested circuit. Use instances are identified by a path formed by the
names of the references used to reach them. In the simple example above, there are two ways
to reach "sub": one via the reference X1 in Circuit1 and one via the reference X2.
With one notable exception (RefDes assignment), edits made to one instance of use are
reflected in all others (because it is actually the same circuit that is being modified).
6.2.2 Component Numbering in Nested Circuits
Every part in a design has a unique reference designator (RefDes), such as R5, U2, and so on.
A RefDes is assigned by default when a component is placed by taking a single letter typical
of the type of part being placed (R for resistors, C for capacitors, and so on) followed by the
next highest available number. You may edit these to be anything you like, so long as they are
unique across a design. In the case of multi-section parts, the RefDes will also include the
section identifier.