X-Authentication-Warning: delorie.com: mail set sender to geda-user-bounces using -f
X-Recipient: geda-user AT delorie DOT com
X-Virus-Scanned: Debian amavisd-new at mail.linetec.nl
Content-Type: multipart/alternative;
 boundary="------------zWveHvP86UBr60hOnK0H4Pxf"
Message-ID: <27387063-1baa-8905-4b41-a99c81fde2d6@linetec.nl>
Date: Fri, 5 May 2023 23:26:03 +0200
MIME-Version: 1.0
User-Agent: Mozilla/5.0 (X11; Linux x86_64; rv:102.0) Gecko/20100101
 Thunderbird/102.10.0
Subject: [geda-user] Re: Intractable error message 'could not find refdes on component ...
 '
Content-Language: nl-NL, en-US
From: "Richard Rasker (rasker AT linetec DOT nl) [via geda-user AT delorie DOT com]" <geda-user AT delorie DOT com>
To: geda-user AT delorie DOT com
References: <xncz5nvzvd DOT fsf AT envy DOT delorie DOT com>
 <0350ae12-d97f-3fc0-f146-c83066c0e695 AT linetec DOT nl>
 <CAJZxidB2RihL-CwFDUuaG9tnkUz-yNeQrRqaFaGZYQKR-c8Tww AT mail DOT gmail DOT com>
 <48f8fe1f-b377-be59-6493-5d61140fdc13 AT linetec DOT nl> <s6nmt4pn5xz DOT fsf AT psjt DOT org>
 <407d4f7a-f529-b0bd-de4f-39fd357cb7c0 AT linetec DOT nl>
 <774de29a-806b-8dc3-84ee-770330b1fd0e AT linetec DOT nl>
In-Reply-To: <774de29a-806b-8dc3-84ee-770330b1fd0e@linetec.nl>
Reply-To: geda-user AT delorie DOT com

This is a multi-part message in MIME format.
--------------zWveHvP86UBr60hOnK0H4Pxf
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=UTF-8; format=flowed
Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit

OK, found the culprit: I used gEDA's generic input/output symbols 
(input-1.sym, output1.sym) to define connected nets by giving them the 
same net= attribute. To the best of my knowledge, this has worked just 
fine for many years, but for some reason, this now results in an error 
message "invalid net= attribute: "[name]""

So I removed the net= attributes from these symbols without deleting 
them altogether, simply to preserve their function as pointer -- but 
that resulted in the 'could not find refdes on component ... ' error 
messages.

Is it still possible to use these symbols to connect nets? If not, what 
function do they serve, and how should they be used?


Maybe a bit of an awkward observation, but it appears that more recent 
incarnations of gschem and pcb do not so much provide improved 
functionality compared to older versions, but enforce stricter rules 
that break older designs in several different ways. Virtually every 
older project that I created now throws numerous errors when I try to 
open and/or modify it, causing a lot of extra work.



Op 05-05-2023 om 22:18 schreef Richard Rasker:
>
> Hello,
>
> I'm working on an old, complex audio board with several hundred 
> components, but I'm running into the following, rather intractable 
> problem:
>
> $ gnetlist -g drc2 MV3600_v1.0.bak.sch
> Loading schematic [MV3600_v1.0.bak.sch]
> MV3600_v1.0.bak.sch: error: could not find refdes on component and 
> could not find net= attribute on pin
> MV3600_v1.0.bak.sch: error: could not find refdes on component and 
> could not find net= attribute on pin
> MV3600_v1.0.bak.sch: error: could not find refdes on component and 
> could not find net= attribute on pin
> MV3600_v1.0.bak.sch: error: could not find refdes on component and 
> could not find net= attribute on pin
> MV3600_v1.0.bak.sch: error: could not find refdes on component and 
> could not find net= attribute on pin
> MV3600_v1.0.bak.sch: error: could not find refdes on component and 
> could not find net= attribute on pin
> MV3600_v1.0.bak.sch: error: could not find refdes on component and 
> could not find net= attribute on pin
> MV3600_v1.0.bak.sch: error: could not find refdes on component and 
> could not find net= attribute on pin
> MV3600_v1.0.bak.sch: error: could not find refdes on component and 
> could not find net= attribute on pin
> MV3600_v1.0.bak.sch: error: could not find refdes on component and 
> could not find net= attribute on pin
> MV3600_v1.0.bak.sch: error: could not find refdes on component and 
> could not find net= attribute on pin
> MV3600_v1.0.bak.sch: error: could not find refdes on component and 
> could not find net= attribute on pin
> MV3600_v1.0.bak.sch: error: could not find refdes on component and 
> could not find net= attribute on pin
> MV3600_v1.0.bak.sch: error: could not find refdes on component and 
> could not find net= attribute on pin
> MV3600_v1.0.bak.sch: error: could not find refdes on component and 
> could not find net= attribute on pin
> DRC errors found. See output file
>
> So I get error messages telling me that 15 times, something was found 
> without either a refdes (component) or a net= attribute (power rail).
>
> Problem: I can't find the offending elements. I'm pretty certain that 
> all components in the schematic have a valid refdes, and I'm also 
> pretty certain that the supply rails (net=+12V:1, net=-12V:1, 
> net=GND:1) are defined as they should be -- but still, there must be 
> something wrong.
>
> The DRC output file (attached) is not helpful either -- it complains 
> about unconnected or not driven pins and some stuff about a slotted 
> device (see below) -- but not about the missing refdes errors. I tried 
> deleting large sections of the schematic to see if that would give a 
> clue, but that wasn't very helpful either: at one point, with half the 
> schematic deleted, I only got more of these errors, not less as I 
> would expect.
>
> About U4 and U16: this is an SSI2164 quad VCA chip with 4 identical 
> 3-pin VCA blocks and a supply/mode unit. So I defined a symbol 
> ssi2164-1 with 4 slots for the VCAs, and one symbol ssi2164-2 for the 
> power and mode connections. Both symbol files are attached as well. If 
> this is not the right way to define a slotted symbol with one fixed 
> part, then how should it be done?
>
> But the main problem at this moment is the 15 error messages about 
> missing refdes or net attributes. How can I find what causes this? Is 
> there a way to get co-ordinates pointing at the error location?
>
> If needed, I could also provide the schematic, although it contains 
> quite a few custom symbols.
>

Best regards,

Richard Rasker

Linetec
-- 
Linetec Translation and Technology Services
Akkerstafhof 15
7544SP Enschede
The Netherlands

+31-53-4350834

http://www.linetec.nl/
e-mail: rasker AT linetec DOT nl
--------------zWveHvP86UBr60hOnK0H4Pxf
Content-Type: text/html; charset=UTF-8
Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit

<html>
  <head>
    <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8">
  </head>
  <body>
    <p>OK, found the culprit: I used gEDA's generic input/output symbols
      (input-1.sym, output1.sym) to define connected nets by giving them
      the same net= attribute. To the best of my knowledge, this has
      worked just fine for many years, but for some reason, this now
      results in an error message "<span style="font-family:monospace"><span
          style="color:#000000;background-color:#ffffff;">invalid net=
          attribute: "[name]"</span></span>"</p>
    <p>So I removed the net= attributes from these symbols without
      deleting them altogether, simply to preserve their function as
      pointer -- but that resulted in the 'could not find refdes on
      component ... ' error messages.</p>
    <p>Is it still possible to use these symbols to connect nets? If
      not, what function do they serve, and how should they be used?<br>
    </p>
    <p><br>
    </p>
    <p>Maybe a bit of an awkward observation, but it appears that more
      recent incarnations of gschem and pcb do not so much provide
      improved functionality compared to older versions, but enforce
      stricter rules that break older designs in several different ways.
      Virtually every older project that I created now throws numerous
      errors when I try to open and/or modify it, causing a lot of extra
      work.<br>
    </p>
    <p><br>
    </p>
    <p><br>
    </p>
    <div class="moz-cite-prefix">Op 05-05-2023 om 22:18 schreef Richard
      Rasker:<br>
    </div>
    <blockquote type="cite"
      cite="mid:774de29a-806b-8dc3-84ee-770330b1fd0e AT linetec DOT nl">
      <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8">
      <p>Hello,</p>
      <p>I'm working on an old, complex audio board with several hundred
        components, but I'm running into the following, rather
        intractable problem:</p>
      <p><span style="font-family:monospace"><span
            style="color:#000000;background-color:#ffffff;">$ gnetlist
            -g drc2 MV3600_v1.0.bak.sch </span><br>
          Loading schematic [MV3600_v1.0.bak.sch] <br>
          MV3600_v1.0.bak.sch: error: could not find refdes on component
          and could not find net= attribute on pin <br>
          MV3600_v1.0.bak.sch: error: could not find refdes on component
          and could not find net= attribute on pin <br>
          MV3600_v1.0.bak.sch: error: could not find refdes on component
          and could not find net= attribute on pin <br>
          MV3600_v1.0.bak.sch: error: could not find refdes on component
          and could not find net= attribute on pin <br>
          MV3600_v1.0.bak.sch: error: could not find refdes on component
          and could not find net= attribute on pin <br>
          MV3600_v1.0.bak.sch: error: could not find refdes on component
          and could not find net= attribute on pin <br>
          MV3600_v1.0.bak.sch: error: could not find refdes on component
          and could not find net= attribute on pin <br>
          MV3600_v1.0.bak.sch: error: could not find refdes on component
          and could not find net= attribute on pin <br>
          MV3600_v1.0.bak.sch: error: could not find refdes on component
          and could not find net= attribute on pin <br>
          MV3600_v1.0.bak.sch: error: could not find refdes on component
          and could not find net= attribute on pin <br>
          MV3600_v1.0.bak.sch: error: could not find refdes on component
          and could not find net= attribute on pin <br>
          MV3600_v1.0.bak.sch: error: could not find refdes on component
          and could not find net= attribute on pin <br>
          MV3600_v1.0.bak.sch: error: could not find refdes on component
          and could not find net= attribute on pin <br>
          MV3600_v1.0.bak.sch: error: could not find refdes on component
          and could not find net= attribute on pin <br>
          MV3600_v1.0.bak.sch: error: could not find refdes on component
          and could not find net= attribute on pin <br>
          DRC errors found. See output file<br>
        </span></p>
      <p>So I get error messages telling me that 15 times, something was
        found without either a refdes (component) or a net= attribute
        (power rail).<br>
      </p>
      <p>Problem: I can't find the offending elements. I'm pretty
        certain that all components in the schematic have a valid
        refdes, and I'm also pretty certain that the supply rails
        (net=+12V:1, net=-12V:1, net=GND:1) are defined as they should
        be -- but still, there must be something wrong.<br>
      </p>
      <p>The DRC output file (attached) is not helpful either -- it
        complains about unconnected or not driven pins and some stuff
        about a slotted device (see below) -- but not about the missing
        refdes errors. I tried deleting large sections of the schematic
        to see if that would give a clue, but that wasn't very helpful
        either: at one point, with half the schematic deleted, I only
        got more of these errors, not less as I would expect.<br>
      </p>
      <p>About U4 and U16: this is an SSI2164 quad VCA chip with 4
        identical 3-pin VCA blocks and a supply/mode unit. So I defined
        a symbol ssi2164-1 with 4 slots for the VCAs, and one symbol
        ssi2164-2 for the power and mode connections. Both symbol files
        are attached as well. If this is not the right way to define a
        slotted symbol with one fixed part, then how should it be done?<br>
      </p>
      <p>But the main problem at this moment is the 15 error messages
        about missing refdes or net attributes. How can I find what
        causes this? Is there a way to get co-ordinates pointing at the
        error location?<br>
      </p>
      <p>If needed, I could also provide the schematic, although it
        contains quite a few custom symbols.<br>
      </p>
    </blockquote>
    <br>
    <div class="moz-signature"
      signature-switch-id="00c1a468-7bb7-4a48-b887-259be8969731">Best
      regards,<br>
      <br>
      Richard Rasker<br>
      <br>
      Linetec<br>
      -- <br>
      Linetec Translation and Technology Services<br>
      Akkerstafhof 15<br>
      7544SP Enschede<br>
      The Netherlands<br>
      <br>
      +31-53-4350834<br>
      <br>
      <a class="moz-txt-link-freetext" href="http://www.linetec.nl/">http://www.linetec.nl/</a><br>
      e-mail: <a class="moz-txt-link-abbreviated" href="mailto:rasker AT linetec DOT nl">rasker AT linetec DOT nl</a></div>
  </body>
</html>

--------------zWveHvP86UBr60hOnK0H4Pxf--