Device Placer is a tool for placing components in concentric circles. Mainly for lighting, sensor, and keypad design work, it can handle any component. It will read in a Osmond netlist and save it with the location and rotation information for selected components. It is limited to four rings of components, if more rings are required, you can run the program again on your new netlist for up to four more rings.

Visit my other pages:

To use the program, you must have a Osmond PCB netlist. The Netlist Format popup only support Osmond in this release, so it can be ignored. Click “Read Netlist...” button and find your netlist, click the “Open” button. Every component in your design should show in the tall list box. If you are just placing diodes, then enter a D in the “Filter Netlist” edit field to remove everything that doesn’t start with a D. If your first circle is diodes and your second is I.C.s then after placing all your diodes, replace the D in the “Filter Netlist” edit field with a U, and you will see all your I.C.s.

Now describe your circles of components, enter your diameter (millimeters or inches), the number of devices in that circle, any offset in degrees, and lastly whether or not the device should be rotated with the circle. There are two arrow buttons on either side of the offset angle. These buttons rotate the positions of the devices in 1/8 pitch increments. So, for example, if your circle has six devices, one device each 60 degrees, each press of one of the arrow buttons rotate your components by 60/8 degrees or 7.5 degrees. You have these descriptors for each of your circles.

Now your need to place your devices in their locations. Simply drag a device from the list box to a edit field on one of the circles. If you have misplaced a device, control click on it to send it back to the list box.

Near the bottom of the window is the X and Y for the center of your circles. This reference is from the Osmond (0,0), or the lower left of the work area.

When your are finished, simply click the “Write Updated Netlist” button.

Device Placer expects the source netlist in a format similar to this example:

Part C2220R { Name C16 Value "4.7uF" }

Part C0603R { Name C17 Value "0.033uF" }

Part OSRAM-DRAG1 { Name D1 Value "White" }

Part SMB { Name D2 Value "1SMB5916B" }

Part OSRAM-DRAG1 { Name D3 Value "White" }

Part C2220R { Name C16 Value "4.7uF" }

Part C0603R { Name C17 Value "0.033uF" }

Part OSRAM-DRAG1 { Name D1 Value "White" Loc { 176.53m 228.6m 0.0 }}  # Location generated by Device Placer. See www.rau-deaver.org

Part SMB { Name D2 Value "1SMB5916B" }

Part OSRAM-DRAG1 { Name D3 Value "White" Loc { 202.565m 183.50606m 0.0 }}  # Location generated by Device Placer. See www.rau-deaver.org

The lines that Device Placer modifies are commented as in this example: