IEEE Symbol

This document is no longer available beyond version 17.1. Information can now be found here: Adding IEEE Symbols for version 24

Applies to Altium Designer version: 17.1

The IEEE Symbol dialog.

The IEEE Symbol dialog.

Summary

This dialog allows the designer to specify the properties of an IEEE Symbol object. IEEE symbols are non-electrical drawing primitives. They are used for representing logic functions or devices. These symbols enable users to understand the logic characteristics of these functions or devices without requiring specific knowledge of their internal characteristics.

For information on how a placed IEEE symbol object can be modified graphically, directly in the workspace, see Graphical Editing.

Access

The IEEE Symbol dialog can be accessed prior to entering placement mode, from the Schematic – Default Primitives page of the Preferences dialog. This allows the default properties for the symbol object to be changed, which will be applied when placing subsequent symbols.

During placement, the dialog can be accessed by pressing the Tab key.

While attributes can be modified during placement, bear in mind that these will become the default settings for further placement unless the Permanent option on the Schematic – Default Primitives page of the Preferences dialog is enabled. When this option is enabled, changes made will affect only the object being placed and subsequent objects placed during the same placement session.

After placement, the dialog can be accessed in one of the following ways:

  • Double-clicking on the placed IEEE symbol object.
  • Placing the cursor over the IEEE symbol object, right-clicking and choosing Properties from the context menu.
  • Using the Edit » Change command and clicking once over the placed IEEE symbol object.

Options/Controls

  • Symbol - this field defines the graphical IEEE symbol. Select a symbol from the drop-down list.
  • X/Y-Location - the current X (horizontal) and Y (vertical) coordinates for the location of the symbol. Edit these values to change the position of the symbol in the horizontal and/or vertical planes respectively.
  • Size - the current size of the IEEE symbol. The default size is 10 DXP Default Units (100mil). Increase or decrease this value to make the symbol bigger or smaller respectively. Entering a negative value results in the symbol appearing as if rotated by 180 degrees.
  • Orientation - specify the orientation of the symbol, counter-clockwise in relation to the horizontal. Options available are: 0 degrees, 90 degrees, 180 degrees, 270 degrees.
  • Mirrored - enable this option to have the symbol mirrored on the schematic (flipped along the Y-axis).
  • Locked - enable this option to protect the symbol from being edited graphically.
If attempting to graphically modify an object that has its Locked property enabled, a dialog will appear asking for confirmation to proceed with the edit. If the Protect Locked Objects option is enabled on the Schematic – Graphical Editing page of the Preferences dialog, and the Locked option for that design object is enabled as well, then that object cannot be selected or graphically edited. Double click on the locked object directly and disable the Locked property, or disable the Protect Locked Objects option, to graphically edit the object.
  • Line Width - the width of the line used to draw the outline of the symbol. Available widths are: Smallest, Small, Medium, and Large.
  • Color - click the color sample to change the color of the symbol, using the standard Choose Color dialog.

Tips

  1. Not only can the dialog be used to change properties for the current IEEE symbol, it can also be used to change the symbol for a completely different one, simply by choosing the required new symbol type from the Symbol drop-down field.
Note

The features available depend on your level of Altium Designer Software Subscription.