Use the component browser to select components from the component databases and place them. The procedure described in this section applies for the placement of most components.

Components are organized by database, group, and family (for example, Master Database, Sources group, Power Sources family).

Complete the following steps to place a component:

  1. Click the desired button in the Components toolbar, for example, Place Transistor .

    The Select a Component dialog box appears with the selected component Group displayed (Transistors in this case).

    Or

    Select Place»Component to display the Select a Component dialog box and select the desired group from the Group drop-down list.

    Or

    Right-click in the workspace, select Place component from the context menu that appears to display the Select a Component dialog box, and select the desired group from the Group drop-down list.

      The Select a Component dialog box is also referred to as the component browser.

    The default database that displays in the browser is the Master Database.

  2. If you wish to select a component from either the Corporate Database, User Database or an installed manufacturer database, select that database from the Database drop-down list before selecting a component.

    Once changed, the database remains as selected for subsequent component placements.

  3. Click on the desired component family in the Family list.
  4. Click on the desired component in the Component list.

      You can filter the contents of the Component list.

      To make your scroll through the Component list faster, type the first few characters of the component's name in the Component field. As you type, matches are displayed in the top of the Component list.

      The Function area shows any available information about the component selected in the Component list.

  5. Select the desired simulation model and model manufacturer in the Model manufacturer/ID area.
  6. Selected the desired package in the Package manufacturer/type list.

      If you are placing a component from a PLD design, this field is called VHDL export manufacturer/name. Refer to the PLD Schematic Components section for instructions on placing components in a PLD design.

    Some virtual components (for example, power sources) do not have packages available.

    The Hyperlink field is intended to contain an internet address, for example, the component manufacturer's website. The contents of this field can be edited in the Components tab of the Database Manager. If you want to go to the link, hover your cursor it, hold down the <Ctrl> key and click your mouse.

  7. Click OK to confirm that this is the component you want to place. The browser closes and the cursor changes to a ghost image of the component. This indicates that the component is ready to be placed.

      If you are placing a component that is one component of a multi-section component such as a quad 2-input NAND gate, a dialog box displays, where you specify which of the sections you want to place.

  8. Move your cursor to the location where you want to place the component. The workspace automatically scrolls if you move your cursor to its edges.
  9. Click on the workspace where you want the component placed. The component's symbol and labels appear as well as a unique RefDes made up of a letter and number. The letter represents the type of component and the number is a sequential number that indicates the order in which the components were originally placed. For example, the first digital component has the RefDes “U1”, the next is “U2”, the first inductor has the RefDes “L1”, and so on.

    If you have Return to Component Browser after placement selected in the Components tab of the Global Options dialog box, the Select a Component dialog box reappears.

If the component you place is a virtual component, it appears in a different color from real components. This color is set in the Sheet Properties dialog box.

  The Multisim database contains some components that have been declared obsolete by their manufacturers. They are included in the database for users with archival designs.