Introduction
Sherlock has a vast and growing library of pre-built electronic parts for populating the circuit boards in your Sherlock project. But for those times you must build your own part, this Sherlock Parts Build Guide provides the information and tips to make the job easier.
The image below illustrates how the guide is organized. Each chapter is dedicated to a
specific type of part. The screenshot below, for example, comes from chapter two which
covers CC's (chip components). Each subsection is dedicated to a specific properties tab
in the Sherlock Part Properties Viewer. The name of the tab is
highlighted in Ansys gold. Relevant properties are listed beneath, marked by
bullet points. Explanatory comments appear in plain text ("Refer to the part data
sheet.") while verbatim inputs are styled like this:
LEADLESS.
When building a part, use the navigation pane to find the relevant chapter. Then work your way through each section of the chapter in sequence. Each section provides tips and information to help you define the part properties.
Tip: In many sections of Sherlock Parts Build Guide, only the part properties that require special explanation are listed. Properties which are obvious such as Packge Weight, for example, may not be listed, but you are still required to enter the relevant value. If you wish to distinguish between relevant and non-relevant properties for a given part, refer to the section below, Part Property Viewing/Editing Options.
Sherlock tracks nearly a hundred part properties. If you need help understanding what a specific property represents, you can find answers several ways:
Click the Tool Tip icon (A in the image above) to view the part property definition.
Refer to Sherlock Part Properties in the Sherlock User's Guide. (This same information is also available in PDF format within Sherlock. Click in Sherlock's menu.) You can also find help in the user's guide chapter on FEA modeling, specifically the sections on FEA- Part Modeling and FEA- Lead Modeling.
The Sherlock User's Guide contains tables that show which part properties are used in each analysis type. See Tables: Required Part Properties per Analysis Type.
Before you begin building your part, review the following helpful tips:
The Ansys Sherlock team is continually adding new parts to the Sherlock Parts Library. So, keep your Part Library up to date. They may have already built the component for you. See Updating Your Sherlock Part Library.
By default, the Part Properties Viewer and Editor display all properties whether they are relevant to the selected part or not. If you prefer, you can adjust how Sherlock displays unused part properties. Sherlock's ability to hide or gray out properties that do not apply to a part is a very helpful feature (introduced in version 24 R1). It can save you from the mistake of researching a part property that does not apply to a given part. See below, Part Property Viewing/Editing Options.
For help in assigning proper materials to a new part, use the Common Materials Quick Reference.
After you build your part, refer to Checking Your Work. It provides helpful advice for using some of Sherlock's features to help you identify part property input errors.
Note: The ability to hide non-relevant part properties was introduced in version 24 R1 of Sherlock.
Not all part properties apply to all parts. By default, the Part Properties Viewer and Editor display all properties whether they are applicable to the selected part or not. You can even edit these unused properties, although it has no effect on how Sherlock handles the part in its analyses. If you prefer, you can adjust how Sherlock displays unused part properties. There are three Unused Part Properties options:
ENABLED (default): Unused properties are visible for a given part and are editable. In the images below, package properties are shown for the same part. Although Overmold Thickness, Laminate Thickness, Corner Radius, and Overmold Material do not apply to this part, Sherlock displays these properties and allows you to edit them when ENABLED is selected. See image A.
DISABLED: Unused properties are visible for a given part but may not be edited. Note the grayed out fields in image B.
HIDDEN: Unused properties are not visible at all, as shown in image C.
You can find the Unused Part Properties setting in Sherlock's Main Menu > Settings > Advanced Settings > Unsused Part Properties.
Often, manufacturer data sheets do not specify the materials used in an electronic package's construction. When this happens, refer to the table below to select the material based on part type and package style.
Warning: The materials listed in the table below are likely correct. But when specifying part properties in Sherlock, always defer to the best information available. Look first to the manufacturer's data sheet for material specifications or to the supporting technical documentation.
| Part Type | Type Package | Material | Notes |
| Capacitor Ceramic | CC | Calcium Zirconate | Class I type (C0G, NP0) |
| Capacitor Ceramic | CC | Barium titanate | Class II type (X7R, Z5U, Y5V) |
| Capacitor Aluminum Polymer | VCHIP / RADIAL | Aluminum | See Electrolytic Capacitor- SMT (VCHIP) Style for custom material recommendation |
| Resistor | CC | Alumina | |
| Ferrite Bead | CC | Ferrite | |
| Current Sense Resistors | Nickle chrome/ Copper alloy/Alumina | ||
| Inductor | Various | Ferrite | See page How to Build an SMT Inductor for custom material recommendation and package style discussion |
| Thermistor | CC / Disc | Barium Titanate | Composed typically of various oxides, Barium Titanate is a reasonable approximation of mechanical properties |
| Current Sense Resistors | CC | Nickle chrome/ Copper alloy/Alumina | |
| Crystal Oscillators | LCCC | Alumina | |
| MEMS Oscillators | CC | Overmold Leaded | |
| Varistor | CC / Disc | Zinc Oxide |
Ansys is continually updating and expanding Sherlock's part database which you can automatically search, match, and obtain properties for the parts in your part list—reducing model build time and improving accuracy. Ansys releases new database versions approximately every two months. For the most current release of the part database, download and add the new file from the Ansys Customer Portal:
| Customer Portal > Current Release > Add-On Packages Sherlock Libraries > Part Library |
