February 2017
This file contains important last-minute information about Circuit Design Suite 14.1 for Windows, including installation and compatibility issues.
Refer to Getting Started with NI Circuit Design Suite for useful information about getting started with Circuit Design Suite. You can access this PDF from Start»All Programs»National Instruments»Circuit Design Suite 14.1 Documentation»Getting Started.
You can also access this from the Multisim or Ultiboard Help menu.
Supported Platforms
Installing Circuit Design Suite 14.1
Automating the Installation of NI Products
Using NI Software with Microsoft Windows 10
Using NI Software with Microsoft Windows 8.1
Product Security and Critical Updates
Known Issues
Bug Fixes
New Components
Legal Information
To run Circuit Design Suite 14.1, your operating system (OS) must be one of:
Your system must also meet or exceed the following:
Note
Circuit Design Suite 14.1 installs side-by-side with Circuit Design Suite 13.x and prior.
National Instruments recommends that you regularly back up the files created within the Multisim and Ultiboard components of NI Circuit Design Suite. Additionally, you should back up internal files that store user-created data, such as databases. For more information about which files to backup and where to find them, refer to the Help.
Uninstalling Circuit Design Suite will not remove user data. For more information about the locations of user database and configuration files, refer to the Archiving Data Help topic.
National Instruments posts information about critical updates and security notifications on ni.com
. Visit ni.com/info
and enter Info Code updates to access this information.
You can automate the installation of most NI products using command-line arguments to suppress some or all of the installer user interface and dialog boxes. However, starting with the August 2012 releases (products using NI Installers version 3.1 or later), you may need to perform additional steps before or during an automatic installation of NI software.
If the NI product you are installing uses Microsoft .NET 4.0, the .NET installer may run before any NI software installs and may require a reboot before the installation of NI software begins. To avoid a .NET reboot, install .NET 4.0 separately before you install NI software.
For more information, refer to the following KnowledgeBase articles:
Microsoft Windows 10 is the latest version of the Windows operating system and features significant changes compared to previous versions. Windows 10 introduces several new capabilities and also combines features from both Windows 7 and Windows 8. For more information about NI support for Windows 10, visit ni.com/windows10.
When you install NI software on Microsoft Windows 8.1, you will notice a few additional tiles on the Start screen, including shortcuts to NI application software products.
NI Launcher helps you find and launch installed NI products. It provides you with a method of finding NI products similar to the Start menu in previous versions of Microsoft Windows. To use NI Launcher, click the NI Launcher tile on the Start screen. NI Launcher launches the desktop and opens a menu containing a list of NI products. Click any NI product to launch it.
For convenience, you can pin your most-used NI applications to either the Start screen or the Taskbar on the desktop, as necessary:
Current Application | Icon Location | Pin to Action |
Windows 8.1 Desktop | Desktop Taskbar | Right-click application and select Pin to Taskbar |
Windows 8.1 Desktop | Start screen | Right-click application and select Pin to Start |
Windows 8.1 Start screen | Desktop Taskbar | Right-click application and select Pin to taskbar from the menu bar on the bottom of the screen |
If you want to find a particular application or related files, such as documentation files, from the Start screen, you can access all installed files by right-clicking anywhere on the Start screen and selecting All apps. A list of all installed software and related files appears, in alphabetical order by creator or type.
For more information about NI support for Windows 8.1, visit ni.com/windows8.
Visit ni.com/security to view and subscribe to receive security notifications about National Instruments products. Visit ni.com/critical-updates for information about critical updates from National Instruments.
LabVIEW functionality (LabVIEW instruments and grapher interpolation) will not work if the installation path uses characters that are not native to the "Language for non-Unicode programs" setting, available by selecting Start»Control Panel»Regional and Language Options and selecting the Advanced tab. In the Vista OS, use the "Current language for non-Unicode programs:" setting in the Administrative tab. LabVIEW functionality works for Unicode characters that are native to this setting.
Multisim and Ultiboard leak GDI resource handles when used over extended periods of time, eventually leading to unpredictable user interface behavior and crashes. This is an issue with MFC applications running on Windows XP SP2 and Windows Server 2003. For more information and workarounds, refer to KB 4JREGSXL:Multisim or Ultiboard Leaking GDI Resource Handles.
Multisim Help and Ultiboard Help display in very small windows on high resolution monitors (e.g., 3200 x 1800). To enlarge the windows, click in a help topic, hold down Ctrl
and spin the mouse wheel. For notebook computers with precision touchpads, hold down Ctrl
and use pinch-in and pinch-out gestures to zoom to the desired level.
The following is a subset of the issues fixed since the last release of Circuit Design Suite.
Multisim ( 15 ) | |
Bug ID | Description |
---|---|
601548 | MultiSim throws Internal Simulation Error with Word generator and Logic Analyzer. |
615490 | When using Worst Case Scenario analysis, the values change when they shouldn't for different runs of the analysis. |
588152 | Breadboard view causes Multisim to crash for QuizShow sample file in Student tier. |
615085 | Worst case does not always use the right component values when pressing the play button. |
581111 | Greek lettering used about pins of Symbols for Induction Machine Wound Extended and Induction Machine Squirrel Cage Extended, do not correspond well with the Pin Names applied. |
572487 | DIVIDER symbol should use autocolor. |
572481 | ABM Sources should have useful model name. |
572485 | Improve symbol pin label positions for the VOLTAGE_GAIN_BLOCK. |
586695 | Importing code model DLLs does not work. |
363322 | Power Sources failing ERC checks in a expected configuration. |
539505 | OECL font-style and font-size not working. |
562105 | Component 74HC85XX_6V produce netlist errors when try to run a simulation. |
520560 | Spice warnings do not appear in Multisim spreadsheet view. |
610772 | Multisim 14.0 not assigning net names. |
615490 | When using Worst Case Scenario analysis, the values change when they shouldn't for different runs of the analysis. |
Ultiboard ( 4 ) | |
Bug ID | Description |
568090 | No polarity marker in certain electrolytic capacitors footprints in Ultiboard. |
569718 | Fanout does not work on parts that use THT pins in addition to SMT pads. |
587824 | Pins are not recognized when forward annotated to Ultiboard 14.0. |
614189 | Vias in attached file are incorrectly connected to power planes when exported to Gerber. |
Refer to the Database section of the Multisim 14.1 Features and Improvements topic of Multisim Help for a list of new components.
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