@User I have a question regarding the power straps: The generated PDN in my macro has vertical M4 straps, and the wrapper has M4 (vertical) and M5 (hor) power straps everywhere. What is the intended setting? Should there be M4 straps in the user macro? Issue is that the M4 straps are differently sizes, which causes LVS errors (that is my current explanation of the LVS fails I see). The PDN config for the wrapper is pulled from the

caravel

directory, but for the

config.tcl

where I base the settings of my macro on does not have these PDN settings…

Straps on M4 should stop at the macro

I have now debugged the issue: The macro(s) needs to have vertical power straps in M4 (otherwise no connection to the power grid in the wrapper). The wrapper power grid is M4 vertical and M5 horizontal. Thus, the M4 vertical straps in the macro need to be aligned to the M4 vertical straps in the wrapper, otherwise this leads to potential DRC and/or LVS errors. Thus the PDN settings (especially

FP_PDN_VPITCH

for the macro hardening need to be the same as the wrapper PDN settings. Unfortunately, the

user_proj_example

has not set this PDN setting, but by luck shows no DRC/LVS errors. So my recipe: • Put the proper PDN settings in the

config.tcl

of the

user_proj_xxx

. • Align the placing of the

user_proj_xx

in the wrapper so that the M4 straps don’t interfere which each other. This is a bit tedious try-and-error, I haven’t found a deterministic way yet to just calculate the proper X position. • Put blocking layers for li1 to M4 in the

config.tcl

of the wrapper, otherwise in the wrapper the connection to the IOs might just route through the user macro.

Still, something is wrong here. The wrapper does not (should not?) have power straps on the inside. The wrapper is supposed to be only the power rings around the perimeter, plus all of the pins along the edges.

With the versions provided by @Marwan Abbas it now works properly, the M4-V straps are cut out where the user macro sits 🙂 @Matt Venn could be useful for as well to switch versions in your

project0