What this IPC-D-356A inspector checks
The parser reads Revision A’s fixed columns for supported 307, 317, 327, and 367 electrical-test records. It resolves NNAME aliases, interprets inch or metric coordinate scaling, inventories feature and access declarations, checks required field markers, and looks for exact duplicate records, unresolved aliases, multi-net reference/pin identities, and coordinates assigned to multiple nets. Unknown records remain visible as findings or bounded auxiliary counts instead of being silently treated as decoded.
How revision comparison works
Nodes with a reference and pin are matched by that pair; unlabelled features fall back to their normalized coordinate. A matched node can be reassigned to another net, moved, or changed in feature attributes. New and removed nodes appear separately, and net membership totals show which signals gained or lost nodes. A different declared JOB blocks the diff because it may represent a different board rather than a revision.
Access and geometry are declarations
The access code, plated-hole flag, feature size, rotation, and solder-mask code are reported as the file declares them. The position view fits those test records to a rectangular plot; it does not reconstruct traces, planes, adjacency, board contours, test-area shapes, or manufacturing tolerances. A missing or one-node net is not automatically an electrical fault, because tooling and intentionally unconnected nodes can be legitimate.
Fabrication and electrical-test boundary
This is a bounded text preflight, not a CAM netlist extraction, opens/shorts test, DFM review, or fabrication approval. It cannot compare Gerber copper against intended connectivity, prove that exported nets match a schematic, validate physical probe reach, interpret every continuation/complex/adjacency record, or certify the board. Compare the IPC netlist with independently extracted fabrication data using qualified CAM tooling and follow the board fabricator’s exact requirements.
Frequently asked questions
Does it support IPC-D-356B?
No. IPC states that Revision B is not backward-compatible with Revision A. A file declaring IPC-D-356B is rejected rather than partially interpreted with the wrong columns.
Does “reassigned” prove a short?
No. It means the same reference-pin identity belongs to a different named net in the two supplied files. Net renaming, export settings, aliasing, or an intentional design revision can cause it.
Can this compare a netlist with Gerbers?
No. This tool compares two IPC-D-356A exports. Detecting fabrication opens and shorts requires extracting connectivity from the actual copper artwork and comparing that independent result.
Why are conductor and outline records not drawn?
Partial rendering could make an incomplete board view look authoritative. Those auxiliary records are counted, while the map deliberately plots only the decoded test points.
Format references
The fixed-column model follows the publicly available IPC-D-356A netlist format reference and is cross-checked against the open-source pcb-tools IPC-356 parser. IPC’s Revision B table of contents and scope excerpt documents that B is not backward-compatible with A; IPC’s revision table now lists IPC-D-356 as no longer maintained.
Compare KiCad DRC reports · Inspect an IBIS model · Browse electronics tools