Setting Up PSCAD

Professional and Educational Editions

Setting Up the Free Edition

Running the Free Edition

Professional and Educational Editions

Setting up your PSCAD software should be a straightforward process. If problems do arise, please contact the PSCAD Support Desk (support@mhi.ca) for assistance. Proceed as follows:

1. To install from a CD, insert CD into a compatible optical drive.  The installer should start automatically.

2. To install from a MyCentre download, log in to MyCentre, download the software from the WorkGroups tab, unzip the files, then run setup.exe from the main directory.

3. Follow the instructions given in each, sequential installer dialog.

4. To activate licensing:

• For lock-based licensing, refer to Lock-Based Licensing to set up and activate a license.

• For certificate licensing, activate the license certificate.

5. For more detailed setup instructions, please refer to the following references:

• If certificate licensing will be used, refer to the knowledge base article: Setting up the Licensed Edition of PSCAD (when using Certificate Licensing).

• If lock-based licensing will be used, refer to the knowledge base article: Setting up the Licensed Edition of PSCAD (when using Lock-based Licensing).

6. A Fortran compiler is required to compile PSCAD projects. For further details, refer as follows:

• Selecting and Setting up your FORTRAN Compiler

• Testing your Setup

Setting Up the Free Edition

Installing your PSCAD Free software is a simple process. If problems do arise, please contact the PSCAD Support Desk (support@mhi.ca) for assistance. Proceed as follows:

1. Register a user profile in MyCentre (https://mycentre.hvdc.ca/register).

2. Install the MyUpdater tool, which manages your software installation and updates, from the following link on the MyCentre Home page:

3. Launch MyUpdater, log in,  and install or update your PSCAD Free product.

4. Ensure that the GFortran product is installed (also via MyUpdater).

NOTE: A Fortran compiler is required to compile PSCAD projects. For further details, refer as follows:

• Selecting and Setting up your FORTRAN Compiler

• Testing your Setup

NOTE: Once GFortran is installed, ensure to log out and log in to (or restart) your computer, prior to running a PSCAD simulation with GFortran. This is required to apply the changes to your computer.

5. More detailed instructions may be found here.

Running the Free Edition

1. Launch the MyUpdater tool.

2. 2. If your PSCAD Free installation is outdated, it should first be updated (select Update).

3. If your PSCAD Free installation is up-to-date, select Run to launch.

4. Acquire a license to run PSCAD Free.

Notes:

• The certificate will automatically be set to expire in four weeks. However, it will be refreshed to a new four-week period whenever you launch PSCAD online..

• The certificate may be released and returned to MyCentre, so that it may be activated on a different machine. Or it may be retained on your machine so that you may work offline.

• Software updates are occasionally published, and are only available when logged in on the MyUpdater tool.

5. More detailed instructions may be found here.