Tutorial - Getting Started With PCB Design: Modified by Phil Loughhead On 28-Apr-2016
Tutorial - Getting Started With PCB Design: Modified by Phil Loughhead On 28-Apr-2016
Tutorial - Getting Started With PCB Design: Modified by Phil Loughhead On 28-Apr-2016
Design
Modified by Phil Loughhead on 28-Apr-2016
CONTENTS
The Design
Creating a New PCB Project
Adding a Schematic to the Project
Setting Options
Schematic Document Options
Schematic Editor Preferences
Changing a Footprint
Output Documentation
Available Output Types
Generating Gerber Files
Creating a Bill of Materials
This tutorial has been updated for Altium Designer 15.0, but can still be used
for earlier versions by changing the folder references to suit the version you
have installed.
THE DESIGN
The design you will be capturing, and then designing a printed circuit board
(PCB) for, is a simple astable multivibrator. The circuit is shown below, it uses
two 2N3904 transistors configured as a self-running astable multivibrator.
You are now ready to begin capturing (drawing) the schematic. The first step
is to create a project.
as print and CAM settings, can also be stored as project settings, or can also
be defined in special-purpose OutputJob files, which give better control and
visibility into the output process.
Source schematic sheets and the target output, for example the FPGA,
embedded (VHDL), library package, or in this case the PCB design file, are
then added to the project, with each one being referenced by a link inside
the project file.
Once the source design is complete it can be compiled and design
verification performed. When the source design is error free it can be
transferred to the PCB workspace, using a process known as design
synchronization. The next phase is to layout the PCB in accordance with the
PCB design rules, the final phase is to generate the fabrication and assembly
outputs.
The process of creating a new project is the same for all types of supported
projects. This tutorial focuses on PCB design, so we will use the PCB project
as an example. We will create the project file first and then create a blank
schematic sheet to add the new empty project. Later in this tutorial we will
create a PCB and add it to the project as well.
To start the tutorial, create a new PCB project:
1.
Select File New Project from the menus, the New Project dialog
will open.
2.
Note the list of available Project Types, confirm that PCB Project is
selected. Ignore the Project Templates, these will not be used for this
tutorial.
3.
In the Name field, enter the name of the tutorial, Multivibrator. There
is no need to add the file extension, this will be added automatically.
4.
5.
Click OK to close the dialog and create the project file in the specified
location.
6.
The new project will appear in the Projects panel. If this panel is not
displayed, click the System button at the bottom right of the main
design window, and select Files from the menu that appears.
7.
Next we will add a new schematic sheet to the project. It is on this schematic
we will capture the astable multivibrator circuit.
Create a new schematic sheet by completing the following steps:
1.
2.
To save the new schematic sheet, select File Save As. The Save
As dialog will open, ready to save the schematic in the same location as
the project file. Type the name Multivibrator in the File Name field and
click Save. Note that files stored in the same folder as the project file
itself (or in a child/grandchild folder) are linked to the project using
relative referencing, whereas files stored in a different location are linked
using absolute referencing.
3.
Since you have added a schematic to the project, the project file has
changed too. Right-click on the project filename in theProjects panel,
and select Save Project to save the project.
When the blank schematic sheet opens you will notice that the workspace
changes. The main toolbar includes a range of new buttons, new toolbars are
visible, the menu bar includes new items and the Sheet panel is displayed.
You are now in the Schematic Editor. You can customize many aspects of the
workspace. For example, you can reposition the panels and toolbars or
customize the menu and toolbar commands.
SETTING OPTIONS
Schematic Document Options
The first thing to do before you start drawing your circuit is to set up the
appropriate document options. Complete the following steps.
1.
2.
For this tutorial, the only change we need to make here is to set the
sheet size to A4, this is done in the Standard Styles field of the Sheet
Options tab of the dialog.
3.
Confirm that both the Snap and Visible Grids are set to 10.
4.
5.
To make the document fill the viewing area, select View Fit
Document (shortcut: V, D).
6.
You can activate any menu by pressing the menu accelerator key (the
underlined letter in the menu name). Subsequent menu items will also have
accelerator keys that you can use to select that item.
For example, the shortcut for selecting the View Fit Document menu
item is to press the V key followed by the D key.
Additionally, many sub-menus, such as the Select menu (in the Edit menu),
can be called directly. For example, to activate the Edit Select
Touching Line command, you need only press the S key (to call up
the Select menu directly) followed by the L key.
2.
To manage the thousands of components and models that are available, the
Schematic Editor includes powerful library searching capabilities. Although
the components we require are in the default installed libraries, it is useful to
know how to search through all libraries to find components. Work through
the following steps to locate and add the libraries you will need for the
tutorial circuit.
First we will search for the transistors, both of which are type 2N3904.
1.
2.
Press the Search button in the Libraries panel (or select Tools Find
Component) to open the Libraries Search dialog.
The Libraries Search dialogs can search across folders on the hard drive, or libraries
already installed in the software.
3.
For the first Filter row, the Field is set to Name, the Operator set
to contains, and the Value is 3904.
The Scope is set to Search in Components, and Libraries on
o
path.
o
4.
Click the Search button to begin the search. The Query Results are
displayed in the Libraries panel as the search takes place - there should
be one component found, as shown in the image below.
5.
You can only place components from Libraries that are installed in the
software, if you attempt to place from a library that is not currently
installed you will be asked to Confirm the installation of that library
when you attempt to place the component. Alternatively, install the
7.
Click on the component name 2N3904 to select it. The Models region of
the panel shows that this component has a footprint, a simulation model
and a signal integrity model.
Filtering the library for components with the string 3904 in their name.
1.
2.
3.
Click on the 2N3904 entry in the list to select it, then click
the Place button. Alternatively, double-click on the component name, or
click and drag it into the workspace. The cursor will change to a cross
hair and you will have an outlined version of the transistor floating on
your cursor. You are now in part placement mode. If you move the cursor
around, the transistor outline will move with it.
Do not place the transistor yet!
4.
Before placing the part on the schematic, we will edit its properties which can be done for any object floating on the cursor. While the
transistor is still floating on the cursor, press the Tab key to open
the Component Properties dialog. We will now set up the dialog options to
appear as below.
Set the Designator to Q1, and confirm that the Footprint is TO-92A.
5.
6.
7.
Leave all other fields at their default values, and click OK to close the
dialog.
You are now ready to place the part. When you are in any editing or
placement mode (the cursor will include a cross hair), moving the cursor to
the edge of the document window will automatically pan the document. If
you accidentally pan too far while you are wiring up your circuit, press V,
F (View Fit All Objects) to redraw the schematic window, showing all
placed objects. This can be done even when you are in the middle of placing
an object. You can also zoom in or out while you are working by
pressing PageUp or PageDown.
8.
Move the cursor, with the transistor symbol attached, to position the
transistor a little to the left of the middle of the sheet. Note the current
snap grid, it is displayed on the left of the Status bar down the bottom of
the application. It defaults to 10, you can press the G shortcut to cycle
through the available grid settings during placement. It is strongly
advised to keep the snap grid at 10 or 5, to keep the circuit neat, and
make it easy to attach wires to pins.
9.
Once you are happy with the transistor's position, left mouse click or
press Enter on the keyboard to place the transistor onto the schematic.
10. Move the cursor and you will find that a copy of the transistor has been
placed on the schematic sheet, but you are still in part placement mode
with the part outline floating on the cursor. This feature allows you to
place multiple parts of the same type. So let's now place the second
transistor. This transistor is the same as the previous one, so there is no
need to edit its attributes before we place it. The software will
automatically increment a component's designator when you place a
series of parts. In this case, the next transistor we place will
automatically be designated Q2.
11. If you refer to the rough schematic diagram shown before, you will
notice that Q2 is drawn as a mirror of Q1. To flip the orientation of the
transistor that is floating on the cursor, press the X key on the keyboard.
This flips the component horizontally (along the X axis).
12. Move the cursor to position the part to the right of Q1. To position the
component more accurately, press the PageUp key twice to zoom in two
steps. You should now be able to see the grid lines.
13. Once you have positioned the part, left mouse click or press Enter to
place Q2. Once again a copy of the transistor you are "holding" will be
placed on the schematic, and the next transistor will be floating on the
cursor ready to be placed.
14. Since we have now placed all the transistors, we will exit part
placement mode by clicking the Right Mouse Button or pressing
the ESC key. The cursor will revert back to a standard arrow.
Use the following keys to manipulate the part floating on the cursor:
2.
Set the filter by typing res in the filter field below the Library name.
3.
4.
Press the Tab key to open the Component Properties dialog to edit the
resistor's attributes.
5.
6.
7.
Because you are mapping the Value parameter into the Comment you
do not need to display the Value parameter as well, so ensure that
the Visible option for the Value parameter is disabled.
8.
Enter the Designator and Value, and map the Value into the Comment field, so that it
transfers to the PCB.
9.
15.
2.
3.
4.
Press the Tab key to edit the capacitor's attributes. In the Component
Properties dialog set the Designator to C1, the Comment to =Value, set
the Valueparameter to 20n, disable the Visible option for
the Value parameter, and check the PCB footprint model RAD-0.3 is
selected in the Models list. Click OK.
5.
Using the image below as a guide, position and place the two
capacitors in the same way that you placed the previous parts.
6.
3.
The Open dialog will appear, locate and Open the Miscellaneous
Connectors.IntLib (typically
in C:\Users\Public\Documents\Altium\AD15\Library\).
4.
2.
Select Header 2 from the parts list and click the Place button.
Press Tab to edit the attributes and set Designator to Y1 and check that
the PCB footprint model isHDR1X2. No Value parameter is required as
you would replace this component with a power source when simulating
the circuit. Click OK to close the dialog.
3.
4.
5.
You have now placed all the components. Note that the components shown
in the figure below are spaced so that there is plenty of room to wire to each
component pin. This is important because you can not place a wire across
the bottom of a pin to get to a pin beyond it. If you do, both pins will connect
to the wire. If you need to move a component, click-and-hold on the body of
the component, then drag the mouse to reposition it.
To reposition any object, place the cursor directly over the object, clickand-hold the left mouse button, drag the object to a new position and
then release the mouse button. Movement is constrained to the current
snap grid, which is displayed on the Status bar, press the G shortcut at
any time to cycle through the current snap grid settings. Remember that
it is important to position components on a coarse grid, such as 5 or 10.
key while holding down the Ctrl key. Hold Shift as well to move objects
by 10 times the current snap grid.
The grid can also be temporarily set to 1 while moving an object with
the mouse, hold Ctrl to do this. Use this feature when positioning text.
The grids you cycle through when you press the G shortcut are defined
in the Schematic - Grids page of the Preferences dialog (DXP
Preferences). TheSchematic - Default Units page of
the Preferences dialog is used to select the type of units that will be used,
select between DXP Defaults, Imperial, or Metric. Note that Altium
components are designed using the DXP Defaults grid, if you change to a
metric grid the component pins will no longer fall onto a grid of 10.
To make sure you have a good view of the schematic sheet, press
the PageUp key to zoom in or PageDown to zoom out. Alternatively,
hold down the Ctrl key and roll the mouse wheel to zoom in/out, or
hold Ctrl + Right Mouse button down and drag the mouse up/down to
zoom in/out.
2.
3.
Position the cursor over the bottom end of R1. When you are in the
right position, a red connection marker (large cross) will appear at the
cursor location. This indicates that the cursor is over a valid electrical
connection point on the component.
4.
Click the Left Mouse Button or press Enter to anchor the first wire
point. Move the cursor and you will see a wire extend from the cursor
position back to the anchor point. The default corner mode is a right
angle, the tip box below explains how to change the corner mode, for this
circuit right angle is the best choice.
5.
Position the cursor over the base of Q1 until you see the cursor change
to a red connection marker. Click or press Enter to connect the wire to
the base of Q1. The cursor will release from that wire.
6.
Note that the cursor remains a cross hair, indicating that you are ready
to place another wire. To exit placement mode completely and go back to
the arrow cursor, you would Right-Click or press ESC again - but don't
do this just now.
7.
We will now wire C1 to Q1 and R1. Position the cursor over the left
connection point of C1 and click or press Enter to start a new wire. Move
the cursor horizontally till it is directly over the wire connecting the base
of Q1 to R1, and click or press Enter to place the wire segment. Again
the cursor will release from that wire, and you remain in wiring mode,
ready to place another wire. Note how a junction automatically appears
to connect the two wires.
8.
9.
Wiring Tips
Press Spacebar to toggle the direction of the corner. You can observe
this in the animation shown above, when the connector is wired.
To graphically edit the shape of a wire, Click once to select it first, then
Click and hold on a segment or vertex to move it.
A wire that crosses the end of a pin will connect to that pin, even if you
delete the junction. Check that your wired circuit looks like the figure
shown, before proceeding.
To move a placed component and drag connected wires with it, hold
down the Ctrl key while moving the component, or select Move Drag.
An animation showing dragging - hold Ctrl as you click and drag to maintain
connectivity.
1.
Select Place Net Label (shortcut: P, N). A net label will appear
floating on the cursor.
2.
To edit the net label before it is placed, press Tab key to open the Net
Label dialog.
3.
4.
Type 12V in the Net field, then click OK to close the dialog.
Place the net label so that the bottom left corner of the net label
touches the upper most wire on the schematic, as shown in the image
below. The cursor will change to a red cross when the net label is
correctly positioned to connect to the wire. If the cross is light grey, it
means there will not be a valid connection made.
The net label in free space (left image) and positioned over a wire (right image), note
the red cross.
5.
6.
After placing the first net label you will still be in net label placement
mode, so press the Tab key again to edit the second net label before
placing it.
Type GND in the Net field and click OK to close the dialog.
7.
Place the net label so that the bottom left of the net label touches the
lower most wire on the schematic (as shown in the image below). Rightclick or press ESCto exit net label placement mode.
8.
All project-specific settings are configured in the Options for Project dialog
(Project Project Options). The project options include the error checking
parameters, a connectivity matrix, Class Generator, the Comparator setup,
ECO generation, output paths and netlist options, Multi-Channel naming
formats, Default Print setups, Search Paths, Project level Parameters, Device
Sheet settings and Settings for Managed Output Jobs. These settings are
used when you compile the project.
Project outputs, such as assembly, fabrication outputs and reports can be set
up from the File and Reports menus. These settings are also stored in the
Project file so they are always available for this project. Alternatively you can
set up output options in an Output Job file (File New Output Job File).
See Documentation Outputsfor more information.
When the project is compiled, comprehensive design and electrical rules are
applied to verify the design. When all errors are resolved, the compiled
schematic design is ready to be transferred to the target PCB document by
generating a series of Engineering Change Orders (ECOs).
2.
The Connection Matrix defines what electrical conditions are checked for on the schematic.
When the design is compiled a list of the pins in each net is built in memory.
The type of each pin is detected (eg: input, output, passive, etc), and then
each net is checked to see if there are pin types that should not be
connected to each other, for example an output pin connected to another
output pin. The Connection Matrix tab of the Options for Project dialog is
where you configure what pin types are allowed to connect to each other. For
example, look down the entries on the right side of the matrix diagram and
find Output Pin. Read across this row of the matrix till you get to the Open
Collector Pin column. The square where they intersect is orange, indicating
that an Output Pin connected to an Open Collector Pin on your schematic will
generate an error condition when the project is compiled.
You can set each error type with a separate error level, eg. from no report,
through to a fatal error. To make changes to the Connection Matrix:
1.
To change one of the settings click the colored box, it will cycle through
the 4 possible settings. Note that you can right-click on the dialog face
to display a menu that lets you toggle all settings simultaneously,
including an option to restore them all to their Default state (handy if
you have been toggling settings and cannot remember their default
state).
2.
Our circuit contains only Passive Pins (on resistors, capacitors and the
connector) and Input Pins (on the transistors). Let's check to see if the
connection matrix will detect unconnected passive pins. Look down the
row labels to find Passive Pin. Look across the column labels to
find Unconnected. The square where these entries intersect indicates
the error condition when a passive pin is found to be unconnected in the
schematic. The default setting is green, indicating that no report will be
generated.
3.
Click on this intersection box until it turns Orange, so that an error will
be generated for unconnected passive pins when we compile the project.
We will purposely create an instance of this error to check it later in this
tutorial.
Component and net classes can be generated from the schematic, as well as placement rooms.
When the design is transferred to the PCB, component classes, net classes,
and placement rooms can be generated automatically. This is particularly
useful for a well-structured hierarchical design, creating a component class
and component placement room from each sheet, and a net class from each
bus. This default behavior is not necessary for this simple design, to disable
this:
1.
The Comparator tab is used to configure exactly what differences the comparison engine will
check for.
The Comparator tab in the Options for Project dialog sets which differences
between files will be reported or ignored when a project is compiled.
Generally the only time you will need to change settings in this tab is when
you add extra detail to the PCB, such as net classes or rooms, and do not
want those settings removed. If you need more detailed control, then you
We are now ready to compile the project and check for any errors.
2.
When the project is compiled, all warnings and errors are displayed in
the Messages panel. The panel will only appear automatically if there are
errors detected, to open it manually click the System button down the
bottom right of the workspace, and select Messages from the menu.
3.
We will now deliberately introduce an error into the circuit and recompile the
project:
1.
2.
Click in the middle of the wire that connects R1 to the base wire of Q1.
Small, square editing handles will appear at each end of the wire and the
selection color will display as a dotted line along the wire to indicate that
it is selected. Press the Delete key on the keyboard to delete the wire.
3.
4.
5.
Use the Messages panel to locate and resolve design errors - double-click on an error
to pan and zoom to that object.
The entire schematic fades, except for the object in error. The amount
that the schematic fades is controlled by the Mask Level, click the
button down the bottom right of the workspace and slide the Dim slider
to change the fade level.
Before we finish this section of the tutorial, let's fix the error in our
schematic.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
To clear all messages from the Messages panel, right-click in the panel and
select Clear All.
Schematic capture is now complete, time to create the PCB!
Before you transfer the design from the Schematic Editor to the PCB Editor,
you need to create the blank PCB with at least a board outline. There are a
number of ways of creating the blank board, including:
Importing a DXF file that includes objects that define the shape. These
can then be selected, and the board shape defined from selected objects.
2.
Display the Files panel. The default location for this panel is docked on
the left side of the software. If the Files panel is not available, click
the System button down the bottom right of the workspace and
select Files from the menu that appears.
In the New from template section, click the PCB
Templates link
to open the Choose Existing Document dialog.
This dialog opens to display the contents of the \Templates folder included
in the software installation.
3.
Locate and select the A4.PcbDoc template. When you click to select it,
the board will immediately open. An HTM document might also open,
informing you that the file was generated in an earlier version of the
software. These warning documents are important, as they often detail
any changes that might affect the design rule checking process. In this
case, for a new blank board, you can simply close the document (rightclick on the document tab at the top and select Close
A4.PCBDOC.htm).
4.
Your screen will display what looks like a white sheet with boarder
markers and a title block, with a black region in it. The black region is the
board shape, that is what gets fabricated and assembled. Note that the
A4 size refers to the overall document size, not the board size.
1.
The current workspace units are displayed on the Status bar, displayed
along the bottom of the software. To change the units, press Q on the
keyboard to toggle between Imperial and Metric units, for this tutorial
metric units will be used.
2.
There are two origins used in the software, the Absolute Origin, which
is the lower left of the workspace, and the user-definable Relative Origin,
which is used to determine the current workspace location. Before setting
the origin, zoom in to the lower left of the current board shape until you
can easily see the grid - to do this position the cursor over the lower-left
corner of the board shape and press PageUp until both the Coarse and
Fine grids are visible, as shown in the images below.
3.
To set the Relative Origin, select Edit Origin Set, position the
cursor over the bottom left corner of the board shape, then left click to
locate it.
Select the command, position the cursor over the corner of the board (left image),
then click to define the origin (right image).
4.
The next step is to select a suitable snap grid. You may have noticed
that the current snap grid is 0.127mm, which is the old 10mil imperial
snap grid converted to metric. To change the snap grid at any time,
press Ctrl+G to open the Cartesian Grid Editor. Since you are about to
define the overall size of the board a very coarse grid can be used,
type 5mm into the Step X field in the dialog and click OK. Grids are
discussed in more details later in the tutorial.
5.
To zoom back out and show the all of the workspace currently being
used, press V, D (View Document). Your design should look much like
the image shown below.
6.
The PCB editor can display the design in 3 different modes, Board
Planning Mode (1), 2D Layout Mode (2) and 3D Layout Mode (3). You can
switch modes using the shortcuts just detailed, or select the required
mode in the View menu. Switch to Board Planning Mode, your board
should now look like the image shown on the right below.
Switch from 2D to Board Planning Mode so you can redefine the board shape.
7.
Your choice now is to either redefine the board shape (draw it again),
or edit the existing board shape. For a simple square or rectangle, it is
more efficient to edit the existing board shape, to do this select Design
Edit Board Shape. Editing handles will appear at each corner and the
center of each edge.
8.
9.
The last step is to reposition the board shape (Design Move Board
Shape), positioning it be approximately in the middle of the A4 page.
After you have moved it, you will need to reset the origin to the bottom
left of the board.
Resizing the board shape to the required size (note the editing cursor in the left
image), then move the shape to the center of the page.
10. Before transferring the design from the schematic editor, you need to
make the board part of the project and save it. To make it part of the
project, click and hold on the PCB1.PcbDoc icon in the Projects panel, then
drag and drop it onto the project, as shown in the images below.
Drag and drop the PCB file onto the project file to make it part of the project. The
reverse process can be used to remove a file from the project.
11. Switch the PCB editor back to 2D Layout Mode, and save the PCB into
the same folder as the project and schematic, with the
name Multivibrator.PcbDoc. Adding the board file to the project means the
project has also been modifed, right-click on the project in
the Projects panel and save it.
If the PCB you want to add to a project file already exists, you can add it to
your project by right-clicking on the project file in the Projects panel (rightclick on the project file, not the PCB file) and selecting Add Existing to
Project. Locate and select the PCB file and click on Open. The PCB will now
be listed under Source Documents beneath the project in
the Projects panel and be linked to the project file. Alternatively you can use
the drag and drop technique just described in the numbered steps.
The process of transferring a design from the capture stage to the board
layout stage is launched by selecting Design Update PCB
Document Multivibrator.PcbDocfrom the Schematic Editor menus,
or Design Import Changes from Multivibrator.PcbDoc from the PCB
Editor menus - when you do the design is compiled and a set of Engineering
Change Orders is created, that will perform the following steps:
A list of all components used in the design is built, and the footprint
required for each. When the ECOs are executed the software will attempt
to locate each footprint in the currently available libraries, and place each
into the PCB workspace. If the footprint is not available, an error will
occur.
Before transferring the schematic information to the new blank PCB, you
should always make sure all the related libraries for both schematic and PCB
are available. Since only the default installed integrated libraries are used in
this tutorial the required libraries are already available, and as they are
integrated libraries (they include at least the symbol and footprint), it means
the footprints are also available.
You are now ready to transfer the design from schematic capture to PCB
layout. To transfer the schematic information to the target PCB:
1.
2.
An ECO is created for each change that needs to be made to the PCB so that it
matches the schematic.
3.
4.
5.
The target PCB opens with the Engineering Change Order dialog open
on top of it, click to Close the dialog.
6.
The components will have been positioned outside of the board, ready
for placing on the board. Use the shortcut V, D (View Document) if
you cannot see the components in your current view.
You can create a report of the ECOs by clicking the Report Changes button.
The components and nets needed for the design, placed in the PCB workspace (configuring this
display is described below).
Special layers - these include the top and bottom silkscreen layers,
the solder and paste mask layers, drill layers, the Keep-Out layer (used to
define the electrical boundaries), the multilayer (used for multilayer pads
and vias), the connection layer, DRC error layer, grid layers, hole layers,
and other display-type layers.
The currently enabled layers are shown as a series of Tabs across the bottom
of the PCB workspace. Right-click on a Tab to access frequently used layer
display commands.
The display attributes of all layers are configured in the View
Configurations dialog (Design Board Layers and Colors, or press
the L shortcut).
As well as the layer display state and color settings, the View
Configurations dialog also gives access to other display settings, including:
1.
2.
3.
Confirm that the Show Pad Nets option is enabled, and the Net
Names on Tracks Display is set to Single and Centered.
Click OK to accept the settings and close the dialog.
2.
In the Board Layers And Colors tab, ensure that the Only show
layers in layer stack and Only show enabled mechanical
layers options are enabled. These settings will display only the layers in
the stack.
3.
Click the Used Layers On control at the bottom of the page. This will
display only layers that are currently being used, that is, the layers that
have design objects on them.
4.
If required, disable the display of the four Mask layers, the Drill Guide
and Drill Drawing layers.
5.
6.
7.
8.
Your new View Configuration will now be active, you can confirm this by
checking in the drop down View Configuration list in the main toolbar
(as shown in the image above.
9.
2.
New layers and planes are added below the currently selected layer,
which is done via the Add Layer button, or the right-click menu.
3.
When you have finished exploring the layer stack options, restore the
values to those shown in the image below and click OK to close the
dialog.
The dialog has two modes. In its Simple mode, the dialog provides the
features and functionality needed to manage the layers in the stack for a
traditional rigid PCB. For rigid-flex PCBs, you need to be able to create and
manage multiple stacks. This is performed by entering the
dialog'sAdvanced mode - by clicking the Advanced button at the bottomleft of the dialog. To learn more about rigid-flex design, refer to the PCB Layer
Stack Management article.
The properties of the physical layers are defined in the Layer Stack Manager.
Imperial or Metric?
Traditionally, the grid was selected to suit the component pin pitch and the
routing technology that you planned to use for the board - that is, how wide
do the tracks need to be, and what clearance is needed between tracks. The
basic idea is to have both the tracks and clearances as wide as possible, to
lower the costs and improve the reliability. Of course the selection of
track/clearance is ultimately driven by what can be achieved on each design,
which comes down to how tightly the components and routing must be
packed to get the board placed and routed.
Over time, components and their pins have dramatically shrunk in size, as
has the spacing of their pins. The component dimensions and spacing of
their pins has moved from being predominantly imperial with thru-hole pins,
to being more-often metric dimensions with surface mount pins. If you are
starting out a new board design, unless there is a strong reason, such as
designed a replacment board to fit into an existing (imperial) product, you
are better off working in metric. Why, because the older, imperial
components have big pins with lots of room between them. On the other
hand, the small, surface mount devices are built using metric measurements
- they are the ones that need a high level of accuracy to ensure that the
fabricated/assembled/functional product works, and is reliable. Also, the PCB
editor can easily handle routing to off-grid pins, so working with imperial
components is not onerous.
So even though all of the components used in this simple tutorial are olderstyle components design using imperial measurements, we will select and
work with a metric grid. To quote the respected PCB design industry
expert, Tom Hausherr, "every element in a PCB design should reside on a
0.05mm grid" (or a multiple of).
Value
Where
Routing Width
0.25 mm
Clearance
0.25 mm
Setting
Value
Where
Grid
0.125 mm
Via Size
1 mm
Via hole
0.6 mm
This routing grid is chosen not just to allow tracks to be placed as close as
possible and still satisfy the clearance, the PCB editor manages this
automatically. The point of setting the grid to be equal to, or a fraction of, the
track+clearance, is not just to ensure that the clearance is maintained, it is
to ensure tracks are placed so that they do not waste potential routing
space, which can easily happen if a very fine grid is used.
Select View Toggle Units (or press the Q shortcut key) to toggle the
workspace units between metric and imperial.
Regardless of the current setting for the units, you can include the units
when entering a value in a dialog to force that value to be used, or press
the Ctrl+Q shortcuts to toggle the units in an open dialog.
To define the place and route snap grid:
1.
2.
The dialog will show a single grid, called Global Board Snap Grid.
The PCB editor supports multiple user-defined grids, in both Cartesian
and polar forms. For this tutorial only the default grid is used, double-click
on it to edit the settings in the Cartesian Grid Editor dialog. Remember,
you can access the Cartesian Grid Editor dialog directly using
the Ctrl+G shortcut keys.
3.
Type the value 0.125mils into the Step X field. Because the X and Y
fields are linked, there is no need to define the Step Y value.
4.
5.
To make the grid visible at lower zoom levels set the Multiplier to 10x
Grid Step, and to make it easier to distinguish between the two grids, set
the Fine grid toDots.
Click OK to close the dialogs.
The default board grid is always a cartesian grid. When there are multiple
grids they have a hierarchy, as only one grid is applicable at any time. You
can access the Cartesian Grid Editor dialog directly using
the Ctrl+G shortcut keys.
1.
2.
Note the Smart Component Snap option, if this is enabled you can
force the software to snap to a pad center instead of the reference point
by clicking and holding closer to the required pad than the component's
reference point. This is very handy if you require a specific pad, that is
not the component's reference point, to be on a specific grid point,
enable this option as well.
Enable Snap to Center to always hold the component by its reference point. Smart
Component Snap is helpful when you need to align by pads.
3.
4.
5.
In the same page of the dialog, confirm that the Interactive Routing
Width / Via Size Sources options are both set to Rule Preferred.
task of designing, confident in the knowledge that any design errors will
immediately be flagged for your attention.
Design rules are not attributes or setting of the objects, they exist
independently from the objects placed in the workspace. You target them to
the objects they are intended for by writing a query, written as an
expression, in a simple language that is understood by the PCB editor's
internal filtering engine. Example queries include:
InNetClass('Power')
All
Rule Types - rules can also be divided into two types, Unary
rules and Binary rules. As implied by those terms, Unary rules apply to the
target object (for example, routing width), whereas Binary rules apply
between this target object and that target object (for example, electrical
clearance).
Rule Prority - rules have a priority, you define multiple rules of the same
type, each targetting different objects, which are then applied according to
their priority. That means you can have one soldermask expansion rule that
applies to All, another that overrides it and applies to a specific component,
and then another tha overrides both and applies to a specific pad in that
component. The rule priority is shown when you click on the rule type, listing
all rules of that type on the right. It is also reflected in the ordering of rules in
the tree on the left, when the individual rules are displayed.
Writing Queries - while writing queries can initially seem confusing, there is
a Query Helper that lists all available queries (and includes a searching
Mask), a Query Builder that walks you through the process of defining a
query, and F1 support wherever a query can be written (including the Design
Rules dialog, the Query Helper and the Filter panel). Writing and testing your
queries in the Filter panel is an excellent way to confirm that they target the
intended objects. The panel also includes checkboxes that write the query as
they are enabled.
Design rules are configured in the PCB Rules and Constraints Editor dialog,
as shown below. The rules fall into 10 categories, which can then be further
divided into design rule types. The rules cover electrical, routing,
manufacturing, placement, high speed and signal integrity design
requirements.
All PCB design requirements are configured as rules/constraints, in the PCB Rules and Constraints
Editor.
The tutorial design includes a number of signal nets, and two power nets.
The default routing width rule (rule scope of All) will be configured for the
signal nets, and another rule added to target the power nets.
With the PCB as the active document, select Design Rules from the
menus.
2.
The PCB Rules and Constraints Editor dialog will appear. Each rules
category is displayed under the Design Rules folder (left hand side) of
the dialog. Double-click on the Routing category to expand the category
and see the related routing rules. Then double-click on Width to display
the currently defined width rules.
3.
Click once on the existing Width rule to select it. When you click on the
rule, the right hand side of the dialog displays the settings for that rule,
including: the rule's Full Query (also referred to as its scope - what you
want this rule to target) in the top section; and the rule's Constraints in
the bottom section.
4.
Since this rule is to target the majority of nets in the design, the signal
nets, setting the Full Query to All is appropriate.
5.
The settings in this rule are the defaults for a new PCB, edit the Min
Width, Preferred Width & Max Width values, setting them to
0.25mm. Note that you can configure the Width to be defined by
impedance rather than a simple distance measurement. Note also that
the settings are reflected in the individual layers shown at the bottom of
the dialog, you can configure the requirements on a per-layer basis,
essential when performing impedance controlled routing.
6.
The rule is now defined, click Apply to save it and keep the dialog
open.
The default Routing Width design rule has been configured for the tutorial, a new rule
is about to be added for power nets.
Routing Width and Routing Via Style design rules include Min, Max and
Preferred settings. Use these if you prefer to have some flexibility during
routing, for example when you need to neck a route down or use a smaller
via in a tight area of the board. This can be done on-the-fly as you route, by
pressing the Tab key to open a dialog and access width/via properties, or by
pressing Shift+W to select an alternate routing width and Shift+V to select
an alternate via size. Note that you always remain constrained by the design
rules, you are not allowed to enter a value larger or smaller than permitted
by the applicable design rule.
Avoid using the Min and Max settings to define a single rule to suit all sizes
required in the entire design, doing this means you forgo the ability to get
the software to monitor that each design object is appropriately sized for its
task.
2.
A new rule named Width_1 appears. Click on the new rule in the Design
Rules tree to modify the scope and constraints.
3.
Click in the Name field on the right, and enter the name Width_Power in
the field.
4.
Next we will set the rule's scope using the Query Builder, to access
this select the Advanced (Query) option. Note that you can always type
the query in directly if you know the correct syntax. Alternatively, if your
query is more complicated you could select the Advanced option, then
click the Query Helper button to use the Query Helper dialog.
5.
Click the Query Builder button, then move through the steps to target
objects in the 12V net OR the GND net. The animation below shows the
process of using the Query Builder.
Using the Query Builder to create the Query, once that is done the required Width can
be configured (shown in the next image).
6.
The Query Builder has been used to write a query that targets objects
in the 12V net OR objects in the GND net. Alternatively, you could have
created a Net Class containing those 2 nets (called Power for example),
then written a Query that targetted objects InNetClass('Power').
7.
Now that the Query has been defined, the last step is to set the
Constraints for the rule. Edit the Min Width / Preferred Width / Max
Width values 0.25 / 0.5 /0.5 to allow power net routing widths in the
range 0.25mm to 0.5mm, as shown in the image below.
8.
Click Apply to save the rule and keep the dialog open.
When there are multiple rules of the same type, the PCB editor uses the rule
Priority to ensure the highest prioity applicable rule is applied. When a new
rule is added it is always given the highest priority, click
the Priorities button down the bottom of the dialog to change priorities.
Expand the Electrical category in the tree of Design Rules, then expand
the Clearance rule-type.
2.
Click to select the existing Clearance constraint. Note that this rule has
two Full Query fields, that is because it is a Binary rule. The rules engine
checks each object targeted by the first Full Query, and checks them
against the objects targeted by the second Full Query, to confirm that
they satisfy the specifiedConstraints setting. For this design, it is
suitable to define a single clearance between All objects.
3.
4.
Click Apply to save the rule and keep the dialog open.
1.
Expand the Design Rule tree and select the default RoutingVias design
rule.
2.
Since it is highly likely that the power nets can be routed on a single
side of the board, it is not necessary to define a via for signal nets and
another via for power nets. Edit the rule settings to the values defined
earlier in the turorial, that is a Via Diameter = 1mm and a Via Hole
Size = 0.6mm. Set all fields (Min, Max, Preferred) to the same size.Note
that you can press Tab on the keyboard to move from one dialog field to
the next.
3.
4.
This rule defines the size of the via that is placed when you change layers
while routing a net, it does not define the size of the via you get if you
choose Place Via from the menus. That is defined as an environment
default, in the PCB Editor - Defaults page of the Preferences dialog.
2.
If you need to zoom in, you can then press PageUp; or Ctrl+Roll; or
hold Ctrl then Right-click-and-hold to display the zoom cursor, and
move the mouse up. All zooming is relative to the current cursor location,
position the cursor before zooming.
3.
Most of the components used in this tutorial have their reference point
defined at the geometric center of the component. Since you are working
with components designed on an imperial grid, and are placing them onto a
board that uses a Metric grid, you can choose to position at least 1 pad on
grid, by using the Smart Component Snap feature, that you enabled
earlier. To use this, when you click and hold on a component to move it, do
this closer to a pad than to the center of the component, the cursor will then
jump to the pad rather than the component reference point.
4.
5.
Position the footprint towards the left-hand side of the board (ensuring
that the whole of the component stays within the board boundary), as
shown in the figure below.
6.
7.
8.
Component text can be repositioned in a similar fashion - click-anddrag the text and press the Spacebar to rotate it.
9.
The PCB editor also includes powerful interactive placement tools. Let's
use these to ensure that the four resistors are correctly aligned and
spaced.
10. Holding the Shift key, click on each of the four resistors to select
them, or click and drag the selection box around all 4 of them. A shaded
selection box will display around each of the selected components in the
color set for the system color called Selections. You can change this
selection color in the View Configurations dialog (Design Board
Layers & Colors, or the L shortcut).
11. Right-click on any of the selected components and choose Align
Align (shortcut: A, A). In the Align Objects dialog, click on Space
Equally in the Horizontalsection and click on Top in
the Vertical section. Click OK to apply these changes, the four resistors
are now aligned and equally spaced.
12. Click elsewhere in the design window to de-select all the resistors. If
required you can also align the capacitors and transistors, although this
might not be required since you have a coarse Snap grid at the moment.
Selected objects can also be moved using the keyboard rather than the
mouse. To do this, hold Ctrl, then each time you press an Arrow key the
selection will move 1 grid step in the direction of that arrow. Include
the Shift key to move selected objects in 10x Snap Grid steps.
Changing a Footprint
Now that we have positioned the footprints, we can see the capacitor
footprint is too big for our requirements! Let's change the capacitor footprint
to a smaller one.
1.
2.
3.
4.
We want a smaller radial type footprint, so type rad in the Mask field of
the dialog to display only the radial style footprints.
5.
6.
7.
8.
Your board should now look something like the figure below.
autorouter, which optimally routes the whole or part of a board at the click of
a button.
While autorouting provides an easy and powerful way to route a board, there
will be situations where you will need exact control over the placement of
tracks. In these situations you can manually route part or all of your board. In
this section of the tutorial, we will manually route the entire board singlesided, with all tracks on the bottom layer. The Interactive Routing tools help
maximize routing efficiency and flexibility in an intuitive way, including
cursor guidance for track placement, single-click routing of the connection,
pushing or walking around obstacles, automatically following existing
connections, all in accordance with applicable design rules.
As we place tracks on the bottom layer of the board, we will use the ratsnest
(connection lines) to guide us. Tracks on a PCB are made from a series of
straight segments. Each time there is a change of direction, a new track
segment begins. Also, by default the PCB editor constrains tracks to a
vertical, horizontal or 45 orientation, allowing you to easily produce
professional results. This behavior can be customized to suit your needs, but
for this tutorial we will use the default.
1.
2.
Check which layers are currently visible by looking at the Layer Tabs at
the bottom of the workspace. If the Bottom Layer is not visible, press
the L shortcut to open the View Configurations dialog, and enable
the Bottom Layer.
3.
Click on the Bottom layer tab at the bottom of the workspace to make
it the current, or active layer, ready to route on.
4.
5.
6.
Position the cursor over the lower pad on connector Y1. As you move
the cursor close to the pad it will automatically snap to the center of the
pad - this is theSnap To Object Hotspot feature pulling the cursor to
the center of the nearest electrical object (configure the Range of
attraction in the Board Options dialog). Sometimes the Snap To Object
Hotspot feature pulls the cursor when you don't want it to, in this
situation press the Ctrl key to temporarily inhibit this feature.
7.
8.
1.
Move your cursor back along the path, as soon as you pass over
an existing uncommitted segment, the uncommitted
routing unwinds back to this location.
2.
Rather than routing all the way to the target pad, you can also
press Ctrl+Left Click to use the Auto-Complete function and
It takes the shortest path, which may not the best path as you
need to always consider paths for other connections yet to be routed. If
you are in Push mode (shown on the Status bar when routing), Autocomplete can push existing routes to reach the target.
3.
Cursor following streamlines the manual routing process. committed tracks display in
solid color, uncommitted tracks are shown hatched\hollow.
Animation showing the board being interactively routed, with all tracks placed on the
bottom layer. Press the Spacebar to toggle the corner direction.
Routing Tips
Keep in mind the following points as you are routing:
Shift+S to cycle single layer mode on and off, ideal when there are
many objects on multiple layers.
Spacebar to toggle the corner direction (for all but any angle mode).
Ctrl+Left-Click at any time to Auto-complete the connection. Autocomplete will not succeed if there are unresolvable conflicts with
obstacles.
Right-click or press ESC when you have finished placing a track and
want to start a new one.
When you start a route you can click on the pad or click on the
connection line, and you can stop routing anywhere. As soon as you rightclick to finish that route, the routing is analyzed and the connection lines
are updated and removed as required.
Name of Net
Ignore - This mode lets you place tracks anywhere, including over
existing objects, displaying but allowing potential violations.
Push - This mode will attempt to move objects (tracks and vias), which
are capable of being repositioned without violation, to accommodate the
new routing.
Animation showing the Loop Removal feature being used to modify existing routing.
Note that there are situations where you may want to create loops, for
example power net routing. If necessary, Loop Removal can be disabled for
an individual net by editing that net in the PCB panel. To access the option
set the panel to Nets mode, then double click on the net name in the panel
to open the Edit Net dialog. Loop Removal is enabled in the PCB Editor Interactive Routing page of the Preferences dialog.
You can also interactively slide or drag track segments across the board to
make room for new routes. The PCB editor will automatically maintain the
45/90 degree angles with connected segments, shortening and lengthening
them as required.
To drag a segment:
Click once to select the segment, position the mouse over the
segment to display the quad-arrow cursor, then Click and hold to start
dragging that segment. Note that the cursor changes if you position it
over the center track vertex - this is a different mode, used to break a
single segment into 3 segments.
Animation showing track dragging in push mode, the via is automatically jumped.
While dragging you can move the cursor and hotspot snap it to an
existing, non-moving object such as a pad, use this to help align the new
segment location with an existing object and avoid very small segments
being added.
Position the cursor over the track segment center vertex to add in new
segments.
2.
Select Auto Route All. The Situs Routing Strategies dialog displays,
the top region of the dialog displays the Routing Setup Report,
warnings and errors are shown in red, always check for warnings/errors.
The lower half of the dialog shows the available Routing Strategies, the
selected one will be highlighted. For this board it should default to
the Default 2 Layer Board strategy.
3.
4.
To route the board single-sided, click the Edit Layer Directions button in
the Situs Routing Strategies dialog, and modify the Current
Setting field. Alternatively you can modify the Routing Layers design
rule.
5.
6.
Fully autorouted board, left image shows layers set to Top-horizontal / Bottom-vertical,
right image shows Top-horizontal / Bottom-horizontal.
The autorouter will route on both the top and bottom layers, red tracks on
the top layer, blue on the bottom layer. The layers that are used by the
autorouter are specified in the Routing Layers design rule, which defaults to
top and bottom layers. Also notice the two power net tracks running from the
connector are wider, as specified by the second Width design rule you set up.
Don't worry if the routing in your design is not exactly the same as shown in
the figure above - because the component placement is not exactly the
same, the routing will not be either.
2.
Violations can be displayed as a colored overlay and also as a detailed message, with
different symbols being used to show different detail of the error type.
3.
selected Violation Overlay Style as you zoom it. The default is Style B,
a circle with a cross in it.
o
4.
For the tutorial, right-click in the Display area of the PCB Editor DRC Violations Display page of the Preferences dialog and
select Show Violation Details - Used, then right-click again and
select Show Violation Overlay - Used, as shown in the image above.
Violations are shown in solid green (left image), as you zoom in an Overlay is added
(center image), as you zoom in further Violation Details are added.
5.
Rule checking, both online and batch, is configured in the Design Rule Checker dialog.
3.
Click on the Rules to Check in the list on the left of the dialog, all of
the rule types will be listed. You can narrow the list by clicking on a
specific category, for example Electrical, to see all the rules belonging to
that category. For most rule types there are checkboxes
for Online (check as you work) and Batch (check when the Run Design
Rule Check button is clicked)
4.
side of the dialog, right-click to display the context menu. This menu
allows you to quickly toggle the Online and Batch settings, select
the Batch DRC - Used On entry, as shown in the image below.
Checking is configured for each rule type, use the right-click menu to toggle multiple
options.
4.
Click the Run Design Rule Check button down the bottom left of the
dialog. The DRC will run, the Messages panel will appear, and the Design
Rule Verification Report will open in a separate document tab, an
example is shown below.
5.
Scroll down through the report, noting that 2 types of rule violations
have been detected, Silk To Solder Mask and Minimum Solder Mask
Sliver. Below the summary of violating rules will be specific details about
each violation.
6.
The links in the report are live, click on an error to jump back to the
board and examine that error on the board. Note that the zoom level for
this click action is configured in the System - Navigation page of
the Preferences dialog, experiment to find a setting that suits you.
When you are new to the software, a long list of violations can initially
seem overwhelming. A good approach to managing this is to disable and
enable rules in the Design Rule Check dialog, at different stages of the
design process (it is not advisable to disable the design rules themselves,
just the checking of them). For example, you would always disable the
Un-Routed Net check until the board is fully routed. You might also
disable all Manufacturing rule checks until you have completed the
placement and routing, and finished checking of the placement and
routing rules.
2.
When a batch DRC is run on the tutorial board, there are 8 silk to
solder mask violations, and 4 solder mask sliver violations - which means
the measured values are less than the minimum amounts specifed in
those design rules. You now know how to locate those violations (click the
link in the report file, or double click in the Messages panel), the next
step is to work out what the actual value is so you know how much it has
failed by. The image below shows the Violation Details for a silk to solder
mask error, indicated by the white arrows and the 0.254mm text. The cursor
is also being hovered over the violating pad so that the Heads Up Display
(HUD) can be used to show details of what rule is in error, as well as the
measured value and the rule setting. Note that the HUD details the actual
clearance (0.14mm), which you need to know to be able to make a decision
about how to resolve it. The HUD is toggled on and off using
the Shift+H shortcut, and HUD cursor tracking is toggled on and off
The Heads Up display details that it is a Silk to Solder Mask Clearance violation,
between a track and a pad. It does not detail the actual clearance though.
3.
4.
Note that at the top of the PCB Rules and Violations panel there is a dropdown, which can be used to select Normal, Dim or Mask. Dim and Mask are
display filter modes, where everything other than the object(s) of interest are
faded, leaving only the chosen object(s) at normal display strength. The Dim
mode applies the filter but still allows all workspace objects to be edited, the
Mask mode filters out all other workspace objects, only allowing the
unfiltered object(s) to be edited.
To clear the filter you can either click the Clear button down the bottom right
of the workspace, or press the Shift+C shortcut. This filtering feature is very
effective in a busy workspace, and can also be used in the PCB panel and
the PCB Filter panel.
The panel details the violation type, the measured value, the rule setting and the
objects that are in violation.
5.
6.
o
Note that the Violation selected in the panel (image above) states that
the clearance is 0.14mm < 0.254mm.
To resolve this violation we can either:
Modify the silkscreen in the footprint in the Library editor to
increase the clearance, or
7.
Open the PCB Rules and Constraint Editor (Design Rules), then
locate and select the Silk to Solder Mask Clearance constraint, as shown
in the image below.
The Silk to Solder Mask constraint defines how far silk objects must be from either:
the solder mask opening, or the underlying copper exposed by that opening.
8.
9.
Time to run a DRC again, open the Design Rule Checker (Tools
Design Rule Check), this time disable the Create Report File option,
then click the Run Design Rule Check button.
the Manufacturing section locate and select the existing Minimum Solder
Mask Sliver rule, called MinimumSolderMaskSliver.
15. A value of 0.125mm (5mil) should be acceptable for a design such as
this, edit the Minimum Solder Mask Sliver value to 0.125mm in the
Constraints region of the rule.
16. Now click on Mask in the tree on the left of the dialog to show the
current Solder Mask Expansion rules, there should be one
called SolderMaskExpansion. Click on it to select the rule and display
its settings, it will specify an expansion value of 0.102mm (4mil). We only
want to change this for the transistors so we will not edit this value,
instead we will create a new rule.
17. To add a new Solder Mask Expansion rule, right-click on the current rule
and select New Rule. A new rule called SolderMaskExpansion_1 will be
created, click on it to display its settings.
18.
Name - SolderMaskExpansion_TO-92A
Expansion - 0.07mm
19. Click OK to close the PCB Rules and Constraints Editor dialog, then
select Tools Design Rule Check and run the batch design rule check
again. If online checking is enabled for this rule type, you will not need to
run the batch rule check.
20. When rules checking is complete there should be no violations present
in the design, reflected by an empty Messages panel. If a report was
needed that showed the design has no errors, you could re-enable
the Create Report File option in the Design Rule Check dialog.
Well done! You have completed the PCB layout and are ready to produce
output documentation. Before doing that, we'll explore the PCB editor's 3D
capabilities.
Right-drag sphere when the Horizontal Arrow is highlighted rotate the view about the Y-axis.
Right-drag sphere when the Vertical Arrow is highlighted rotate the view about the X-axis.
Right-drag sphere when the Circle Segment is highlighted rotate the view about the Z-plane.
Hold Shift to display the 3D view directiional sphere, then click and drag the right-mouse button
to rotate.
The Multivibrator PCB complete with components - 3D Bodies have been used for the transistors
and caps, STEP models for the resistors and header.
The Multivibrator PCB fully assembled into a two part housing assembly, displayed in the PCB
editor's 3D Layout mode.
OUTPUT DOCUMENTATION
Related articles: Design to Manufacturing, Fabrication Outputs
Now that you've completed the design and layout of the PCB, you will want
to produce output documentation to get the board reviewed, manufactured
and assembled. Output settings can be configured from within the PCB
editor, these settings will be stored in the project file. Output settings can
also be configured in an Output Job File, a dedicated output settings
document.
Full control over the naming of output files/folders, and the folder
structure of the outputs.
OutJobs allow easy access to all outputs, with full control over their settings.
In the Projects panel, right click on the project name and select Add
New to Project Output Job File. A new OutJob will be opened and
added to the project.
2.
3.
4.
The Gerber output has been added, you will configure it shortly.
Documentation Outputs
Fabrication Outputs
Composite Drill Drawings - drill positions and sizes (using symbols) for
the board in one drawing.
Drill Drawing/Guides - drill positions and sizes (using symbols) for the
board in separate drawings.
Test Point Report - creates test point output for the design in a variety
of formats.
Netlist Outputs
Report Outputs
Report Single Pin Nets- creates a report listing any nets that only have
one connection.
Simple BOM - creates text and CSV (comma separated variables) files
of the BOM.
2.
Click the Layers tab, then the Plot Layers button and select Used
On. Note that mechanical layers may be enabled, these are not normally
Gerbered on their own. Instead they are often included if they hold detail
that is required on other layers, for example an alignment location
marker that is required on every Gerber file. In this case the Mechanical
Layer options on the right of the dialog are used. Disable any mechanical
layers that were enabled in the Layers to Plotsection of the dialog.
3.
Click OK to accept the other default settings and close the Gerber
Setup dialog.
4.
Now the Gerber settings are configured, the next step is to configure
their naming and output location. This is done by mapping them to
an Output Containeron the right of the OutJob. For discrete files with
their own file format, you use a Folder Structure container, select Folder
Structure in the list of Output Containers, then click the radio button for
the Gerber Files in the Enabled column of the Outputs to map this output
to the selected container, as shown below.
The OutJob configured to generate Gerber, NC Drill and Pick and Place output as
discrete files.
5.
6.
7.
8.
The files will be generated and opened in the integrated CAM editor,
which can be used for final checking of CAM files before you release them
to manufacture. Close the CAM file without saving it.
For more information about Fabrication Outputs and configuring your Gerber
Outputs, see Fabrication Outputs.
Using the same approach you used to add a Gerber output in the
Outjob, add a Bill of Materials report output. To do this, click the Add
New Report Output link, and select Bill of Materials [Project] from
the menu that appears.
2.
3.
While you are using the report generation engine to generate a BoM,
because of its flexibility and ability to extract data from both the
schematics and the board, it can be used to generate output for a variety
of tasks. The data that is extracted and presented in the report (shown in
the main region of the dialog), is defined by enabling the required fields
in the All Columns region on the left of the dialog. Scroll down and
disable the LibRef field (the name of the component in the library). The
column will be removed from the main region of the dialog.
4.
5.
Within the main region of the dialog, the columns can be re-ordered by
clicking and dragging on their heading. The data can also be sorted (and
7.
There are now two approaches to generating the BoM. You can
generate it directly from this dialog by clicking the Export button (enable
the Open Exportedoption first, to see the result).
8.
Alternatively, you can click OK to close the dialog, then back in the
OutJob map the BOM to a PDF Container. The Container will need to be
configured to beManually Managed, once that is done you can click
the Generate Content link to create the Excel format file and have it
automatically output as a PDF file.
9.
For more information about Report Outputs and configuring your Bill of
Materials, see Report Outputs
Further Explorations
This tutorial has introduced you to just some of the powerful features of your
Altium electronic design software. We've captured a schematic and designed
and routed a PCB, but we've only just scratched the surface of the design
power available to you. Once you start exploring, you will find a wealth of
features to make your design life easier.
To demonstrate the capabilities of the software, a number of example files
are included. You can open these examples in the normal way by
selecting File Open Project from the menus and then navigating to
the Examples folder of your software installation.
Quickstart - PCB Layout
The Altium Designer Environment
Component, Model and Library Concepts
Creating Library Components Tutorial
Multi-sheet design
Connectivity and Multi-Sheet Design
Multi-Channel Design Concepts
Design to Manufacturing
Generating a Custom Bill of Materials
Using Components Directly from Your Company Database
Tutorial - Integrating MCAD Objects and PCB Designs
Shortcut Keys
Printer-friendly version
COMPANY
About Altium
Our Customers
Investor News
Publications and Reports
Investor Center
Partners and Alliances
Newsroom
SOLUTIONS
By Role
By Industry
By Technology
PRODUCTS
Altium Designer
Altium Vaults
CircuitMaker
CircuitStudio
Altium Subscription
TASKING
Altium Extensions
Altium DXP Developer
How To Buy
COMMUNITY
Forum
Blog
Ideas
Bug Crunch
Wall
Beta Program
CAREERS
PDF version
Career at Altium
Open Positions
RESOURCES
Documentation
Training & Events
Design Content
Video Library
Support
NEWSROOM
Press Releases
Altium in the News
Media Contacts
Sales
1-800-544-4186 (toll free)
1-760-231-0951
sales.na@altium.com
Support
1-800-488-0681 (toll free)
1-760-231-0954
support.na@altium.com