Академический Документы
Профессиональный Документы
Культура Документы
This document is for information and instruction purposes. Mentor Graphics reserves the right to make changes in specifications and other information contained in this publication without prior notice, and the reader should, in all cases, consult Mentor Graphics to determine whether any changes have been made. The terms and conditions governing the sale and licensing of Mentor Graphics products are set forth in written agreements between Mentor Graphics and its customers. No representation or other affirmation of fact contained in this publication shall be deemed to be a warranty or give rise to any liability of Mentor Graphics whatsoever. MENTOR GRAPHICS MAKES NO WARRANTY OF ANY KIND WITH REGARD TO THIS MATERIAL INCLUDING, BUT NOT LIMITED TO, THE IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY AND FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE. MENTOR GRAPHICS SHALL NOT BE LIABLE FOR ANY INCIDENTAL, INDIRECT, SPECIAL, OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES WHATSOEVER (INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO LOST PROFITS) ARISING OUT OF OR RELATED TO THIS PUBLICATION OR THE INFORMATION CONTAINED IN IT, EVEN IF MENTOR GRAPHICS CORPORATION HAS BEEN ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGES. RESTRICTED RIGHTS LEGEND 03/97 U.S. Government Restricted Rights. The SOFTWARE and documentation have been developed entirely at private expense and are commercial computer software provided with restricted rights. Use, duplication or disclosure by the U.S. Government or a U.S. Government subcontractor is subject to the restrictions set forth in the license agreement provided with the software pursuant to DFARS 227.7202-3(a) or as set forth in subparagraph (c)(1) and (2) of the Commercial Computer Software Restricted Rights clause at FAR 52.227-19, as applicable. Contractor/manufacturer is: Mentor Graphics Corporation 8005 S.W. Boeckman Road, Wilsonville, Oregon 97070-7777. Telephone: 503.685.7000 Toll-Free Telephone: 800.592.2210 Website: www.mentor.com SupportNet: supportnet.mentor.com/ Send Feedback on Documentation: supportnet.mentor.com/doc_feedback_form TRADEMARKS: The trademarks, logos and service marks (Marks) used herein are the property of Mentor Graphics Corporation or other third parties. No one is permitted to use these Marks without the prior written consent of Mentor Graphics or the respective third-party owner. The use herein of a thirdparty Mark is not an attempt to indicate Mentor Graphics as a source of a product, but is intended to indicate a product from, or associated with, a particular third party. A current list of Mentor Graphics trademarks may be viewed at: www.mentor.com/trademarks.
Contents
Introduction
About This Evaluation.................................................................................................. 10 Lesson 1: DxDesigner Workspace................................................................................ 10 Lesson 2: Setting up a New Project............................................................................. 21 Lesson 3: Creating a Symbol with the Symbol Editor.................................................. 29 Lesson 4: Selecting and Verifying Parts with DxDataBook........................................... 39 Lesson 5: Creating a New Schematic/Placing Parts..................................................... 50 Lesson 6: Wiring the Schematic................................................................................... 60 Lesson 7: Rules and Constraints.................................................................................. 72 Lesson 8: Variant Manager.......................................................................................... 80 Lesson 9: Generating the BOM (Bill of Material)......................................................... 92 Lesson 10: DxDesigner Integration with HyperLynx LineSim....................................... 97 Lesson 11: DxDesigner Integration with HyperLynx Analog...................................... 102 Lesson 12: DxDesigner and PADS Layout Integration................................................ 109
Contents
Lesson 13: PADS Layout Environment....................................................................... 122 Lesson 14: Setting Up a New Design......................................................................... 129 Lesson 15: Creating Component Information............................................................ 132 Lesson 16: Placement................................................................................................ 137 Lesson 17: Rules and Constraints.............................................................................. 144 Lesson 18: Interactive Routing.................................................................................. 150 Lesson 19: Creating Plane Layers............................................................................... 156 Lesson 20: RF Options............................................................................................... 165 Lesson 21: Verification (in Layout)............................................................................. 169
Lesson 22: PADS Router Environment....................................................................... 174 Lesson 23: Component Placement............................................................................ 192 Lesson 24: Rules and Constraints.............................................................................. 197 Lesson 25: Interactive Routing.................................................................................. 205 Lesson 26: High Speed Interactive Routing............................................................... 211 Lesson 27: Setting up a Design for Autorouting........................................................ 219 Lesson 28: Verification............................................................................................... 222
173
ii
Contents
Lesson 29: Simulation with HyperLynx BoardSim...................................................... 230 Lesson 30: Thermal Analysis with HyperLynx Thermal.............................................. 235
229
Lesson 31: Generating Manufacturing Outputs (CAM)............................................. 242 Lesson 32: 3D Layout View........................................................................................ 250 Lesson 33: Creating PDFs........................................................................................... 252 Lesson 34: Archive Navigator.................................................................................... 255
241
Conclusion
257
Contents
iii
List of Figures
Figure 1: Design Process Steps...................................................................................... 4 Figure 2: PADS ES Suite Flow Diagram........................................................................... 5 Figure 3: PADS Suites Configurations............................................................................. 6 Figure 4: DxDesigner Main Window............................................................................ 11 Figure 5: DxDesigner Toolbars................................................................................ 12-13 Figure 6: PADS Layout Main Window........................................................................ 123 Figure 7: PADS Layout Toolbars.......................................................................... 124-125 Figure 8: PADS Router Main Window........................................................................ 175 Figure 9: PADS Router Toolbars.......................................................................... 176-177
iv
Contents
elcome to the PADS ES Suite Evaluation Guide. Our goal is to introduce you to the broad spectrum of highly-integrated PADS design tools and assist you in understanding how to apply them to your most complex design situations. The PADS ES Suite is specifically configured to address the multitude of design challenges faced by engineers trying to meet the ever-increasing demands of the rapidly-expanding global demand for electronic products. As component speeds increase and product designs continue to evolve into more complex and higher-density packages, the design tools used by these engineers must keep pace with these developments. The PADS ES Suite has been specifically matched to these demanding requirements and offers an outstanding breadth and depth of features to meet these design challenges. We invite you to use this guide to fully explore both the power and ease of use of the PADS ES Suite.
Introduction
Uncommon is the design project that requires you to work in only one application from start to finish. To get the job done in todays market, design engineers move back and forth between numerous design, simulation and layout applications. Even the simplest design, which you might capture in DxDesigner, often includes library content accessed through DxDataBook, as well as simulations from HyperLynx Analog and HyperLynx LineSim. As the design develops, multiple versions of the design are often created for production, each of which can be tracked with Variant Manager. Then, the design needs to be reviewed, verified, and passed to PADS Layout for physical placement and routing. Using the interactive placement and routing tools in PADS Layout, the data develops into the physical representation of the design. Additional power and flexibility found in PADS Router allows high-speed design rules and constraints to be enforced. Once critical signals have been routed, the power of PADS Autorouter can be used to quickly complete the routing tasks. Seamless integration between the applications allows the design to be returned to PADS Layout for verification checks and manufacturing output generation. Additional simulations can be performed in HyperLynx BoardSim and HyperLynx Thermal to verify proper signal integrity and thermal performance of the completed design. Lastly, intelligent PDF files can be generated and the design can also be passed to the PADS 3D Viewer for realistic visualization of the finished board. The PADS ES Suite fits perfectly into this world by providing a complete design solution from design concept through manufacture and test. This Evaluation Guide shows you how the PADS ES Suite can be used effectively to accomplish the full spectrum of design tasks.
Introduction
Working Together
This attention to workflow means that we will also show you how to use the applications together with real-world design examples. Along the way, we also introduce you to many of the great new features in each application, highlighting some of the more interesting techniques with steps and lots of illustrations. To see which applications and features a section covers, scan the In this section list at the beginning of each section.
Further Exploration
Finally, remember that this document is an evaluation guide, not a comprehensive user guide. Your most complete source of detailed feature information is the Help in each application. In addition, take time to examine the resource information accessible through the InfoHub link within each application. There youll find information on a variety of PADS resources that will help you get started, get informed, and get inspired while using the PADS ES Suite. We hope this evaluation guide helps you see some of the exciting possibilities available to you with the PADS ES Suite. Enjoy!
Introduction
Introduction
Variant Manager
HyperLynx Analog
DxDesigner Link
DxDesigner
Schematic Schematic Schematic
PADS Layout
PADS Router
HyperLynx
BoardSim
3D Viewer
Introduction
Design Definition
The PADS flow delivers the most robust system design capture and definition functionality available, including intuitive project and design navigation, unlimited hierarchical support, design reuse, advanced design attribute and rules management, full forward/back annotation including design rules, cross-probing with layout and routing, and a direct schematic-to-signal-integrity analysis link. Component management is also available.
Introduction
PCB Layout
As the standard in desktop PCB layout tools, PADS offers unparalleled price-performance for the layout and design of complex circuit boards, including high-speed applications and RF circuits. PADS offers advanced design rules with real-time design rule checking, bi-directional crossprobing, RF design functionality, split-plane generation, auto-dimensioning, direct DXF import into both the board and part library editors, physical design reuse, advanced fabrication verification tools, and 3D viewing. Also available are assembly variant functions, test coverage auditing, chip-on-board / advanced packaging, and an IDF link to third party CAD/CAM tools.
Thermal Analysis
HyperLynx Thermal allows engineers and PCB designers to analyze board-level thermal problems on placed, partially routed, or fully routed PCB designs from all popular PCB layout environments. Temperature profiles, gradients, and excess temperature maps enable designers to resolve board and component overheating early in the design process.
Introduction
Introduction
10
Design Capture with DxDesigner Introduction to the User Interface (Main Window)
Navigator Pane Menus Toolbars Workspace Properties
Symbol Viewer
Status Bar
11
Toolbars
Import Expedition PCB IO Foreign Redo Package PCB Extraction Designer Database
Copy
File Viewer
Undo
Verify
CES
Zoom In
Zoom Area
Save Navigator ICT Properties Selection Push Pop Zoom Viewer Filter Schematic
12
Block
Bus
Array
Box
Line
Cut Nets
Delete
Mirror Stretch
Disconnect
Flip
Scale
Align Left
Align Top
Grid Spacing
Grid On/Off
13
14
Double click over Sheet 4 and watch the main screen update to show page 4.
Note: Notice the schematic sheet tabs located at the bottom display both Corporate.1 and Corporate.4.
Select the [+] item to expand one of the sheets in the Navigator tree. Notice there are 2 categories that appear in the dialog for each schematic sheet. (Symbols and Nets). Select the item again to expand the Symbols and Nets section of the dialog. Select any symbol listed and notice the software automatically cross probes to that item.
Note: You may need to zoom out to see items selected during crossprobing.
15
Tooltips
DxDesigner supports Tool Tips for Components and Nets. The visible attributes are configurable. Lets take a closer look. Open the Project Settings by using the pulldown menu Setup > Settings or select the CTRL-ALT-G hotkey. Click on Display and notice the options for controlling various display options including Show Tooltips. Components and Nets should be checked. Select Apply and then OK. Enable the Navigator Tree dialog if not already open. To do so select the Navigator Tree icon. Using the cursor, double click the LMB over the schematic name Corporate to open sheet 1 of the schematic. Place your cursor over any component to see the tool tip.
Note: Make sure the All selection filter is enabled.
Place your cursor over any net to view the netname tool tip.
Note: This is a very convenient way to get information without having to zoom in and out to view and identify an object on the schematic.
16
Help System
Notice that there is a Help menu at the top of the tool. From here you can access documentation, support, SupportNet and tips. Take a moment to view the resources available from this menu. View all available shortcuts and system strokes by selecting Help > Show Bindings and Help > Show Strokes.
Note: Navigational controls can also be configured in Setup > Settings > Schematic Editor > Strokes, Pan and Zoom.
17
Notice that several pages are now open. Each page containing a reference to C2 has been opened. In the Output window select the first hyperlink to quickly jump to the capacitor with reference designator C2.
18
In the Find and Replace dialog search for 698k across the Corporate Schematic. Notice all parts meeting this criterion are listed in the output window Close all of the schematic pages using the small x to close each sheet. This method can also be used to find nets. Now enter the net name BSYNC- (make sure to include the -character) in the Find and Replace dialog to search across the Corporate schematic. Select the Find All button to search the entire schematic. There are four instances of BSYNC- across three schematic sheets.
Note: When selecting the net, the appropriate schematic sheet is opened and that portion of the BSYNC- net is selected. This functionality allows you to check connectivity throughout your design very efficiently.
Select File> Close Project when you are finished to close the current project.
19
Review Questions
1 What is the purpose of the Navigator? 2 What information can I get from the tooltips? 3 How many different ways are there to zoom in and out? 4 When would I use the Find function instead of the Navigator?
Review Answers
1 The Navigator presents you with a central viewport into your design. All components, nets, classes, pin pairs and other design elements are available for browsing and querying from this common window. 2 Tooltips provide you with a quick and easy way to examine the properties of design objects (components and nets). Depending on how you have set up the visibility of properties, you can view information about these objects by simply holding the cursor over the item for a few seconds. 3 The DxDesigner user interface provides multiple ways to perform most common design tasks. You can zoom in and out using the keyboard keys (F7 and F8), press F9 and drag a zoom window, press the z key and drag a zoom window, or use the mouse scroll wheel forward and backward to zoom in and out. 4 Though the Navigator gives you the opportunity to browse the major elements of your design, use the Find command to build complex searches and quickly find very specific details such as all instances of a specific component value.
20
Directory Structure
21
Creating a Project
If it is not already running, start DxDesigner.
Creating a Project
Select the Windows Start > Program > Mentor Graphics SDD > Design Entry > DxDesigner Click File > New > Project Another option is to select the New icon and then select Project. Enter the name of your project in the Name prompt of the Project dialog.
Note: For this exercise enter your (first name) and (last name) for your project name (i.e., JohnSmith).
Confirm the project Location is pointing to C:\PADS_ ES_Evaluation\Yourname (i.e., JohnSmith). Select the appropriate Layout Tool from the list. In this case select PADS9.XX. Select the OK button to create the project. Notice your project name now appears in the Project Navigator Tree.
22
23
Adding Libraries
After you create a project, you need to add the libraries for your design. If you have libraries from previous versions of DxDesigner you can easily add them for use in this newer version. You can also use libraries which were created for other schematics tools if you are new to DxDesigner. Refer to www.suppportnet. mentor.com for schematic and library translators if you are coming from a different schematic tool.
24
25
(continued)
Now that we have a directory created we can modify the type to Writeable. Double click on new_lib to open the configuration and change the type to Writeable as shown.
Note: At this time you have a red X through the W symbol because you still cant write to it. Before this step you are missing the appropriate directory structure within new_lib.
Click OK to close this window and then click Apply in the Settings dialog. At this time a new directory structure is generated within the C:\PADS_ES_Evaluation\ Libs\new_lib directory. Using Windows Explorer, browse to C:\PADS_ES_Evaluation\Libs\new_lib to observe this new directory. Now that the appropriate directory structure exists within the library directory you can open the configuration for new_lib again and see the red X is gone. At this time you still dont have any symbols available in the library. Saving symbols in libraries is covered in Lesson 3.
Note: You will not see the library in your Symbol View list until after you have saved a symbol in the library. Once you have done so you will also need to re-invoke DxDesigner (close the tool and then open it again).
26
Open PADS Layout and pick File > Library > Manage Lib List Then click Add and browse to add the following two libraries: C:\PADS_ES_Evaluation\Libs\Corporate.pt09 C:\PADS_ES_Evaluation\Libs\fpga.pt09
Note: If the libraries already exist in the Lib List, then you will not need to add them.
Double click the LMB over the name Corporate to open the first sheet of the schematic. Next select the [+] icon located to the left of the Corporate schematic name and double click Sheet 3 to display it in the workspace. Select one of the symbols on schematic sheet 3. The PCB decal appears in the PADS Decal Previewer.
27
Review Questions
1 Where are my design files stored? 2 What is the quickest way to open a project? 3 Is there a preferred location for storing new company-specific symbols? 4 How do I verify which package is assigned to a particular symbol?
Review Answers
1 DxDesigner stores your design in a project (.prj) file. 2 To quickly open a design, browse to the .prj file and double click it. This will launch DxDesigner and open the design file. 3 Though DxDesigner has a number of libraries that are shipped with the application, you may find it convenient to use the Setup > Settings > Symbols Libraries dialog to create a new library for your company-specific symbols. This lets you keep them separate from the other content and make them easy to locate when you need them. 4 To determine which package type (PKG_TYPE) is associated with a component in your design, use the PADS Decal Browser to view a graphical image of the decal.
28
Design Capture with DxDesigner Lesson 3: Creating a Symbol with the Symbol Editor
The symbol editor allows you to generate new symbols very quickly. You can use a spreadsheet to copy and paste pin information into the symbol or you can enter the data manually. The editor will provide a basic symbol automatically and allow you to modify the symbol in any way you desire.
Now click in the drop-down to select the property #. Enter a value of 1 in the Value field. Position the pin number above the pin.
Symbol Creation
29
Add another array for the output pins using the following settings: 1. Pin Name = OUT 2. Range 7 to 0 3. Step = 1. 4. Pin type = OUT 5. Pin location = Right 6. Pin spacing = 4 Place the array on the right side of the symbol so that the output pins align with the input pins as shown..
30
Symbol Creation
To update the Pin Numbers select the Add Properties button. Set the values as shown below. Make sure Type = Pin Property, Name = #, Prefix is Empty, Value = 2, Delta = 1, Suffix is Empty and Position and Visibility are set to Above Pin and Value. This will automatically add and increment the Pin Numbers. Reposition them as shown. Repeat this step for the OUT pins. Use a start Value = 18 and Delta = -1 to decrement the Pin Numbers down to 11. Reposition them as shown.
Symbol Creation
31
Note: We need to shrink to symbol shape and the symbol outline to create a symbol that is complete.
Select the Middle pick point using the LMB. Hold the LMB down and drag which will allow you to reposition the bottom of the symbol so its closer to the lowest pins. Place it four grid points below the lowest pins. Now manually move the symbol outline in a similar fashion as the symbol shape. The bounding box can also be moved automatically by selecting the Symbol > Update Symbol Outline menu pick.
Note: The symbol outline helps with avoidance rules when connecting nets in the schematic. Note: The symbol outline may be set to update automatically as you adjust the symbol shape. If it is and you wish to manually adjust it you may need to turn off the automatic adjustment mode first. This can be done by selecting the File > Preferences > General > Symbol and unchecking the Automatic Outline Update check box.
32
Symbol Creation
The PADS Decal Browser reads all of your PADS libraries pointed to in your PADS list. You can search for the appropriate decal By Name or By Pin Count. With the search path Library: set to (All Libraries), filter on Pin Count = 20 and click Apply Filter. Select a DIP20 and click the Assign button to move it to Assigned Decals. Click Apply to Symbol and then Close. Notice in the properties window the symbol now has a new Property PKG_TYPE = DIP20.
Note: If PKG_TYPE is not added automatically, you can add it manually by selecting PKG_TYPE from the drop down menu. You can then select the appropriate decal value (DIP20 in this case).
Symbol Creation
33
In the Properties window you will notice that the Symbol Name has been updated to match the name you used. The symbol is now complete and ready for use.
34
Symbol Creation
Symbol Creation
35
Release the mouse button when the pin is in the desired location on the symbol body. Notice there is in invert bubble on the pin and a strike over the name. If you open the .csv file you will see why. This is because the pin was set as inverted which resulted in the bubble. The Pin Label began with ~ which results in the strike over.
36
Symbol Creation
Symbol Creation
37
Review Questions
1 Is there a right or wrong way to create a symbol? 2 What is the purpose of the symbol origin? 3 Why do I need to assign a PKG_TYPE? 4 What are the advantages of creating a symbol from a spreadsheet? 5 Cant I just download a symbol from the component manufacturer?
Review Answers
1 There is no right or wrong way to create a symbol as long as the symbol accurately represents the signals and connectivity of the device. There are formal design specifications for symbols (such as ANSI/IEEE Standard 91-1984 Graphic Symbols for Logic Functions), but each company tends to formulate their own internal standards that meet their design requirements. 2 The symbol origin represents a predictable reference point for anchoring and placing a symbol into the design environment. It is usually placed at the end of the lowest pin on the lower left of the symbol. 3 The symbol in DxDesigner represents the electrical connectivity of the component. In order to pass the design to PADS Layout for physical design, each component symbol needs to have a corresponding physical package assignment so that the layout tool can properly represent the physical parts on the printed circuit board. The PKG_TYPE attribute specifies the name of the part (land pattern/decal) in PADS Layout that is intended to represent the symbol in the physical design. 4 As the complexity of components increases, it is not uncommon to have symbols with hundreds of pins. Entering the data for each of these pins into the Symbol Editor can be a very time-consuming and error-prone task. Using a spreadsheet, signal data can be copied and pasted from PDF data sheets into a spreadsheet and then imported directly into the Symbol Editor. This saves time and improves accuracy. 5 Unfortunately, except for the PDF of the datasheet, very few manufacturers offer any symbols that can be directly imported into an EDA application. Due to the multitude of different components and systems, this would be very difficult for the manufacturers to support. Most designers prefer to create (and check) their own symbols prior to use.
38
Symbol Creation
Design Capture with DxDesigner Lesson 4: Selecting and Verifying Parts with DxDataBook
DxDataBook is a component information system that allows companies to benefit from a centralized component database system. The DxDataBook utility allows customers to manage their library data more efficiently than ever before. It increases efficiency by decreasing the number of symbols required to support the parts in their design environment. DxDataBook connects to any ODBC compliant database and makes the necessary content available to aid in the part selection process. When the part is added to the schematic, the property data is also added so the part is complete when it is released onto the schematic. DxDataBook also provides component verification checks to ensure the property data contained on the symbol in the schematic matches the content contained within the data source. This prevents incomplete or inaccurate data from being passed into the PCB design phase.
39
Configure DxDataBook
The system allows for easy searching and selecting of components. It can tie into a companys purchasing database so that Engineering can make more intelligent part selections based on lead time, cost, stock availability, etc.
NOTE: To use DxDataBook, an ODBC data source must be created to point to the database, then DxDataBook must be attached to this data source. If Configuration: None is displayed in the lower section of the DxDataBook application window, this indicates that no database is attached. See the Appendix at the end of this lesson (Pg. 46) for details on performing the setup if steps 1-4 in this exercise dont work.
Configuring DxDataBook
Select File > Open > Project and select C:\PADS_ES_ Evaluation\Lesson4\Lesson4.prj. In the Navigator Pane, double click the LMB on Corporate to enable Sheet 1. Select the Navigator button, DxDataBook button and the PADS Decal Preview button to open the window panes. The PADS Decal Previewer pane can also be enabled through the View > Other Window > PADS Decal Previewer pull down menu selection. You can also use Ctrl+Alt+J to open the PADS Decal Previewer. If the Output pane is open, select the Output pane button to close it. Using the RMB, Place the cursor anywhere within the DxDataBook pane, select Configure > Open pop-up menu. Using the Browse button, navigate to the C:\PADS_ES_ Evaluation\Libs directory. Once there, select the Corporate.DBC file and click Open to activate the DxDataBook configuration settings.
40
Select the scroll bar located at the bottom of the DxDataBook window and scroll the dialog window all the way to the right. You should see a column labeled Datasheet. These are links to Datasheets that describe more about the parts listed in DxDataBook. Using the LMB, select on one of the datasheet links.
Note: Notice the Datasheet opens and displays the PDF content. Note: If you didnt install the DxDesigner Evaluation in the default location under C:\PADS_ES_Evaluation, then these links will not work.
Note: Any field can be configured as an active link. For example, you may want to open a simulation model from the schematic. To modify the configuration right click in DxDataBook > Configure> Edit Configuration. Then select the desired library and find the Property Name youd like to turn into an active link. Select the cell until the icon is the same as shown for DATASHEET.
If you opened the configuration (see note at right) click Cancel. Scroll the main DxDataBook window back fully to the left.
41
42
43
44
Note: We made a unique change to a part so the part number no longer matches the defined power rating. This condition could lead to a very expensive problem due to the way parts are ordered through a companys purchasing department. Part numbers that do not match corresponding properties generally lead to overstocks and delays in schedule. Both are costly to correct and can be avoided if a DxDataBook configuration is in place. Lets look at how DxDataBook can find these inconsistencies and resolve them quickly.
45
Verification in DxDataBook
DxDataBook has the ability to run verification on a group of selected items, a single page, or an entire design. The functionality is similar but for this exercise you will do a verification of the parts we just placed.
Verification
Select the Filter button located on the toolbar. Enable only the Symbol check box. While using the LMB (or Cntrl+LMB) drag a select box around the three symbols we just added via DxDataBook. Click on the New Live Verification Window button located in the DxDataBook dialog..
Note: This button is also used for verifying an entire page if no items are selected when it is activated.
A new window will open showing the three parts color-coded. If we click on any of the parts, that part is highlighted in the schematic.
(Yellow) Indicates a component has multiple matches. This is the generic we added. (Green) Indicates the properties on the schematic match the database and only one part matches. (Red) Indicates that there is a conflict between the database and the schematic and no parts match. This is the part where we changed the Value so it no longer matches the Part Number.
Fix the problem with the capacitor which is not correctly specified. Using the LMB, double click on the Yellow Circle. On the right hand side a search window opens up with the common properties automatically applied as filters. Using the LMB, select any part listed in the DxDataBook dialog. Using the LMB select the Annotate Component with all Properties to add the correct part information.
Notice the circle changes from yellow to green and the Properties Editor now shows the capacitor as a completely defined symbol/part.
46
Select all three parts you placed using the CNTRL + LMB keys. Hit the DEL keyboard key to delete the added parts.
47
48
Review Answers
1 Sorting through a library of a couple of hundred parts might be tedious, but not impossible. Doing the same for a library (or libraries) of thousands of parts would be extremely time-consuming and difficult to manage. Fortunately, DxDataBook allows you the ability to perform very complex filtering and searches on large databases of components and presents you with a selection of candidate parts. 2 DxDataBook will work with most ODBC-compliant databases allowing you to access the wealth of purchasing and engineering data that may already exist within your company. This connectivity also extends the capability to populate the properties of components in your design directly from the information in your company database(s). 3 DxDataBook allows you to build very complex searches so that you can quickly narrow a search of thousands of components down to a select few for consideration in your design. These searches are cumulative, so you can start out with a broad range of parameters and then add additional qualifiers until you have found the desired part. 4 Yes, you can select a similar component and place it in your design. Then you can edit the properties of the part and save it as a new symbol using the Symbol Editor. This saves you time and promotes uniformity across your libraries. 5 When creating a schematic with a large number of symbols, it is sometimes necessary to edit values and properties as the design evolves. These changes can sometimes elude updating until later in the design process. Verification allows you to periodically compare your design database against your component database to resolve any changes or conflicts. Selecting and Verifying Parts in DxDataBook
49
Note: The schematic shown will be constructed during the following exercises.
50
Adding a Border
A border may be added automatically based on Setup > Settings > Project > Borders. The border mapping should be in your companys template project so that you dont have to change this. You can also add a border manually by placing the cursor in the working area, select the RMB the selecting the Insert Border menu selection.
Note: When adding a border using this method it is taking the symbol defined in Setup > Settings > Project > Borders
Change the sheet size of this new sheet to a C size sheet. This is done using the Drawing Size drop-down in the Properties window. RMB and pick Change Border from the pop-up menu. Select mentorpageother.1 from the CorporateDemo library. Press F8 a few times to Zoom Out or hit the Home button to change the view so it centers on the format.
51
Placing Parts
Placing Parts into the Schematic (Manually)
Within the Symbol View (Symbols tab) dialog, enter the symbol filter RES. Only symbols starting with RES are shown. Select resistor from the library CorporateDemo. In the Symbol Viewer, place the cursor over the resistor.1 shape, hold the LMB down and drag the symbol into the schematic working area. Release the LMB to drop the part. Lets add a second symbol. First select Clear Filter. Then enter capn in the Symbol Filter entry. The program will automatically select capnonpol. Place the cursor over the symbol displayed, hold the LMB and drag the shape into the working area. Release the LMB to drop the part.
52
Placing Parts
Placing Parts
53
Select the LMB to place the power symbol in the working area. When you have placed it click RMB to release the command. Follow the same steps to add a Ground symbol to the schematic.
54
Placing Parts
Placing Parts
55
Arrays
The Array feature can be used to add components and to add net labels. It can also be used to add multiple objects.
Using Arrays
Using the LMB, click on a capacitor so it is selected. Select the Array button to begin the arraying process. Fill in the dialogue as seen below: Rows = 3, Columns = 1. Select the OK button to complete the action. The parts are automatically added and as you drag the cursor, you can expand the array until the parts are spaced as shown (3 rows and 1 column).
56
Placing Parts
Rotate a Symbol
Using the LMB, select one of the resistors. Select the Rotate button and notice the part rotates 90 degrees.
Note: The Rotate button is located on the Transform toolbar.
If the toolbar is not active, go to View > Toolbars and select the Transform toolbar. Using the LMB, select one of the resistors. Hold the LMB down and move the cursor.
Note: Notice the symbol moves with the cursor.
While the part is moving, hit the F9 key and notice the part rotates. Release the LMB to place the rotated resistor. Using the RMB, select one of the capacitors. From the RMB pulldown menu, select Rotate
Note: Notice the part rotates at the cursor.
Placing Parts
57
Moving Components
Arrange the components as seen in the figure shown. To move components, select and hold the LMB down while the cursor is over the part you wish to move. Drag the cursor to the desired location. Release the LMB to drop the part.
NOTE: The two capacitors located in the lower right can be deleted by selecting them and hitting the Delete key located on the keyboard.
You can select and move multiple components simultaneously using the CTRL key + LMB (to execute a multiple select). Hold down the CTRL key while selecting all desired parts with the LMB. Release the CTRL key and continue to hold the LMB to drag the cursor and any selected parts to a new location. Release the LMB to place the parts. Close the project when you are done.
58
Placing Parts
Review Answers
1 Sometimes it is difficult to predict in advance just how much room your design might consume on a sheet (or sheets). You can start a design with a specific border size, and at any time during the design process, change the border to a size that more closely fits the design requirement. 2 You can easily mirror a symbol during placement by using the Mirror button on the Transform Toolbar, or click the RMB and select the Mirror command from the menu. 3 Though the DxDesigner libraries contain a selection of PWR and GND symbols, you are free to add any custom symbols to the library that you require in your design. 4 Many designs contain groups of identical components such as switches, LEDs or decoupling capacitors. For example, some designers put all of the decoupling capacitors for a design in a group arrangement on the last page of the schematic. Using the Array command, you can place large grouping of these components with a few mouse clicks. 5 Properties do rotate with a symbol, however you must be careful when doing this if you want the visible properties to maintain a specific visual relationship to the component. In some cases, such as discrete components (capacitors, resistors, diodes), it is preferable to create a separate symbol for a horizontal orientation and the vertical orientation. This alleviates the need to make any fine tuning adjustments to the visible properties after the symbols have been placed.
Placing Parts
59
Connecting by Abutment
Open C:\PADS_ES_Evaluation\Lesson6\Lesson6.prj and then in the Blocks section, double click the schematic Logic_YourName to open the sheet. Lets zoom in closer to the ICs. To do this select the Zoom icon and create a frame around those two symbols. Select one of the two ICs located in the schematic. Select and hold the LMB, to drag the first IC over toward the second IC placing the pin edges directly over each other. Release the part by releasing the LMB. Reselect the part again and drag it away from the first IC. The pins are automatically connected as we drag the second IC away from the first.
60
Using the RMB, select the resistors upper pin to connect the net to it. Create the connections as shown on the schematic. Do not worry about assigning signal names at this point. You will do that next.
61
The Properties window will open and wait for you to enter a name. Enter C/BE3. Using the LMB, select and drag the net name you just created. Place it to the left of the net.
NOTE: If you move the net when attempting to move the label, then you have the net selected in addition to the label. Try zooming in closer or using the Selection Filter to limit selection to the name.
Using the LMB, double click on the connection end of the signal just above the one we assigned our fist signal name to. Name this one C/BE2. Select the LMB to release the signal name and the selected connection. Now select the signal name again, hold the LMB and drag the signal name to its desired location.
62
63
To make a property type visible you can check the box next to the Property. Check the box next to PKG_TYPE. Notice PKG_TYPE is now shown below the symbol. To make only the value visible check the box next to SO24L and uncheck the box next to PKG_TYPE. Now only the value SO24 is visible.
64
If the Property window is still open and the IC on the left is still selected then we will add a property. In the Property window click in the blank cell at the bottom of the list and select PART_NUMBER from the list. Enter 510_5V_IC for Value. Using the LMB select the IC on the right side of the schematic. Enter the following property information:
PART_NUMBER = 506_5V_IC DATASHEET = C:\PADS_ES_Evaluation\Datasheets\ CD54HC192.PDF Note: This last step links the part to a datasheet. A link can be made to any type of document or website. The document can be launched directly from the schematic.
Select the symbol and then use the RMB menu and select Open Hyperlink > DATASHEET. Note: This process launches Adobe Acrobat with the appropriate datasheet.
Select the Close Window button in the upper right, to close down Adobe Acrobat.
65
Change/Edit Properties
Select the resistor on the bottom left. Add or change the following properties: DEVICE RESISTOR1206 PART_NUMBER 107-RES PKG_TYPE CC1206 VALUE 5.1K TOLERANCE 1% POWER 250mW Select the resistor on the top left. Add or change the following properties: DEVICE RESISTOR1206 PART_NUMBER 101-RES PKG_TYPE CC1206 VALUE 10K TOLERANCE 1% POWER 250mW
66
In the Properties window click in the blank cell at the bottom of the list to add a new property. In the Property field select PART_NUMBER. In the Value field enter 12301-CAP. Select Enter to complete the property assignment. Now if you select each capacitor individually you will notice they all have the same PART_NUMBER property. Add the following properties to all three capacitors. DEVICE CAPNONPOL PKG_TYPE CC1206 VALUE 10U TOLERANCE 5% VOLTAGE 16V When you have finished adding the properties, review the assignment on each individual part, then close the schematic sheet.
67
Next, zoom in to the left side of the symbols. Using the Add-Bus button place a vertical bus labeled A[15:0] to the left of the symbols.
Note: Label the bus by assigning the A[15:0] value to the Name property for the bus.
68
Clicking the OK button will place the nets on the bus starting where you last clicked. When the net lines are in-line and touching the symbol pins, click the LMB to connect them. When you release your mouse the nets will be connected.
NOTE: The yellow properties are the ripped bit indicator. These indicate which bit of the bus is attached to a particular net.
69
70
Review Answers
1 As long as the schematic accurately represents the desired connectivity, it is not necessary to connect every net to all points. Connectivity can be established by naming the nets, and as long as all net stubs are identically named, connectivity will exist. 2 In addition to establishing connectivity, net names also help identify signals in very complex designs. Some designers will name their nets with a convention that represents the source and destination of the net (such as FPGA_A\S3_A_MEM_A_ADDR0). This makes it easy to identify the purpose and connectivity of a net just by examining the name. 3 Which properties you choose to make visible is primarily a decision based upon the intent of the document. Most designers choose to have reference designators (REFDES) visible along with component values, tolerances, wattages and component names. This is a very individual decision and each company may find it necessary to set their own standard. DxDesigner allows you to set visibility of properties down to the individual component level. 4 If your design contains a quantity of identical components, it may save a lot of time if you select the group of components (either in the workspace or through the Navigator) and then assign/change the properties for all of the components simultaneously. This helps to promote uniformity and continuity across the design. Remember to verify the components with DxDataBook when you have finished the design. 5 Connectivity can be accomplished by using individual nets to connect each point, or by naming each of the nets. Showing all of the connections on a schematic can make the schematic difficult to read and add unnecessary visual clutter. An alternative is to use a bus to represent a group of nets (such as an address or data bus) that connect to a number of points (or sheets). This allows you to show the connections at the components but represent the group across the design with a single (wide) net line. The bus is identified with a label that shows all of the signals represented by the bus (such as ADDR_BUS_0:15). Wiring the Schematic
71
Entering Constraints
Switching Projects
Open the Navigator window by selecting the Navigator button or by using the CTRL-ALT-T hotkey. Using the RMB click on Lesson7 (or the active project) to activate the pop-up menu. Select Open Project. Browse back to C:\PADS_ES_Evaluation\Lesson7 Select the Lesson7.prj file. Select the Open button to complete the process. If any files were open, a dialog like the one shown will pop up. Select Yes. Hit the [+] next to Boards to expand it. Double Click LMB on Corporate to open the first sheet of the schematic. Select the [+] next to Corporate to see all the schematic sheets.
72
If you reviewed the Constraint setup dialog in the previous step, select Cancel button to exit the Setup > Settings dialog. Using the LMB click on the CLK_IN net from within the working area of the schematic.
Note: If you are not able to select the net you may need to modify your Selection Filter settings. You can do this with the Selection Filter button.
With the net selected the Constraint Editor now shows the constraints associated with this net. We can change constraints just like we changed properties.
73
Changing Constraints
With the CLK_IN net still selected, we will edit the constraints. Using the LMB, double click on the constraint value for Length Min and change it to 1000. Then change Length Max to 2000. On the bottom of the Constraints dialog, notice the Route tab. Select the Route tab and change the Autoroute setting to False. On the bottom of the Constraints window, select the Clearance tab and change the Trace-to-Trace clearance from 6 to 4.
74
75
76
Where Diff Pair is located assign BSYNC+. While holding down the CTRL key, use the LMB key to select the BSYNC+ signal.
Note: At this point both BSYNC+ and BSYNC- should be selected and seen in the Constraints window. Also note: A new tab named Differential Pair will appear in the Constraints window.
77
(Continued)
Select the Differential Pair tab to view the constraint options. Select the Constraint name Gap in the Differential Pair tab to first select the entire row. Then select the cell for BSYNC+ (the left-most net cell) in the Gap Constraint row. At the prompt Are you sure you want to edit this cell? The value will be applied to all 2 selected cells., select the Yes box. Set the Gap to 4.0 mils and press Enter. Both values are changed to the 4.0000 mil gap setting.
Note: You may need to adjust the column sizes so you can see the attribute values for both nets. To do so, simply place the cursor over the column edge, hold the LMB and drag to the appropriate direction.
78
Review Answers
1 Rules and constraints help establish structure in the design. Not all signals in a design can be routed together without introducing interference and/or crosstalk. Rules and constraints allow you to create specific routing conditions for each signal (or signal type) in the design, each with its own set of spacing and layer assignment rules. The more complex the design, the more helpful these rules and constraints will be. 2 Constraints created in the schematic are passed to the Layout environment. Once the design is in Layout, any changes made to the constraints can be back annotated to the schematic to keep the design data in synchronization. 3 Sometimes you will want to assign the same constraint (spacing, net length, etc.) to a group of similar nets. Rather than do this individually, you can group these nets into a class and then any constraints assigned to the class will be automatically assigned to all of the nets in that class. This also simplifies the process of making edits or changes. 4 The Constraint system in DxDesigner is extremely flexible and will allow the designer to assign rules and constraints to a large variety of design elements including groups of nets, individual nets, differential pairs (including at the individual pair level) and even down to individual pin pairs. Being able to exercise this level of control over the design helps the designer to meet the most demanding requirements.
79
80
Variant Manager
Variant Manager
81
82
Variant Manager
Creating Variants
As you can see nothing has been defined yet. Start by selecting the Variant Definition Icon . From the Variant Definition dialog create two variants by clicking on the Create New Variant button twice. Rename the two variants Variant1 and Variant2 respectively. Note: Using the LMB, double click the cell to edit. Fill in the Number and Descriptions as shown. The Variant Groups Tab in the dialog above is helpful for sorting or filtering specific variants when there are many in a single project. The groups you setup here will be available from the drop-down shown below in the main window. Click OK to exit this dialog.
Variant Manager
83
Defining Variants
Now that you have configured Variant Manager and created two variants you will define the specific variant parameters.
Unplacing Parts
Using the LMB, select in the cell under the Variant1 column, next to C35. Variant Manager allows the cross-probing from the schematic into a variant and vise-versa. Be sure the Transmit and Receive mode buttons are both depressed to enable cross-probing. Select the [-] next to the schematic sheet Analog_ Switch to compress the view.
Note: If you don't see the Analog_Switch [+] icon, make sure that Flat Design View is unchecked.
Find IOPort1 and Unplace all of the components in that block. This can be done by selecting the LMB to select cell next to the IO_Port definition in Variant1, followed by selecting the RMB to open the pop-up menu. Select the Unplaced option from this menu to unplace all parts on this Hier sheet.
84
Variant Manager
Variant Manager
85
Sorting Parts
The columns in this window not only provide additional information but they also act as filters. Select one of the column headers and notice you can either sort (ascending or descending) or filter (on available values) based upon the part you are looking for. Replace C16 with the smallest value available for a capacitor. This can be done by selecting the VALUE column and then sort ascending and double click the first part available.
86
Variant Manager
Using the LMB, double click the first capacitor in the list to apply it. Save your work by clicking the Save button.
Variant Manager
87
To create the variant schematics simply click to select the Variant1 column and then click the Create Variant/ Function Schematics button. After doing so you will notice a prompt opens in the design view informing you that DxDesigner is in Variant Manager Mode (All schematics are read only). Variant name: Variant1 Use the navigator to find Sheet 5 and select IO_port1. Select the RMB while over IO_Port1 and select Push Schematic.
Note: The parts represented in blue are the ones we unplaced in Variant1. Note: We set a particular color for all unplaced variant parts (teal). This was setup in a previous lesson.
Note: We also had the option to Markup rather than color unplaced parts which would have resulted as shown above.
Or, we could have configured the Variant Manager to delete unplaced parts as shown.
88
Variant Manager
Variant Manager
89
Configuration
Before creating a variant you will need to set the Variant Match condition in your Databook .dbc file.
Note: This VM Match condition column is only visible from the configuration within Variant Manager. If you try to edit the configuration from DxDataBook then you will not see this column.
Be sure you have the VM Match column in each library set so PKG_TYPE is =. If you fail to configure the VM Match condition correctly then you will see multiple package types available for replacement as shown. Be sure DEVICE is added to the Query results. If you fail to do this then you may see an error message when choosing a replacement part. Be sure the PADS tab links Part Number to DEVICE. If you havent done this then the replace menu will be grayed out and you will not have parts listed in the Part Number column. The properties are case sensitive. Check your database configuration for property cases. For example, a configuration might show the value Device rather than DEVICE. If you have a case sensitivity problem then you may see an error message when replacing a part.
90
Variant Manager
Review Answers
1 Many products are built around the concept of a core product design and a number of optional features. DxDesigner supports this type of design through the use of variants. Each variant design can have specific components installed, uninstalled or substituted. Using the Variant Manager, separate BOMs can be specified and tracked. 2 The variant data is also forwarded to PADS Layout so that individualized Assembly Drawings can be created for each design variant. 3 Variant Manager allows you to create as many variants of the design as you need. 4 Variant Manager supports a wide variety of output formats so that you can deliver the information to downstream users in a suitable configuration. Data can be output in HTML, text, Excel spreadsheet, CSV files, and other formats so that Engineering, Manufacturing, Purchasing and others can all share the same design data.
Variant Manager
91
92
Adding An Attribute
With nothing in the list selected, click the New button to add a new attribute at the end of the list.
Note: To add an attribute in the middle of the list, click on the list item directly above the location where you wish to add the new attribute. You can also use the Up and Down Arrow buttons to reposition the order of the attributes in the list
Verify that Property is selected for the Type and for the Property Name, select DESCRIPTION from the drop down list to specify the content of the column. Enter a Column Width of 50. Enter 0 for the decimal places. The new attrubute is now complete.
93
Editing An Attribute
Double-click the cursor over the Column Label Name COST. This will allow you to edit the name. Change the Column Label Name from C0ST to COST.
Note: COST is spelled with a Zero (0) and it should be an O.
You can rename any of the Column Label Names as your reporting needs change.
94
Select File/Exit to close the Notepad file. Select File/Exit to exit to close DxDesigner.
95
Review Questions
1 Is a BOM a printed report or a data file? 2 How much detail can be contained in a BOM? 3 Will a BOM show detail for each part or condense the list of identical parts? 4 Can I save a BOM setup for use in a future design?
Review Answers
1 The BOM can be output in a number of different formats to suit the needs of the target audience, including Excel spreadsheets, PDFs, text files, CSV files and others. 2 A BOM can contain as much or as little detail as you require. During the setup of the BOM, you will be offered a number of options allowing you to fully customize the report. 3 The BOM can be configured to show both. Typically, you would show a condensed listing that would have one entry for each different component and a field that indicates all of the REDESs that use that particular component. Alternately, you can also include a listing that includes one entry for each component in the design. 4 You can save specific BOM configurations in the Reports dialog. These will be stored with the PADS Layout application configuration and available in future Layout sessions.
96
Design Capture with DxDesigner Lesson 10: DxDesigner Integration with HyperLynx LineSim Using LineSim Link and Simulation
This exercise will walk you through the process of selecting a net for simulation, reviewing Simulation Models assigned in DxDesigner, importing a net into HyperLynx, performing an analysis and saving the results for future use
In the Properties pane review the Simulation models assigned (you may need to scroll down to see it).
Note: If the Properties Window is not visible, click the Properties button on the View toolbar.
97
(continued)
Using the LMB select the net DATA_BUS0 starting from U14.13. When the net highlights, click the RMB and select LineSim Link from the menu. In the LineSim Link dialog, select Load Data from DxDesigner and check the radio button Complete Schematic (export including interconnections) in the Schematic Contents section.
Note: In the LineSim dialog the user can change parameters to the Transmission Line Properties. We will not make any changes and use the default settings.
In the LineSim Link dialog, select the Schematic Topology tab where we will review the drivers and receivers for this net. Expand both Electrical Net 1 and DATABUS0 by selecting the [+] next to each of them. Select the U11.M26 pin and verify that the signal is designated as a driver. If necessary, use the Change Direction button in the Pin section of the dialog to alter the setting..
Note: Make sure that the small icon next to the signal name changes to a driver symbol (the button toggles this icon between the driver and receiver states.)
In the LineSim Link dialog, switch back to the Options tab and select Export to HyperLynx. This will launch HyperLynx LineSim with this net loaded for simulation and models assigned from DxDesigner. In HyperLynx, select the Edit Stackup icon. The cross section of the future board is defined as a 6 layer board and we will use it as is.
98
In HyperLynx, select the Run Interactive Simulation button and select the Rising Edge radio button. Make sure different colors are assigned to the probes, and select Start Simulation. Using the LMB, click two points in the Oscilloscope window as shown at the top and bottom of the overshoot of the waveform to review the span of the voltage overshoot. Receivers have a lot of voltage overshoot (about 2.9V). We want to save the results of the simulation for future use with the routed board. In the Digital Oscilloscope window, select the Save/Load button, select the HyperLynx .LIS radio button and then click the Save As button. Save the file with name DATA_BUS0_no_termination.lis. Close the Load/Save Waveforms dialog. Close the Digital Oscilloscope so that you can run a new simulation.
99
(continued)
To fix the Signal Integrity problems, we will add RC Termination to the U28.13 receiver. Select the Add RC Termination button and position the top of the resistor so that it touches the left blue dot at the output of TL2 . To assign values to the terminators, select the Run Terminator Wizard icon. Select the Apply Tolerance pull down and use the 5% setting. Select the Apply Values button to assign the value to the terminators and select the OK button. Rerun the simulation with RC Termination and the values assigned. You will notice that we cut down the overshoot by more than double (about 1.25V). We can continue to refine it to make it better but we will leave it as is. Save the results as we did in Step 12 with file name: DATA_BUS0_terminated.lis.
100
Review Answers
1 HyperLynx LineSim lets you model critical signals in your design and attempts to predict their expected behavior in the final board design. You can model a signal, use the tool to experiment with corrective measures and save the simulations for future results comparisons. 2 HyperLynx LineSim uses industry standard component models to predict signal behaviors along with sophisticated internal algorithms and proprietary technologies. 3 HyperLynx LineSim features Wizards that can suggest possible modifications to your signal chain to correct aberrations and performance issues. Simply run the Wizard and the system will present you with suggestions to correct signal integrity issues. 4 HyperLynx LineSim offers suggested values for terminators, not specific part numbers. It is up to the user to determine which manufacturers part number will meet the required specifications for the design.
101
102
Select the first OPAMP and RMB Simulation Model Properties Dialog. Continue adding the SPICE properties to the op amp... Select SPICE from the dropdown Select the Model File radio button Browse to the converted model file, HLA_AD8638.lib Select AD8638 Press OK, to close Model Properties, but stay in the Simulation Model Properties dialog. Continue on adding the SPICE properties to the op amp Select the Pin Mapping tab, and then View Model button, and arrange it to see the pin numbers. Press OK when finished. For the remaining 3 OPAMPS, make assignmets for each in the Spice Model Properties. The pin assignment changes made for the first opamp will be cached. Simply RMB on the opamp symbol, select Spice Model Properties and press OK to attach the model to the symbol. Select all 4 opamps, and verify the Properties, especially the Order property . Verify this property: Order=Model$
1. Unselect incorrect items to create a list 2. Select the correct pinout from the list
103
104
105
106
The measurement annotation can be selected and moved to view. For more power, EzWave has a tutorial, see Help >Tutorial!
107
Review Questions
1 When would I want to use HyperLynx LineSim? 2 Do I need a special license to run HyperLynx LineSim? 3 Can I compare HyperLynx LineSim results with those from HyperLynx BoardSim after the layout is complete? 4 What do I do with the results?
Review Answers
1 Early in the design process, you can use HyperLynx LineSim to model the behavior of specific signals and/or specify terminations that might be required. HyperLynx BoardSim then lets you model the actual physical trace on the board to see if the physical implementation of the signal performs as expected against the earlier simulation. 2 No additional licensing is required. HyperLynx LineSim is a licensed feature included in the PADS Suite. 3 HyperLynx LineSim lets you run simulations on specific signals and also lets you compare the simulation results with future simulations created in HyperLynx BoardSim. This capability lets you carefully examine the projected performance against the actual layout to determine if any tweaking is required. 4 The results provided by HyperLynx LineSim help you determine if any additional components need to be added to the design or if values of current components need to be adjusted. Any changes can be incorporated into the design at the schematic level and forwarded to Layout.
108
Design Capture with DxDesigner Lesson 12: DxDesigner and PADS Layout Integration
This exercise will walk you through the process of connecting DxDesigner to PADS Layout to exchange design data. In addition, you will see how to save yourself time and effort using a powerful feature known as cross-probing. This allows you to easily select parts in DxDesigner and then see those parts ready for placement in PADS.
Software Integration
This lesson will highlight the basic tasks utilized in Forward Annotation to PADS Layout, dispersing components, cross-probing, placement and moving components.
109
From the PADS Layout pull down menu, select File > Open. Browse for C:\PADS_ES_Evaluation\Lesson12\Lesson12.pcb and select the Open button. From the PADS Layout pull down menu, select Tools > DxDesigner The DxDesigner Link dialog will pop up. In the DxDesigner Project File field, select the Browse button and search for the C:\PADS_ES_Evaluation\Lesson12\Lesson12.prj file. Select the Connect button to establish the link. A DxDesigner session will be launched with the specified project loaded. You have now established a bidirectional link between the applications. Split the screen so you have half the screen with DxDesigner and half the screen with PADS Layout.
Note: Do not close the DxDesigner Link dialog.
110
Select the Forward to PCB button from the DxDesigner Link dialog. Set the parameters in the Forward Annotation dialog as shown. Select OK to start the netlist passing activity.
Note: The next window should indicate that the events were successful by placing a check next to each item. If there was a problem, an X would appear instead of the check. Then, you could select Show PCB.err or Show Report to see the details of the problem.
Note: During the Forward Annotation process, PADS Layout may remove single pin nets from the connectivity list as they are not candidates for routing. If an error report appears, read the contents to familiarize yourself with the types of reports that PADS Layout provides, and then close it Select Close to exit the Process Indicator window. Now minimize the DxDesigner Link window by selecting the Minimize button located in the upper right corner of the DxDesigner Link dialog.
111
Dispersing Components
From the PADS Layout pull down menu, select Tools > Disperse Components At the prompt, select Yes to start dispersing components. At the prompt, select Yes to allow undo.
Notice the parts disperse around the board outline.
112
113
In PADS Layout, select the Design button located on the main toolbar, to open the Design Toolbar. From the Design Toolbar that just opened, select the Move icon. From within the DxDesigner memory sheet, select the component shown.
Move your cursor over to PADS Layout and watch the part come to your cursor. It is ready for placement. Select the LMB to place the part anywhere within the board outline. Go back to DxDesigner and select a different component on this page. Move your cursor over to PADS Layout a second time and watch the part come to your cursor again. This interactive feature improves your placement efficiency dramatically. Again, using the LMB, place the second part somewhere on the board.
Note: If the workspace zooms in on the part when it is brought into PADS Layout, you can go to the Selection tab in the DxDesigner Link dialog and select None in the Selection Passing area. This will allow you to keep the view of the entire board so that you can more easily see where you are placing the component.
115
116
This will select all the equivalent parts inside the PADS layout via the OLE object linking capability. Move the cursor into the PADS Layout window
Move Sequential
Select the RMB and select Move Sequential from the popup menu.
With the part located at the cursor, and the cursor over PADS Layout, select the RMB followed by Rotate 90 from the pop-up menu. Using the mouse, place the component somewhere on the board. The part can be release from the cursor by clicking the LMB in the desired placement location.
117
Move Sequential
(continued)
Watch as the next component comes to your cursor. Place this component somewhere on the board near the other one.
Note: The order of the parts moving to the cursor may vary based on selection order in the schematic. You also have the option to place parts in alphabetical order (this is the default).
The next part snaps to your cursor and is highlighted in DxDesigner. Select the RMB followed by Flip Side to move the part to the bottom side of the design. To complete the placement process on any remaining parts simply move the cursor to the desired location followed by selecting the LMB. From within the PADS Layout application, select File > Exit to close PADS Layout. At the prompt Save before quitting, select No. From within DxDesigner, select the File > Exit to close out DxDesigner.
Review Answers
1 When you have fished your schematic, you need to forward the design to PADS Layout for physical design. Instead of manually sending files back and forth, DxDesigner Link lets you establish a seamless bidirectional link between the applications and automatically pass design data from one application to the other. This simplifies the process and eliminates any possible problems that might be encountered in a manual data exchange. 2 When you send the design data to PADS Layout, the system places all of the components at the origin of the design. As you pick parts in DxDesigner and place them in PADS Layout, the components are moved from the origin to the board. Having all of the components in that one location makes it difficult to visualize how many unplaced components you have left. It also makes it difficult to manually select a component from the stack. Dispersing the components separates them and places them in an orderly arrangement around the perimeter of the board. This lets you see each individual component and visualize the unplaced component quantity. 3 Cross probing lets you select a symbol in the schematic and then have it snap to your cursor in PADS Layout ready to place. Conversely, you can also select a component in PADS Layout and DxDesigner will automatically show you a view of the sheet that contains the symbol associated with the component. This bidirectional capability allows you to probe individual components as well as groups of components to aid in placement operations. 4 Selecting multiple components in the schematic is a common way of placing a related group of parts. For example, you could select all of the components in a power supply circuit and then bring your cursor into PADS Layout where all of the components in the group would be attached to the cursor. You could then drag the group to an isolated area of the workspace and arrange the components into a cluster. Once you have the placement of the components in the cluster optimized, you can then select the cluster in PADS Layout and move all of the components as a group to the desired area of the board. 5 Move sequential allows you to select a group of components and then move them one at a time as needed. You could select all of the components in a power supply circuit and then move your cursor into PADS Layout and select the Move Sequential command. Now the components will appear one at a time at your cursor, and as you place each one, the next one will attach to the cursor. This allows you to place the components in Layout one at a time until you have completed the placement of the power supply. DxDesigner and PADS Layout Integration
119
121
Welcome Screen
The PADS Welcome screen is a collection of helpful links that will help you to become a PADS expert very quickly. This screen contains tutorial information, videos, help features and a concepts guide to help minimize the learning curve. This content will help you to become productive in a very short time. Open the PADS Layout software by either clicking on the PADS Layout icon located on the desktop or by selecting it from the Start > Programs > Mentor Graphics SDD > PADS9.XX > PCB Layout > PADS Layout pull-down. Now that PADS Layout is open we can make ourselves familiar with the working environment. Lets take a look at the Welcome screen.
NOTE: Do not select Start a New Design or Open a Design item at this time. Just review the content. If you select either of these items you will need to close and restart PADS Layout to gain access to this welcome screen again.
Select Help and take note of all of the resources available. From the Help menu select Documentation and open the InfoHub to see additional documents for all products in the flow and links to customer support on SupportNet. Select Help > Modeless Commands to gain access to all the modeless keyboard commands available to PADS Layout. These are quick access tool functions available from your keyboard.
Placement and Routing with PADS Layout Introduction to the User Interface (Main Window)
Project Explorer Menus Toolbars Workspace
Status Bar
Output Window
123
Toolbars
The Standard Toolbar
Design ECO BGA Cycle Toolbar Toolbar Toolbar Project Explorer Window
Open
Layer
Zoom Redraw
Save
2D Line Copper Copper Keepout Flood Plane Auto Add Drafting Cut Out Pour Area Plane New Options Cut Out Separate Label
Move Rotate Swap View Split Dynamic Auto Add Make Like Part Clusters Route Route Jumper Reuse
125
Navigation
Open a Design File for Reviewing Commands
Select the Windows Start > Program > Mentor Graphics SDD > PADS 9.XX > Design Layout and Routing > PADS Layout or double-click the PADS Layout icon on your desktop. Select File > Open. Browse to the C:\PADS_ES_Evaluation\Lesson13\Lesson13.pcb. This will open a design file so that you can experiment with some of the PADS Layout navigation commands.
Keyboard Keys
There are several keyboard keys that act as shortcuts. Lets review just a few. Select and hold down the Arrow Keys to move the cursor in grid increments. Click the Page Up and Page Down keys to change the zoom level. Click the Home key to zoom around the entire board.
Modeless Commands
Modeless Commands are a more efficient alternative to menus. Modeless commands are activated by selecting a key on the keyboard prior to or during an activity. The Modeless command dialog can be deactivated by selecting the ESC key. Select the W key and notice the Width modeless command dialog appears. Select the L key and notice the Layer modeless command dialog appears. Full lists of Modeless Commands are available. Experiment with the modeless commands available in the Help > Modeless Commands pull-down.
The MMB (Middle Mouse Button) is used to either zoom in or zoom out. Click and hold the MMB while dragging toward the upper left. This creates zoom-in box around the area which will now be visible. Click the MMB and hold it to drag the cursor toward the lower right. This will initiate a zoom out box. The amount you zoom out is based on the relational size of the outer box to the inner box that is created during the zoom out process. Select the Alt key + Scroll wheel forward/backward to move the display window in the vertical plane. Select the Shift key + Scroll wheel forward/ backward to move the display along the horizontal plane. When you have finished experimenting with the navigation features and commands, close the design file.
127
Review Questions
1 Is PADS Layout a Placement or a Routing tool? 2 How many shortcut and/or modeless commands are available in PADS Layout? 3 How many ways are there to pan and zoom in PADS Layout?
Review Answers
1 PADS Layout is both a placement and a routing tool. You can use its advanced placement features to arrange your components as required and then utilize the powerful interactive routing features to interconnect the components. 2 The PADS Layout environment features a broad array of keyboard shortcuts and modeless command to perform many of the most common operations. Using these commands will allow you to quickly execute commands directly from the keyboard and saving you many mouse clicks and panning operations. Take time to familiarize yourself with the power of these commands. A complete list is available from the Help menu as well as in the documentation on the InfoHub. 3 Like most operations in PADS Layout, there are many ways to perform the same task. PADS Layout supports multiple pan and zoom operations using the function keys, arrow keys, PageUp/PageDn keys, the mouse scroll wheel and modeless commands. You will find different times in your design methodology where one method is more appropriate than another. Take the time to review the product documentation and try a variety of the methods to find the ones that work best for you.
Placement and Routing with PADS Layout Lesson 14: Setting Up a New Design
Creating a board outline for your PCB Layout is critical. PADS Layout will allow you to create board outlines of any shape including round, rectangular and irregular polygons. Cutouts and keep-outs can also be added to help manage more complex board requirements. Cutouts create void areas in the board outline while keep-outs are utilized to for placement and routing requirements. All shapes (including board outlines) can be generated using coordinates entered manually as well as with the mouse identifying each coordinate.
Board Outline Coordinates X Coordinate Y Coordinate
0
0 6133 6133 4720
0
3300 3300 324 324 0 0 324 324 0 0 324 324 0 0
590 590 0
Click the Spacebar to drop the first corner at the origin location. Type S <space> 0 <space> 3300 for the second corner location. Click the Spacebar again to drop the second corner. Follow the same steps for the remaining corners shown in the table (you have already entered the first two): Click the RMB followed by Complete to finish the board outline. The end result should appear as shown.
Note: To save time, the completed outline can be opened at C:\ PADS_ES_Evaluation\Lesson14\Lesson14(Board Outline).
129
Review Answers
1 The board outline acts as the design boundary. It is an intelligent design object and is a reference point for many design operations and objects. Components and routing can be setup to maintain a specific clearance from the board outline. It is used as a reference point for offsetting plane edges. It also represents the routing (milling) path for producing the final board shape extents. 2 The board outline should always be constructed as a single continuous polygon line so that it maintains its integrity as a design object. 3 Yes, there are buttons on the Drafting Toolbar for adding cutouts to the board outline. This will allow you to edit the board outline to accommodate specific mechanical requirements. 4 PADS Layout supports cutouts and slots in the interior of the board. This allows you to meet any requirements for specific types of voids/openings in the board. 5 Once you have created a specific board outline, you can save the design as a startup file and use it for future designs. You can also just save a copy of the design and name it appropriately so you can find it again when you need it for another design.
131
133
(continued)
At the prompt "Would you like to create a new Part Type", click Yes. Click OK to accept the defaults. At the prompt to "Save Part Type to Library", select OK to accept the defaults. (Name the Part Type the same as the decal.) Select File > Exit Decal Editor to close the decal.
135
Review Questions
1 What is the Library Manager? 2 What types of components can be created with the Decal Wizard? 3 Where do I get the data to input into the Decal Wizard? 4 How does the Decal Wizard assign the decal to the component in my design?
Review Answers
1 The Library Manager is a utility within the PADS applications that allows you to view and manage all of your library content. From the Library Manager you can add, delete, edit and move your libraries. 2 The PADS Decal Wizard supports the creation of decals for a large number of component families including SMT and thru-hole styles. The Wizard can create 2-sided and 4-sided decals including DIPs, SOICs, Quad Flat Packs, BGAs and polar configurations. 3 You can create a decal in the Wizard by entering the physical dimensions of the recommended land pattern from the manufacturers component data sheet. You can also use the IPC Land Pattern Calculator to determine the appropriate decal dimensions and then enter that data directly into the Wizard. 4 PADS Layout uses a Part Type as a container for the decal. When this Part Type is referenced by the symbol in the schematic, PADS Layout will load it into the design and assign the connections specified in the design database.
This is not the typical import method used with DxDesigner. For DxDesigner you would use Tools > DxDesigner Link to import your schematic design into PADS.
Placement
137
Click the ESC key to abort the Move command. Select the Ctrl + E hotkey and notice the part again snaps to the cursor. With a part moving with the cursor, enter the modeless command S <space> 3000 <space> 3000 <enter> (where <space>=spacebar and <enter> is the Enter keyboard key).
Notice the part moves to the X=3000 Y=3000 location.
Click the Spacebar to place the part at that location. Press ESC to deselect the part. Now you are free to move the cursor and to place another part. Select the Cancel button on the Find dialog to close that dialog.
138 Placement
Placement
139
140 Placement
Placement
141
Radial Placement
PADS Layout has the ability to place parts in a radial array. The array can be defined and refined as needed for optimal placement and routing. The radial array routine has auto calculators available for Angle Ranges, Delta Angles, required Start Angles as well as a Maximum number of sites. Any of these categories can be locked to allow for auto-calculation of the remaining parameters. Select File > Open. Open C:\PADS_ES_Evaluation\Lesson16\Lesson16B.pcb. RMB and set the filter Select Components. Area select the components to the right of the board outline. RMB > Radial Move.
Notice a radial grid appears and the components snap to it.
RMB > Radial Move Setup Configure the Radial Move Setup to match the settings shown. Stretch the components so they form 3 rows toward the board outline. Using the MMB, zoom into a section of the pads while you are placing. You will notice a finer grid appears when you zoom in. Click the LMB when you are ready to set the components down.
142 Placement
Review Answers
1 Though cross probing is the most powerful method for selecting components for placement, you can select the components directly in PADS Layout. Some designers like to begin their placement with the largest components first. Others prefer to place the connectors and other fixed components first. To do this, you can disperse the components around the edge of the board and then visually select the components that you want to manually place. You can still use cross probing to confirm your selections as you place the parts. 2 During placement and move operations, there are many options available that will allow you to rotate, spin and flip a component. This can be accomplished through the use of toolbar buttons, RMB menu selections and modeless commands. 3 One method used by many designers during placement is to partition a design into functional blocks before final placement. Rather than placing each component individually directly onto the board, you can group select all of the parts in a particular circuit and then move them to a clear area in the workspace for placement tweaking. Once you have the group optimally arranged, you can move the entire group to the desired location on the board. As the layout matures, you can also use the group selection capability to move clusters of components around the design as required. You can even rotate and flip the group during move operations. 4 Radial placement is useful when you have components that you want to place on an arc or in a radial array. A IC test fixture board is a common example of a design requiring radial placement. There are also many modern products that have form-fitting smooth curves in their design that would require you to place parts in a radial pattern.
Placement
143
Set the Recommended Trace width to 5 mils as well Click OK once the design rule changes have been made.
Select the Routing button to specify layers for routing. Select Component Side Layer 1, Routing Layer 2, Routing Layer 5 and Solder Side Layer 6 followed by clicking the Add button. Doing so will enable these layers for routing. Repeat the same steps to enable the STANDARDVIA and DFTVIA (Testpoint/Design For Test) vias as available vias. Click OK once you are done. Close the Default Rules dialog.
145
147
Review Answers
1 Unless you are designing a simple indicator board or connector interface, your design probably contains a lot of complex circuitry. You must be able to separate your different power supply voltages, keep analog signals away from digital signals, isolate your high-speed I/O signals and in general, provide adequate spacing between different signal types to prevent crosstalk and improve immunity to interference. Rules and constraints allow you to manage and control how these signals will behave when being manually routed and/or autorouted. These rules let you specify specific clearances between traces and design objects as well as set target lengths for critical nets. During routing operations, these rules and constraints are strictly enforced by the application so that your finished design will perform as expected. 2 Default rules are the baseline rules applied to all signals in the design. As you fine tune your requirements, you will edit and modify these rules with your own specific requirements. Any edits or new rules that you apply take precedence over the default rules. During routing, the system uses a rules hierarchy to determine which rules should be enforced; your new or edited rules will have a higher priority. If no higher level rules are specified, the system will use the default rules. 3 Repetitively assigning rules to individual nets can be time-consuming and difficult to maintain in large designs. By grouping like signals into classes, you can define your rules at a higher level and assign them to the entire class. This means you only have to create the rule or constraint once and it is assigned to all of the nets in the class at the same time. Likewise, when you edit the rule, the changes are instantly applied to all of the nets in the class making management of complex rules sets much easier to implement. 4 A typical design might have a large number of nets that use a default rule set. You may also have a group of nets (e.g., a data bus) that has a different set of spacing requirements. Your default rule might state that all nets should maintain a clearance of 6 mils from each other. The data bus might also have a spacing requirement of 6 mils between each net in the bus, but you also want to keep all data bus signals 10 mils away from any other signals that are not part of the data bus. This is where you would use Conditional Rules to add the condition that the data bus signals will maintain the 6 mil spacing from each other and 10 mils from everything else.
149
Select pin U10.15 and notice the connection converts to a trace. Notice the connection stays at the end of the trace. Drag the trace over the bottom row of pads and notice the trace routes right over the pad. Do not add any corners at this point.
Note: This is due to the online DRC being turned off.
Move the cursor back toward U10.15. Click the LMB, to define vertices. Add several corners in the trace. Click the ESC key to abort the routing process.
Interactive Routing
151
Click the Bus Route button. Select U14 pins 27, 28, 29 and 30 by holding down the LMB while drawing a selection box around them. Begin adding traces up and toward the left as shown. Move the first trace toward the left adding a corner using the LMB, as shown below. Notice as you add the first corner the other selected traces catch up. Drag the first trace a bit further toward the left. Click the LMB to add another corner. Notice the other traces catch up again. Press the Tab key and notice that the lead trace toggles to the next available trace. Stop toggling at the top trace so it becomes the leading trace.
Interactive Routing
153
Routing Busses
(continued)
Move the cursor around the SMD pads just above the new lead trace. Click the LMB to add a corner so the following traces can go around the corner and catch up. Continue routing the traces vertically, adding corners with the LMB, as you go. Move the lead trace toward the right as shown. Click the LMB + Shift key to add vias to the buss route. Use the Ctrl+Tab key to toggle between different via patterns. Press the Backspace key to remove any previously routed undesired traces. Use the Ctrl key + LMB combination to end the buss route.
Review Answers
1 DRC is an acronym for Design Rule Checking. When DRC is ON, it is in the background constantly monitoring and enforcing your design rules. This is powerful technology that helps you to maintain the integrity of your design during placement and routing operations. 2 There are three modes of operation: Prevent, Warn and Ignore Clearance. If you attempt to create a routing or placement violation in Prevent mode, the system will not allow you to complete the operation. Similarly, in Warn mode, the system will present a message warning you of the potential violation and asking permission to complete the task. If Ignore Clearance mode is in effect, you will be allowed to purposely create clearance violations, but other rules will be enforced. 3 During routing, you may have a rule that specifies a particular clearance for your traces as they transition across the board. When you near the end of the route, the signal must attach to a high density component such as a connector or BGA and there is not quite enough room to get the trace to its destination pin without creating a spacing violation. You can set up a component rule to allow the trace through at a smaller spacing, or you can turn off DRC temporarily so that you can complete the traces now and then edit the required rules later during the verification process. 4 When you have a group of signals that share common traits and are going to follow a similar routing path, you can route them as a group (or bus). You can select a group of nets and set one of them as the guide trace. As you route the guide trace from one point to the next, the other traces will follow along as a group, maintaining proper clearances and hugging the guide trace in a uniform pattern. This is a quick and easy way to route multiple traces such as address and data lines or a set of communications interface signals.
Interactive Routing
155
(continued)
Click the RMB, and set the filter mode to Select Anything. Using the LMB, select any of the highlighted vias, click the RMB and select Properties. Notice the check box for Plane Thermal. When this is checked the pad will get a thermal connection on the negative image plane. Select OK to close this dialog. Select the File > CAM pull-down menu. Select the Neg Plane Layer 3 (Gnd) entry from the list. Click the Preview button. Using the LMB, create a zoom box around the area where the previously viewed components are located. The pads that will get thermals when the Gerber data is generated. Select the Close button to close the Preview window. Select the Close button to close the CAM window.
157
Scroll down the popup dialog list until you see VDD. You may type V to jump to nets starting with the letter V. Select VDD followed by the OK button.
Select the Tools > Pour Manager to bring up the Pour Manager dialog. Once the Pour Manager is open, select the Flood tab. Select the Flood All option followed by the Start button. At the Prompt to Proceed with flood? Click Yes. Notice the copper pour polygon fills. If thermals are not generated for specific pads an error report will appear. Review the content. If an error report was displayed, select File > Close to exit the dialog. Click the Close button to exit the Pour Manager and view the flooded area. Type the modeless command PO to see how to turn off the pour visibility. Type PO again to turn it back on and notice the pour data returns.
159
Click the RMB followed by selecting Create Plane Area. Notice an inner outline appears around the inside edge of the board outline (this represents the plane offset). Select the VDD net at the prompt followed by clicking OK. Select the Tools > Pour Manager pull-down. Select the Plane Connect Tab. Click the Start button. Click Yes to "OK to connect?". Click the Close button to close the Pour Manager dialog. Using the MMB, zoom in to the area shown below. Notice the plane area is solid or filled completely. Select the Home keyboard key to zoom out around the entire board.
161
Press the Home key to see the entire board. Type L <space> 4 to change layers so the VDD Split/ Mixed Plane layer is active or select the pull-down arrow shown on the current Layer selection, followed by selecting the (H) VDD Mixed Plane Layer 4 layer. We are going to create a plane area that will define the connections to the VDDQ3.3V net.
Note: To save time, the outline of this shape has been predefined in the design.
From the Project Explorer, expand the Nets object and select the net VDDQ3.3V from the list.
Notice that the pads associated with the net are highlighted in the workspace view and the system zooms in to show all of the connections. You will also notice that a polygon line surrounds all of these connections.
Click the LMB button in a blank area to unselect the net. With nothing selected RMB and set the selection filter to Select Shapes. Using the LMB, click on the outline of the VDDQ3.3V polygon to select it. Click the RMB and select Flood from the pop-up menu.
At the prompt OK to Connect Plane(s)? click the Yes button. The polygon will fill with the VDDQ3.3V net color. With nothing selected RMB and set the selection filter to Select Board Outline. Select any side of the board outline and click the RMB and select Select Shape.
Notice the entire board outline highlights.
Click the RMB followed by selecting Create Plane Area. Select the VDD net in the Add Drafting dialog followed by clicking OK.
Notice an inner outline appears around the inside edge of the board outline.
With the plane area still selected, click the RMB and select Flood from the pop-up menu. At the prompt OK to Connect Plane(s)? Click the Yes button.
Notice the plane area is solid or filled completely.
Select the Home keyboard key to zoom out and view the entire board. When you are finished, close the design.
163
Review Questions
1 What are the different types of planes that PADS Layout supports? 2 How does PADS Layout connect PWR and GND nets to a plane? 3 How do I determine if I should use a solid or hatched fill for a plane? 4 How many different voltages/areas can I have on a split/mixed plane?
Review Answers
1 PADS Layout support three different types of planes: negative image (CAM) planes, copper poured planes and split/mixed planes. Negative image planes show their data as a negative image and have certain limitations that must be considered when using them. Copper pour planes and split/mixed planes a positive images that accurately represent the plane areas as solid objects. 2 PADS Layout allows you to assign a net to each plane or plane area. When you flood or pour the plane, the system uses either a solid or thermal pad on the plane to attach the signal to the plane. You can specify the parameters of the attachment pad to control the number of thermal spokes or you can choose a solid connection. 3 PADS Layout has flexible options available for the fill styles used for plane areas. Typically, you would use a solid fill to represent a plane area; however there are exceptions you might want to consider. If your design is going to be flow soldered, it is sometimes useful to use a hatch pattern for the plane areas on the outside layers of the board to avoid rippling of the plane areas that might be caused by thermal expansion during the soldering operation. 4 PADS Layout does not impose any set limit on the number of voltages/areas that you can create on a split/mixed plane. If you have a design that needs to distribute a number of different power supply voltages on a plane, you can subdivide a plane into dozens of separate areas if required.
RF Options
165
Vias are placed within the copper polygon maintaining the 25 mil center to center setting from the Via Patterns tab.
Note: If plane thermals are visible and make it difficult to see the details of the via pattern, select Tools > Options > Thermals and uncheck Show general plane indicators.
166 RF Options
Press the ESC key to release the trace. Click the RMB, set the filter mode to Select Anything. Select one of the newly added stitch vias and notice it is tied to the net assigned per the Via Patterns dialog (GND signal) and that the via type is STITCHVIA. RF Options
167
Review Questions
1 What are RF Options? 2 How would I use stitching vias? 3 How would I use via shields?
Review Answers
1 Designing RF boards presents an entire set of unique requirements to the designer. In addition to the requirement for highly-specialized component shapes, RF designs incorporate extensive shielding techniques to isolate, steer and control signals in various sections of a design. The RF Options in PADS Layout offers the designer an array of specialized features to help you achieve your RF design goals. 2 Stitching vias are used to connect plane areas and guard traces that act as shields for RF signals. It is a common practice to connect copper poured areas and planes on an RF design with large arrays of vias to stitch these areas together through various layers of a design. This allows the designer to create individually shielded cages around critical signals. PADS Layout offers a comprehensive selection of features to aid the designer in creating these design elements. The designer has complete control of the size, spacing and fill patterns used for stitching vias. 3 Via shields are similar in effect to stitching vias; however they are typically used to shield an individual trace in a design. The via shield options allows the designer to place a linear grouping of shielding vias along the edges of a trace to shield it from other nearby signals. The user is given complete control over the size, spacing and distance of these shielding vias from the target signal trace.
168 RF Options
Clearance Verification
This topic will show you how to validate your design rule constraints. The verify routine will review class rules, default rules, conditional rules, Pin-Pair rules and Group Rules to ensure compliance within the design. Select File > Open. Browse to and open C:\PADS_ES_ Evaluation\Lesson21\Lesson21.pcb. Select Tools > Verify Design In the dialog select the Clearance radio button. Click the Setup button and review the verification options available. In this example you will only enable the Net to All check. Then select the OK button to close the dialog. Uncheck the Disable Panning check box. Click the Start button to begin the verification.
Note: Unless otherwise selected, verification is run on all objects visible in the workspace view. Before running verification, size the workspace to allow just the board to be visible (not the text labels below the board). This will prevent the system from reporting unexpected errors related to text and other off-board objects.
Verification
169
Clearance Verification
(continued)
The verification routine returns with 4 errors. Click the OK button to continue with the verification process. The 4 errors are updated in the verify design dialog. Select one of the errors in the dialog and notice the screen adjusts automatically to center the selected error location in the working area. If you are unable to see the error, place the cursor over the error dialog and while holding the LMB drag the Verify dialog off to the side. Also, the MMB zoom feature will allow you to zoom into any area of the design (working area) to better see the violations. Select one of the errors located in the verify dialog and you will notice the screen will bring the error to the middle of the display so you can view it, hence making resolving the issue much easier.
170 Verification
Select one of the errors from the Verify Design dialog. The view changes and centers the error in the working area.
Note: If you do not see any errors you may need to move the verify design dialog to the far right, far left, top or bottom since the error will move to the center of the screen.
Verification
171
Review Questions
1 What is Verification? 2 What types of clearance violations does Verification check? 3 What types of continuity checks does Verification perform? 4 What other types of verification checks are available?
Review Answers
1 When you have completed your routing, you will want to check your design for any possible rules and constraints violations. The Verification capabilities in PADS Layout allow you to check your design for clearance violations, continuity and many other fabrication-related issues prior to generating your final outputs. 2 PADS Layout Verification can check your design against all of your clearance rules and present you with a report showing any violations found. Clicking on any violation in the report will give you specific details about the violation and highlight it in the workspace so that you can easily examine it. 3 The PADS Layout Verification continuity checks will verify that all signal and plane nets are properly connected and that there are no unconnected signals in the design. 4 In addition to clearance and continuity checks, PADS Layout Verification checks your design for a variety of fabrication issues such as acid traps, slivers, starved thermals, drill spacing and other manufacturing issues.
172 Verification
173
Welcome Screen
The PADS Welcome screen is a collection of helpful links that will help you to become a PADS expert very quickly. This screen contains tutorial information, videos, help features and a concepts guide to help minimize the learning curve. This content will help you to become productive in a very short time. Open the PADS Router software by either clicking on the PADS Router icon located on the desktop or by selecting it from the Start > Programs > Mentor Graphics SDD > PADS9.XX > PCB Layout > PADS Router pull-down. Now that PADS Router is open we can make ourselves familiar with the working environment. Lets take a look at the Welcome screen.
NOTE: Do not select Start a New Design or Open a Design item at this time. Just review the content. If you select either of these items you will need to close and restart PADS Router to gain access to this welcome screen again.
Select Help and take note of all of the resources available. From the Help menu select Documentation and open the InfoHub to see additional documents for all products in the flow and links to customer support on SupportNet. Select Help > Modeless Commands to gain access to all the modeless keyboard commands available to PADS Router. These are quick access tool functions available from your keyboard.
High Speed Routing and Autorouting with PADS Router Introduction to the User Interface (Main Window)
Project Explorer Menus Toolbars Workspace
Status Bar
Output Window
Spreadsheet Window
Navigation Window
175
Toolbars
The Standard Toolbar
DRC Filter Placement Routing Undo View Project Layout Board Explorer Spreadsheet
Open
Layer
Options
Cycle
Cycle
Save
Properties In-Place Selection Suspend Design Route Verification Editing Query Filter
Redo
Pins
Path
Layers
Flip
Traces
Vias
Pours
Cycle
Move Component
Spin
Stretch
Split
Interactive Route
Move
Length
Explain
177
Project Explorer
The Project Explorer pane allows you to leverage typical Microsoft Explorer style technology for an added increase in ease of use. Since most Windows users work with Windows Explorer everyday, it becomes very natural to use the similar features integral to the PADS Router environment. Output Navigation Window Window
High Speed Routing and Autorouting with PADS Router Project Explorer Interface Behaviors
The Project Explorer window is dockable or undockable, like all other windows within PADS Router. This provides you with the ability to further customize your working environment. It allows you to pick up the dialog box and move it to a more desirable location. You can resize and reshape the dialog box as you like thereby providing you complete flexibility. The windows can even be placed on a second monitor if you are using a dual monitor environment. Once the panes are arranged, you can view layer information, net information, design rule information, and intricate details of the design such as pin pair data. You can use the Expandable/Collapsible topics to view additional information defined in the database. You can create design rules constraints by simply dragging and dropping data into the appropriate areas. The design rule creation will be covered in a future lesson.
Output Window
179
Select the plus [+] located to the left of U1 to expand the data associated with that device. (Notice the nets attached to U1 are displayed) Try selecting several Pin Pairs and notice that they highlight in the working area. Close the Components database section by select the minus [-] located to the left of the word Component.
181
Select the Cancel button after reviewing the content, to close the dialog. Select the [+] located to the left of the net Match Track to expand the class and view the nets assigned to this class. You can expand the pin pairs associated with each net by simply selecting the [+] symbol to the left of any net.
Select the RMB (from within the working area) and notice there is a Make Class item on the pulldown menu. Click to create a new class called Class1. Select the new class name, RMB and Rename to change the name to ADDR_BUS. Click on the Project Explorer Button to close the Explorer.
Description
All grids set, except the display grid.
183
Toolbars
You can dock and undock toolbars allowing you to customize your work environment. You can display descriptive text and/ or buttons on toolbars to help learn the interface quicker. You can view Tooltips to help identify interface items as you use the tool. You can utilize large icons to make it easier to determine functionality. You create new toolbars with drag and drop to help optimize your working environment. Most of the items in the toolbars can also be accessed by keyboard commands, pull downs, and the right click menus. We will practice using some of the toolbar features to get familiar with the working environment. Notice the button groups that appear when you go into each main toolbar utility. Remember to place your cursor over each button to see the individual functions. DRC Filter Placement Routing
Note: Place the cursor to the extreme left of the toolbar. Hold the LMB down and drag the toolbar to the right hand side of the working area. Release the mouse to release the entire toolbar. This is how a toolbar can be moved. All of the toolbars can be moved in a similar fashion. The tool remembers where the toolbar was last.
High Speed Routing and Autorouting with PADS Router The Navigation Window
PADS Router allows you to view specific PCB data without disturbing the main display. To utilize this feature you simply need to enable the Navigation Window, then move the mouse over areas you wish to view. You can zoom in and zoom out depending on the information you are trying to evaluate. This window will also display feedback when routing such as showing color feedback for matched length pairs. This functionality will be demonstrated in a future lesson.
185
High Speed Routing and Autorouting with PADS Router The Spreadsheet Window
The PADS Router Spreadsheet pane allows component information, net information, constraint information and error information to be viewed quickly in a spreadsheet format that can be sorted by columns and exported to a report file (HTML). (Note: The error features will be reviewed in a future lesson.)
There are many other categories of data we can view in this Spreadsheet Window pane (see the dropdown list). Click on the Spreadsheet button close the window. PADS Router Environment
187
Properties
With any object selected you can open and show rules to see what special properties were set. These properties can quickly be reviewed, edited, or set directly by just selecting the object. This allows you to be more efficient when working with data inside your design. The Properties dialog will also allow you to view graphical data as well. If you select a via, you can actually view the layer breakdown of the pad stack. Along with via graphics you can also see Component data. A Component preview dialog shows you a graphical representation of the part selected. It can be of the component itself or the pins of a component. You also can view Design Property information as graphical data as well as Parts and Vias data. The layer stack for the design can be displayed both graphically as well as numerically.
Select any object and use the RMB menu or the Properties button to view the Properties . Flip through the different tabs to view the default Properties values.
189
Options
There are numerous options within PADS Router. PADS Router has the option to set the design units from within the tool. You can set the Pick Radius and also the Backup Number and Instance. You can set the working directories as well. You have the ability to set custom colors for different information in the layout. You have a palette that will support up to 32 different colors. You can copy layer colors and apply them to other layers. You have a choice over some of the route biasing. As you change the settings you can preview what the results will be like. Along with setting the Routing Biasing, you also can set the Fanout patterns enabling and disabling various options.
Review Answers
1 PADS Router is a very powerful interactive routing and autorouting environment that allows you to accomplish your board routing tasks with ease and accuracy. It offers a large selection of capabilities that are complimentary to those in PADS Layout, but also provides additional high speed routing technologies. 2 Project Explorer offers you the ability to examine all aspects of your design data including detailed information about your components, nets, net classes, groups, decals, vias and other design details. From this single window, you can select and examine just about any aspect of your design. Cross probing between the Project Explorer and the design workspace allows you to quickly query and examine data with just a few clicks. 3 PADS Router supports an extensive selection of keyboard shortcuts and modeless commands to assist the designer in accomplishing many design tasks quickly and easily. There is a detailed list available from the Help menu as well as complete command descriptions accessible through the documentation on the InfoHub. 4 In addition to the information on design objects available through the Project Navigator, the Spreadsheet View presents you with a wealth of choices for examining specific design details such as net lengths, component positions, differential pair assignments, matched length group routing results, and countless other design details. The Spreadsheet View is a valuable resource for viewing and locating the most intricate details of your design. 5 The Properties window allows you to view the properties of all of your design objects. As an additional aid to understanding these parameters, the Properties window will add a special symbol on the tab of any item that is different from the default settings. If you select a tab in the Properties window that displays this symbol, any properties that differ from the defaults will be displayed with a yellow background making it easy to visually distinguish them. 6 PADS Router offers an extensive array of Options to allow you precise control over every aspect of the design process. In addition to being able to specify behaviors during placement and routing operations, there are Options available for setting your display colors, setting up your autorouting strategy, specifying your fabrication rules, adding test points and running comprehensive verification checks on your design. Consult the product documentation for complete descriptions. PADS Router Environment
191
Select the Move Component button. Select a component in the design and notice the component warps directly to the cursor. You can use the SS modeless command to call a part out as well so it moves to the cursor, ready for final placement. Type SS <space> U1 to simulate this capability. Select the LMB to place the part down (or hit the ESC key to release). Select any single part again, hit the RMB and notice you can Rotate, Spin and Flip parts as well. Hit ESC to release the parts as they were. Hold down the LMB down and drag a select box around a group of components. Notice they highlight and move with the cursor. Continue trying out all of the various placement options. Use the mode that you prefer, whichever provides the highest level of productivity.
Component Placement
193
Component Placement
195
Review Questions
1 How do I place components without creating spacing violations? 2 Why would I use verb mode for moving components? 3 What additional types of manipulation can be performed while moving a component? 4 When would I want to move a component with a fanout?
Review Answers
1 PADS Router offers extensive support for checking spacing violations during placement and routing operations using DRC (Design Rule Checking) mode. If you enable DRC while placing parts, the system will enforce all spacing rules for pads and traces, and not allow you to place a part if it violates any of the rules. This will prevent you from putting components too close together and help prevent manufacturing issues later in the process. 2 In normal placement operations, you execute commands one at a time; when you finish the command, you must select your next command. Verb mode allows you to select a command and repeat it. The system determines that upon completion of a command that you want to perform the same operation again. This will stay in effect until you cancel verb mode. 3 PADS Router offers you many choices during a move operation including the ability to rotate a part in 90 degree increments, spin a part to any desired angle, or flip a part to the opposite side of the board. 4 After you have placed all of your components, you would typically fanout all of the pins on the component so that signals have a way of making connections to the inner routing layers. Sometimes these fanout patterns are quite intricate and take considerable time to create. If later in the design process you need to move the component to make room for another, it would be helpful if you could move the component and the fanout pattern together as a group so that you would not have to recreate the fanout pattern at the new component location. PADS Router allows you to move a component with its fanout in a single operation, thus saving you time and effort. DRC can be enforced during this operation to assure that you dont create any violations during the move.
High Speed Routing and Autorouting with PADS Router Lesson 24: Design Rules and Constraints
The PADS Router Design Properties were reviewed in the previous lesson. For review, when nothing is selected and the Properties dialog is activated, the Design Properties window displays the global setting or defaults. When an object is selected and the Properties dialog enabled, the design properties for that object is queried and displayed. The Design Properties dialog box can also be used to display all the different rules that PADS Router allows as well. Some example tabs include: The Clearance tab is used to set minimum clearance rules for the design. The Routing tab is used to set minimum, recommended and maximum trace widths for the design. The Via Biasing tab is used to allow or disallow vias from being used during routing. The Test Points tab is used to set the minimum clearance between probes and objects. The Fanout tab is used to define how devices are interconnected to internal pwr/gnd planes. The Pad Entry tab is used to set how traces should enter and exit a pad (side, corner, or any angle). The Topology tab is used to determine the order the pinpairs will reconnect during the length minimization process. The Layer/Layer Biasing tab is used to enable or disable layers from routing. Also, it is used to set layer directions for autorouting. The Same Net tab is used to help control the quality of routing both entering a pad/via and exiting a pad/via. Values are constraints to help control routing. Generally users will set up their design rules before they begin placement or routing. The design rules checking, verification routines, and autorouter can follow most of these rules.
197
In the top pane, select the [+] located to the left of Net Objects. This will open up all the categories available for constraint assignment. Select [+] to the left of Nets to expand the list of nets contained in this design. While using the cursor, select the net called BACKDR, followed by hitting the RMB and selecting Properties. This will open the Properties dialog so a constraint can be assigned to this net. If not already viewable, select the Clearance Tab located at the top of the dialog. Select the All button to enable the capability of setting all clearances to a specific value. When the Clearance Value dialog appears, enter the value 10.
Note: This will set all objects to a 10 mil clearance requirement throughout the entire design.
Select the OK button to complete the definition. Next, select the Routing tab. Set the Minimum Trace width to 10, set the Recommended to 10 and the Maximum Trace width to 10. Select the OK button to complete the constraint assignment.
199
Select the RMB followed by selecting the Properties menu selection from the pull down menu. From within the Differential Pair Properties dialog, select the Add button twice to add 2 additional parameter fields under the Set trace width and gap for the pair in the layer section of the dialog. Enter the parameters shown followed by selecting the OK button. This will complete the constraint assignment for our differential pair.
201
Holding the LMB over the nets, drag the group to the Matched Length Net Groups called BUSBARS. Let go of the LMB once over the constraint so the nets can be added to the new constraint. Select the RMB while over the BUSBARS Matched Length Net Groups. Select the Properties pulldown and notice the constraint information that can added as a design rule. Click Cancel to abort the constraint creation. Click the minus [-] next to the Match Length Group on the left Project Explorer pane. In the right Project Explorer, click the minus [-] next to Nets. Creating a matched length pin pair group is similar to creating a matched length net group, except that this group contains pin pairs either from the same net or from different nets.
203
Review Questions
1 Does PADS Router share Rules and Constraints with PADS Layout and DxDesigner? 2 How easy is it to define a differential pair in PADS Router? 3 What are some of the advanced differential pairs rules and constraints in PADS Router? 4 What are Matched Length Groups?
Review Answers
1 The PADS design environment enforces rules and constraints throughout the entire process, from schematic design to placement, routing, autorouting and CAM. Most rules and constraints are seamlessly passed between the applications so that the design integrity is synchronized at all times. With few exceptions, you can specify or edit rules at any point in the flow and be assured that they are enforced throughout the design process. 2 Defining a differential pair in PADS Router can be as simple as selecting a pair of nets and then dragging and dropping them on the Differential Pairs object in the Project Explorer. As with most everything else in the PADS environment, there are other methods of performing the same task using the RMB menu commands while selecting a pair of nets in the workspace. 3 In PADS Router, you can not only create a differential pair, but you can also assign specific routing layers for the pair and define specific routing rules (such as trace width and gap) for each of the routing layers. If you have controlled impedance requirements, you can specify different settings for the pair as they transition from one layer to another. 4 Matched Length Groups are a set of nets that have a specific requirement for a minimum length, maximum length or a target range. This means that all nets in the group should be routed to match the target length within a specified tolerance. You have the option to specify that all nets must be at least (x) long, no longer than (x), or fall within a defined min/max range of values. The Router will add length with accordions during routing if addition length is required.
High Speed Routing and Autorouting with PADS Router Lesson 25: Interactive Routing
PCB Layout Engineers all have their own style when laying out their boards. The PADS Router environment allows designers to either manually route critical nets or use other options as well. PADS Router gives the designer full control over the route topology. The Automatic Interactive Routing modes provide the ability to Fanout, Autoroute, or Optimize right at the designer's fingertips. The Autoroute and Optimizing Nets/Components features can help to reduce the amount of manual work the designer has to complete. Many designers use the interactive routing capabilities to help complete traces through sensitive areas while using the autorouter to finish the remaining portions. When using the PADS Router Autoroute routine, the software maintains design rules during routing that include setting trace widths, clearance rules, layer rules and via rules so the designer can concentrate on routing rather than monitoring the enforcement of the rules. The Route Monitor provides trace length information as routing data is added. The Push and Shove capability allows trace segments to be pushed around obstacles while simultaneously preventing other traces from routing through specified areas, all the time maintaining design rules. This will allow quick additions to the design while still maintaining design constraints. All the options that will affect interactive routing can be set using the Routing tab of the Options window.
Select the RMB and set the filter mode to select Unroutes/Pins. Type S <space> P2.8. This command will automatically move the cursor to P2 and point out where the 8th pin of that device is located. Using the LMB, click on that pin. This will select the pin.
Note: You can use the SS modeless command to search and select P2.8 to reduce the number of steps.
Using the MMB, zoom in on the area where the pin is by holding down the middle mouse button and dragging the mouse toward the upper left. With the pin still selected, hit the RMB and select Interactive Route. Start moving the cursor. Notice how the trace follows the cursor. This is called interactive routing.
Interactive Routing
205
(continued)
Start moving the cursor up. Notice how the cursor reads RT=<some number> and ET=<some number>. The number next to RT stands for the actual current routed length. As you move the cursor, notice the routed length increases. ET stands for the estimated length if the route were completed from where it is to the ending pin on that pin pair using the shortest path. Continue moving the trace to the right. Make sure to move the trace toward the closest trace located on its right side. Notice how that trace forces the adjacent trace over. This push and shove technology will allow objects to be pushed as long as they are not protected or the movement will not cause some type of constraints violations (e.g., trace widths, clearance, layer constraints, or via violations). Move the cursor/trace back toward P2.8. If you have added corners use the Backspace keyboard key to remove any previously locked routing corners. Place a via, toggling to the solder side layer by selecting the Shift key + LMB.
Note: Before proceeding to the next step, make sure that the Check Clearance tab is checked. This tab can be accessed by clicking the RMB while routing.
Using the LMB, click while routing to add a fixed corner. This creates a fixed route corner and keeps all the routing before it from changing. Hit the Backspace button again on the keyboard to remove this corner. Drag the mouse following along side this adjacent trace and up through the board.
Notice how adjacent traces move away from trace being added. Traces are separated in real-time, based on the design constraints set in the design. Without this capability, a user would have to hand move every object to make room for the trace to get by.
Select a connection you wish to route. Select the RMB while routing and deselect the Check Clearance option. Now drag the cursor around and notice how the system no longer prevents the trace from going into areas that would normally create a violation. Route a portion of the trace over another trace. Select the LMB to add a corner. Notice an error appears at the intersect point of the two traces. Select the Backspace keyboard key to remove the violating corner. While still routing a trace, hit the RMB, select the Check Clearance option from the pulldown to re-enable it. With the trace still moving with the cursor, select the RMB and deselect the Dynamic Route option. Now drag the cursor around.
Notice that the system moves in only one direction at a time but still pushes and shoves traces out of the way. Each time the user clicks it places an anchor point and allows the users to change directions.
Interactive Routing
207
Routing Options
(continued)
While the trace is still being routed select the RMB and select the Dynamic Route check mark to re-enable it. To change the width of a trace you can select the RMB (while routing), select the Width pull-right arrow and select the desired width from a menu. You can also use a keyboard modeless command to accomplish the same results. Type W <space> 8 and then hit Enter. The trace width will change to 8 mils from the last corner point. To change layers, click to add a corner where you would like to place a via and type the modeless command L <space> 2 (make sure you are currently not on Layer 2). Make sure you hit the OK button (or the Enter Key) to execute the modeless command. Notice: You are now routing on Layer 2 and a via was added at the location of the last corner prior to initiating the modeless command. To complete the trace you can hit the RMB and select Complete, you can double click the LMB or you can place the cursor over the terminating pad and select it using the LMB. All of these styles are available for you to choose from.
Using the LMB select U6. Select the RMB followed by Route. Notice how the nets connected to any of the component pins get routed automatically.
Interactive Routing
209
Review Questions
1 Must I have a clear routing path for a trace when routing interactively? 2 What is the plower? 3 Will the interactive router prevent me from placing a via in the wrong place? 4 Can I temporarily end a trace without going all the way to its destination pin? 5 What if I dont like the fanout pattern that PADS Router puts on a particular component?
Review Answers
1 PADS Router incorporates sophisticated push and shove routing capabilities that allow you to move obstructing traces and vias in real time while you are routing. You have complete control over how the router responds to various obstacles. 2 The plower allows you to push obstructions out of the way as you interactively route traces. You can control the operation and intensity of the plower as well as specify when the plower will respond as you move your cursor in the design. 3 The Interactive Router fully supports DRC modes while routing. If you have specified detailed clearance rules for vias and a specific via grid, then the Router will only let you place vias on grid and with proper clearances. This allows you complete control over where vias can be placed in the design. 4 Using the End Via Mode options, you can elect to end a trace anywhere in the design without having to route it all the way to its destination. This is allows you to route escape traces on large components and temporarily end the traces at a convenient location outside the perimeter of the component. You can then come back at some later point in time to complete the traces. This is especially useful if you are experimenting with different routing patterns or fanout strategies in congested areas of a design. 5 PADS Router offers a large selection of fanout patterns that you can set with the Fanout tab in the Properties dialog. The pattern that you choose will remain as the default for a particular component type until you change it. If after fanning out a component, you dont like the pattern, simply delete it and set another choice in Properties. This is one area of the application where you should spend some time experimenting and familiarizing yourself with the broad choice of fanout pattern options.
High Speed Routing and Autorouting with PADS Router Lesson 26: PADS Interactive High Speed Routing and Autorouting
The PADS Interactive HSD manual routing features allow interactive routing of trace lengths based on constraints like Matched Length, Min/Max Length, and Differential Pair constraints sets. During interactive routing the system gives real-time feedback on length constraints assigned to those nets. Length-based Constraints are recognized in real-time to allow accurate and timely routing of critical nets. The Length Monitor can identify when a trace is within the defined length constraint by changing the color of the monitor. The color coding on the monitor also helps users to determine when they are close, within or have exceeded the length constraint defined on the net, while they are adding the trace data. The HSD option also allows for routing using accordions. Users can add accordions quickly based on default parameters or by re-defining the shape on the fly. The Spreadsheet window provides real-time feedback on trace lengths as they are routed in the design. You can also receive real-time color codes on nets that fall short, fall within and exceed length limits set via rules right from within the Spreadsheet view. Differential Pair routing can be completed quickly and accurately by selecting one of the two nets defined. The second net automatically couples to the first maintaining the set spacing defined in the design rules. Accordion style routing can be applied to differential pair traces as well allowing you to maximize your trace length in minimum space. Tuning differential pair traces can also be done so the two lengths of the differential pair are identical in length. Traces that require special length considerations can be selected and routed prior to all others using interactive mode, saving time and increasing accuracy. Tune will a adjust nets to their defined lengths. This can be done to individual nets selected interactively. These features further help designers to meet their design constraints with efficiency. Autorouting is also available for batch routing of all nets making it even easier to complete your routing requirements using an automated format.
211
Drag the cursor to the right and notice an accordion starts drawing. Move the cursor back to where the accordion started. Start moving the mouse down until it is close to the connector pads. Once there select the LMB to set one side of the accordion amplitude. Start moving the mouse up until it is close to row of component pads (on U26) and select the LMB a second time. This will reset the total accordion amplitude. Now drag your cursor to the right and watch the program automatically add a new accordion using the new values. Drag the cursor slowly and watch the Project Navigation window change the trace color to green and then red. The green informs the user the length is within the design rule constraint range and the red tells the user it is longer than the maximum design rule. Press the ESC key twice to exit the routing. Select the Navigation Window button to close the navigator window.
213
Move the cursor below the pad to remove the section of trace that separated due to the obstacles. Select the LMB to add a corner and route up toward the terminating pad. The user also has the ability to route part of the differential pair separately. While still routing the diff pair, select the RMB and select Route Separately. Route the first trace around one of the pads as shown. Click the LMB to add a corner to anchor the trace. Select the RMB again and select Switch Trace (or Tab Key) to toggle to the second of the two diff pair traces. Route this one around an obstacle as well. Once completed, select the LMB again followed by the Route Separately command (or Shift + Z) to rejoin the pair together.
Note: This will only work if the vias and traces are unprotected. Go to Tools>Options>Routing Tab and under the Interactive Routing section, uncheck Protect Traces and Vias when creating segments.
Now hold down SHIFT and LMB. This will place vias on the differential pair.
Note: Make sure that the Layer Pair is chosen correctly (choose one of the Routing Layers as the Second Layer) or else routing might not continue from the vias dropped to the VDD or GND planes due to restrictions on the particular differential pairs.
Select the Cntrl + Tab key to toggle between the different available via patterns that can be added to the selected differential pair. Select the Backspace key to remove the other corners just in case you need to change direction. You can add accordions to the differential pair as well. While routing the diff pair select the RMB followed by selecting the Add Accordion entry from the pulldown menu (or select the Shift + A key). Continue experimenting with routing differential pairs.
215
Select the HOME key or the Zoom to Board button to zoom full board. Open up the Project Explorer pane by selecting the Project Explorer button. Select the [+] sign next to Net Objects to expand that design category. Select the [+] sign next to the Matched Length Net Groups to expand that as well. Select the [+] sign one more time expand the MLNetGroup1 design item. Select the [+] sign next to MatchTrack and notice there are two nets that lie beneath this group. Notice when you select the nets in the Explorer pane, the items are selected on the bottom of the board. With the nets highlighted, place the cursor in the working area, hit the RMB and select Route. Select the Modeless command U to turn off connections.
Note: To enable the display of connections again just enable the modeless command U a second time.
Click on MLNetGroup1 in the Project Explorer pane. Notice it highlights even when routed. Using the cursor from within the Explorer Pane, select ASYNC- net.
From the same pane, select ASYNC+ using the CTRL + LMB. Close the Project Explorer window by selecting the Project Explorer button. Open up the Spreadsheet window by selecting the Spreadsheet button. Select the Object Type called Net. Select the Net Length Monitor from the right pull down. Notice how the Routed Length of both traces is the same. Also notice how the value is equivalent to the minimum length rule. PADS Autorouter always tries to route to the minimum length. The accordions were added to create this length.
217
Review Questions
1 What features does the Interactive HSD Router provide? 2 Are accordions always symmetrical in construction? 3 How do I know when the length of my accordion is long enough? 4 When would I use route separately to route a differential pair? 5 How do I determine that a Matched Length Group has been routed to the specified length?
Review Answers
1 The Interactive HSD Router provides you with a number of advanced routing features including the ability to interactively route differential pairs and length controlled nets. This includes that ability to tune nets interactively with accordions. 2 PADS Router HSD allows you to interactively create accordions. You have complete control of the shape, amplitude and length of the accordion in real time while you are routing. Flexible options allow you to control how the accordion is created and decide if you want to set the amplitude of each element of the accordion or make it symmetrical. 3 The Trace Length Monitor presents an easy to understand color-coded display that allows you to visually see when a trace is routed to a required length. The display shows you when the trace is below, at, or above the desired length. The monitor does this in real time as you are routing the trace. 4 PADS Router allows you to easily route differential pairs together as though they were a single trace. However, there are situations where you might want to split the pair and route each pair member as a separate entity (such as when you need to connect them to pins of a component where only one trace is allowed between pins). Using the route separately command, you can temporarily split the pair and route each pair member as an individual trace, and then bring them back together as a pair when required. 5 In addition to the Trace Length Monitor, PADS Router will let you visually examine the routed lengths of a Matched Length Group by using the Spreadsheet View. This window will allow you to show the data for all of the nets in the group and view a color-coded report of their routed lengths in an easyto-understand visual report.
High Speed Routing and Autorouting with PADS Router Lesson 27: Setting Up a Design for Autorouting
Autorouter Strategy Setup
Select File > Open. Select the Lesson27.pcb located at C:\PADS_ES_Evaluation\Lesson27 directory. Select the Tools > Options pull down menu. Select the Routing tab. Toggle through the different Routing Angles (Orthogonal, Diagonal, Any Angle). Notice the Preview image changes to present a visual image of your selection. Select the Strategy tab. Notice the Pass Names: (Fanout, Patterns, Route, Optimize, Center, Test point, Tune and Miters). Notice the column options: (Pass, Protect, Pause, and Intensity). Using the cursor, double click on top of the word Components. Notice all the parts in the design become displayed. Select the [-] sign to minimize the Components. Using the cursor, double click on top of Net Objects to expand that portion of the dialog. Double click over the Nets item and notice a list of nets that are contained in the design appears. Place the cursor directly over the Pass Type named Route and select it with the LMB. Notice all the items associated with the pass highlight.
219
(continued)
From the list of nets scroll down to the net called ADDR_BUS2. Select it so it is highlighted. Click the Selected button so the net moves over to the Routing Order list. The routing order is the order that the Autorouter is going to follow when you start the autorouting routine. (Keep in mind the pass must be enabled of course.) You should notice that as you select the parts and nets from this menu, they highlight in the working area. The same would hold true if you selected the parts from within the working area first. This is better know as Concurrent Database Selection. When utilizing this feature you can highlight a net in the working area which will then highlight in the Strategy dialog so you can immediately click the Selected button to add them to the Routing Order. Use the Down Arrow button you can move the ADDR_ BUS2 net up or down through the list. Setting up the Route Order for other passes works similarly. Click the OK button to close the Options Dialog. Select Tools > Autoroute > Start (or F9) to begin the autorouter.
Note: PADS Autoroute pops up the Output Window and shows the pre-route analysis and the progress of the design.
Review Answers
1 Not every design is a candidate for autorouting. Though an autorouter is a powerful aid in quickly routing a large number of nets, it also requires careful setup and a good understanding of the underlying design rules and constraints. Sometimes it is a better choice to hand-route a design. It is often a good practice to manually route critical signals and then autoroute the balance of the nets when you are satisfied with routing of the critical traces. 2 Yes, a common strategy is to partition the autorouting in stages. Determine which nets you want to manually route, then divide the remaining components and/or nets into groups and autoroute each group sequentially, protecting the results at specific intervals. This allows you to incrementally route the design and review the results periodically during the process. 3 One of the advanced features of PADS Autorouter is the flexibility that it gives you during the routing strategy setup stage. You can easily assign certain nets (or classes) to specific routing layers. This helps you maintain crosstalk control and manage impedance requirements. 4 A lot of factors determine the success rate of any routing strategy; it is a delicate balance between rules definitions, component density, layer stackup and a myriad of other factors. Many times you will find that it is a good practice to run a series of test routes before running you final passes. This will allow you an opportunity to examine the results and modify your setting to optimize the autorouter behavior. With proper attention to the rules definitions and strategy settings, PADS Autorouter can provide exceptional performance and help you achieve maximum results.
221
Design Verification
223
Running Verification
Select the object type Clearance in the Design Verification Scheme area. Click OK in the dialog box to close the Options dialog. Select the Design Verification button. This will enable the Verification toolbar. The Clearance verification scheme should be showing. Select the Verify button to enable the Verify Clearance check. Notice the violations that appear on the left side of the design and on the edge connector located at the bottom as well. Enable the Spreadsheet pane by selecting the Spreadsheet button. Select the Error category from the spreadsheet pane.
Notice a list of errors appear in the spreadsheet window. To expand the list hit the [+] sign next to the error of interest. If you select on the error listed under the Type column the software will adjust the window to display the error in the middle of the screen helping you to identify where the error is located.
Design Verification
225
Review Answers
1 A printed circuit board design can be a very complex project that brings together thousands of design details into the finished product. Managing all of these details can be a formidable task and it is always possible for unexpected things to occur. Verification allows you to examine the details of your design and presents an opportunity to correct errors and inconsistencies prior to generating your manufacturing outputs. 2 Depending upon the design, you will probably want to run a clearance check and a continuity check to verify the integrity of your design. Additionally, you may choose to run fabrication checks, test point checks (if applicable to your design) and other verifications such as differential pair and net length checks. Because each design is different, PADS Router provides a full set of verification checks for you to choose from. 3 PADS Router includes a few verification checks (such as differential pairs) that are not available directly in PADS Layout. However, PADS Layout will run its verifications checks and then automatically pass the design to PADS Router for these additional checks. This allows you to run the full set of checks from a single environment. 4 In addition to clearance and continuity checks, fabrication checks look for issues that might affect your design at board manufacture such as acid traps, copper slivers, drill clearance violations and silkscreen on pads. It is good practice to run a fabrication check on your design each time you generate you manufacturing documents. 5 The verification routine produces an on-screen report that describes each error that is found. This report is displayed in the Spreadsheet view where you can examine all of the details of each error. When you click on an error, it is automatically highlighted and centered in the workspace so that you can further examine the details and take corrective action. Design Verification
227
228
229
HyperLynx BoardSim
In PADS Layout, select File > Open > Project and open C:\PADS_ES_Evaluation\Lesson29\Lesson29.pcb. Select Tools > Analysis > Signal/Power Integrity In the BoardSim dialog, select the check box next to the .REF IC Automapping file, then select the radio button next to Export pour and plane outlines and finally select the OK button. This will extract all of the data and load design into HyperLynx In HyperLynx BoardSim select the NET button. In the Select Net by Name dialog, scroll down and select DATA_BUS0 net and then click the OK button. This will only show that specific net routed on the board.
231
(continued)
Now we want to compare the pre-layout simulation results from LineSim with the BoardSim results that we just observed. In the Digital Oscilloscope dialog, select the Save/Load button and then select the HyperLynx .LIS radio button. Select the Load button and browse to the location where you have saved the file DATA_ BUS0_no_termination.lis (from Lesson 10). You can toggle to see both the pre-layout and post layout simulation results by checking the Loaded results check box.
Note: Differences between pre and post-layout simulation results for receiver propagation delay (Green and Carrot color wave forms) are due to topology and trace length differences. However, the overshoot is almost the same (2.9V versa 2.85V)
To fix the Signal Integrity problem, select the Termination Wizard button. The Termination Wizard dialog suggests using AC termination at the U28.13 receiver pin. Select the Apply tolerance pull down and use the Exact value setting. Selecting the Apply Values button will assign the terminator and its value. Lastly, select the OK button.
Rerun the simulation with the AC Termination in place. You will notice that we removed almost all of the Signal Integrity problems related to overshoot. Now we want to compare pre-layout simulation results from LineSim with BoardSim results after termination. In the Digital Oscilloscope, dialog select the Save/Load button and then select the HyperLynx .LIS radio button. Select the Load button and browse to the location where you have saved the file DATA_BUS0 _termination.lis. You can toggle to see both the pre-layout and post-layout results of the simulation by checking Loaded results.
Note: Differences between pre and post-layout simulation results with Termination in place for receiver propagation delay are due to topology and trace length differences.
233
Review Questions
1 When would I want to use HyperLynx BoardSim? 2 Do I need a special license to run HyperLynx BoardSim? 3 Can I compare HyperLynx BoardSim results with those from HyperLynx LineSim? 4 What do I do with the results?
Review Answers
1 Early in the design process, you can use HyperLynx LineSim to model the behavior of specific signals and/or specify terminations that might be required. HyperLynx BoardSim then lets you model the actual physical trace on the board to see if the physical implementation of the signal performs as expected against the earlier simulation. 2 No additional licensing is required. HyperLynx BoardSim is a licensed feature included in the PADS Suite. 3 HyperLynx BoardSim lets you run simulations on specific signals and also lets you compare the simulation results with previous simulations created in HyperLynx LineSim. This capability lets you carefully examine the projected performance against the actual layout to determine if any tweaking is required. 4 The results provided by HyperLynx BoardSim help you determine if any additional components need to be added to the design or if values of current components need to be adjusted. Any changes can be incorporated into the design at the schematic level and forwarded to Layout.
Simulation with HyperLynx BoardSim & HyperLynx Thermal Lesson 30: HyperLynx Thermal Analysis
This exercise will walk you through the process of sending a finished design from PADS Layout to HyperLynx Thermal for evaluating any possible heat problems and possible solutions to eliminate excessive heat areas. This exercise does not cover all of the aspects of the HyperLynx Thermal software but highlights a few important features.
235
(continued)
First, we will create a screw component in the Master Library. Select Library\Master. In the Edit Master Library dialog highlight the first component and select the Copy Part button., Type in the name for the new part Screw_#6 and select the OK button. Scroll down in the Edit Master Library dialog, select the Screw_#6 part and select the Edit part button. In the Edit part dialog, change the parameters for this screw as shown and select the OK button.
In the Edit Master Library dialog, select Save to disk and click the Close button. Now we will need to copy the Screw_#6 part from the Master Library to the Working Library to be used in this design. Select Library > Working. In the Edit Working Library dialog (in the left-hand window) Master library: scroll down and select Screw_#6, then select the >> button to copy it to Working Library: window and select the Close button. Select Placement > Screw and the part will get attached to your cursor. Place it the layout approximately in the two locations as shown (see next page). For the Component properties dialog, select the OK button for both screws
237
(continued)
Select the Specify environment properties button and in the Environment Condition Definition dialog, change Incoming air velocity to 250 ft/m for Front and Back sides and select the OK button. Rerun the analysis by selecting the Run Analysis button after changing the airflow velocity. Note: After we changed the airflow velocity, the component
and overall board temperature lowered to 93.3degC from 102degC.
Review Answers
1 Many designs can be temperature sensitive depending upon their application. You can use HyperLynx Thermal to create a thermal model of your design and determine if you will need to add heat sinking components or adjust your system cooling and air flow specifications to guarantee proper performance. 2 HyperLynx Thermal uses an extensive library of thermally modeled components and air velocity statistics to create a sophisticated model of the thermal behavior of your design. Through careful monitoring and adjustment of these parameters, the system can show you what changes you need to consider in order to bring your design into an acceptable window of thermal performance. 3 You can add additional models to HyperLynx Thermal to represent specific components that you might add to your design to improve thermal performance. Careful attention must be given to the creation of these models so that the application can properly interpret their thermal characteristics. 4 Once you problem areas have been identified and you have been presented with possible solutions, you can incorporate the necessary changes into your design and rerun additional simulations to confirm the adjusted behavior of your design.
239
240
241
Use the menu File > CAM to open the dialog for defining output documents. From the dialog shown below scroll through the list of Gerber files that are pre-defined. You will review the outputs for the Top Routing layer, the Neg Plane Layer 3 (Gnd) and the Silkscreen Top layer. In the CAM Documents area, select Route Layer 1and then click the Edit button located on the main CAM dialog. This will bring up a second dialog where you can review the plot name, plot type, and set the Size/Scale and Offsets. Review the setting for Route Layer 1 and make sure they match the following: Document Name = Route Layer 1 Document Type = Routing/Split Plane Layer Association = Component Side Layer 1
Notice the Summary includes default settings which can be edited. Select the Layers button located in the Customize Document section of the dialog. Verify that the Board Outline check box is checked so it can be included in the output.
Note: You will see the Items on Primary become selectable when you select a layer listed in the Selected section of this dialog.
Select the Preview button to see what the Gerber file would contain with the current settings. To zoom in on the display, select and hold the LMB to drag a frame around the area you want to zoom into. You can also click the Board button to zoom around the board. Click the Close button to close the Preview dialog. Click OK to close the Layer dialog which will place you at the Edit Document dialog.
243
Click OK to close the Plot Options dialog. The Device Setup button will allow you to choose your desired output. This option is used to set up laser printers, pen plotters, and Gerber output settings. The following dialog will change based on the desired target device. PRINT (Print Manager) PEN (Penplotter) PHOTO (Gerber Output) Click the Print button then Device Setup. Notice the content. It works just like Print Manger. Click the OK button to close the dialog. Click the Pen button then Device Setup. This allows you to set your penplot options. Click the OK button to close the dialog. Click the Photo button then Device Setup. This allows you to set the options for generating Gerber output for each layer. Click the Advanced button. Notice this sets many of your Gerber output preferences like RS-274X vs. RS-274D. For this exercise we will leave this dialog as it is. Click OK to close this dialog. Click OK to close the Photoplotter setup dialog. Leave the Output Device set to PHOTO and click OK to complete the review of Route Layer 1.
245
Select Component Side Layer 1 in the Selected section. (Notice the items selected in the Items on Primary section of dialog). Select the Silkscreen Top layer in the Selected section. (Notice the items selected in the Items on Primary section of the dialog). Click the Preview button and review the contents.
Notice the contents are not desirable. The silkscreen RefDes names are not present. This is one of the main benefits of previewing the output prior to generating the Gerber output.
Select the Component Side Layer 1 entry in the Selected section. Uncheck Ref Des and Part Type from the Items on Primary section. Select the Silkscreen Top item in the Selected section. Check the Ref Des entry to add it to the list of outputs. Click the Preview button and review the results. Select Close to close the Preview dialog. Select OK to close the Selected Items dialog. Select OK to close the Edit Document dialog.
247
Executing Output
This exercise will show you how to output the required Gerber files using the CAM routing. The same method for exporting multiple documents also works for single documents. Select the first document listed in the CAM dialog. Scroll down through the list using the right side scroll bar. Hold the Shift key and select the last document in the list using the LMB. Notice all documents are selected. Click the Run button. At the Prompt: "Do you wish to generate the following outputs?", click Yes.
Note: If any other dialogs appear asking for permissions, click Yes to accept.
The outputs will be generated and placed in the default directory (C:\PADS Projects\CAM\Default).
Note: Most of the outputs are Gerber photoplot files, so you will need access to a Gerber viewing program (such as CAM350) to view them.
Review Answers
1 CAM (Computer Automated Manufacturing) documents are a set of manufacturing files and documents that are used to fabricate your design. They include Gerber files for manufacturing the bare board, silkscreen artworks, paste stencils, fabrication drawings, drill files, assembly drawings and other information that is passed on to your manufacturing and assembly personnel. 2 PADS Layout CAM offers you the ability to view all of your output files prior to generating the final outputs. This allows you to visually inspect the data before generating your final deliverables. 3 PADS Layout CAM supports a number of different output formats including laser prints, pen plots, photoplots, drill files and other data files types. This gives you a broad selection to choose from to meet the specific format requirements of your vendors and internal personnel. 4 Once you have defined all of your CAM documents, you can easily edit them. Just open the existing document definition, edit it and save it. 5 Setting up the CAM document definitions is where the time is spent. Generating the outputs is a simple as selecting the documents you want to generate from a list and then clicking the Run button. Thats it, one click and youre done. 6 Once you have defined your CAM documents, you will probably want to reuse these setups on a future design. PADS Layout CAM provides an Export command that will let you save your CAM document definitions and import them into your future designs.
249
3D Layout View
This exercise will demonstrate the 3D viewer available within PADS Layout. The 3-dimensional view will provide a realistic representation of what the board will look like after fabrication. This is an easy way to visually analyze the extents of the board and its components to determine if you will need to be concerned about collisions. Close all windows and open Lesson32.pcb in the C:\ PADS_ES_Evaluation\Lesson32 directory. Select View > 3D View > Dynamic View. Select File > Batch Import 3D Cells. Browse to the C:\ PADS_ES_Evaluation\Lesson32 directory and select the 3D Cells folder. The 3D Viewer will appear. Take time to review the visibility options. If the board appears too small to view, simply click the fit all icon to bring it into better view. Note: Review the Toolbar buttons to get an overview of the
available functionality.
LMB and hold the mouse on any part of the board and then drag and release in any direction to rotate the image. Using the mouse scroll wheel will allow for zooming in and out of the display.
Note: The display will stop moving if the mouse is removed from the display window, and it will continue once again when the mouse is placed back in the view.
Review Answers
1 3D Layout View is an advanced 3D modeler that can display a realistic solid model view of your design. This is especially useful for visualizing design details and determining if the physical design meets the spatial design requirements. 2 Depending upon the setup of the application, you can display a simple view with extruded shapes of the components, or you can utilize a library of realistic component models to accurately represent your design details. 3 You can use the 3D view to convey design intent to reviewers, vendors, engineers or anyone else that might have an interest in the physical model of the board. 4 The 3D view can be exported to 3D mechanical solid modeling programs so that you can run interference checks against enclosure models or other related design elements.
PADS 3D View
251
Note: For detailed information about the functionality of the various controls on these dialogs, please refer to the Help system and the documentation in the InfoHub.
The Page view appears when a single page is selected in the page list. Now the settings will only affect the selected page. Click Create PDF Save Lesson 33.pdf When Adobe Acrobat Reader launches you should see the first Component Side Layer 1 layer of the design on the right and a list of all the layers on the left. Try clicking different Layers on the left side and watch Adobe Acrobat jump to the corresponding layers. Select Component Side Layer 1 to jump to Layer 1. Expand Component Side Layer 1 by clicking the plus [+] next to the name in the navigator to expose Components and Nets. Expand Components and select C1. Notice how the screen zooms into C1. Using the LMB select the component in the design area and you will see a list of attributes associated with C1.
Creating PDFs
253
Review Questions
1 Can I create PDFs of the PADS design data? 2 What distinguishes the PADS PDFs from standard PDFs? 3 How much flexibility is there in choosing what gets displayed in the PDF? 4 Do I need a special viewer to see the advanced data in the PADS PDF files?
Review Answers
1 PADS Layout lets you create comprehensive PDF files of the design data. This allows you the ability to easily share your design with interested parties such as manufacturing, engineering, purchasing, assembly personnel and others without disclosing your proprietary source data. 2 The PADS PDF files contain detailed information related to your design. Reviewers can easily browse through multiple pages of design data that show each layer of the design. You can also click on design elements such as components and get detailed information about the object. This works for components and nets as well as other design objects. 3 The PDF generator lets you choose from a large selection of design elements on a layer by layer basis so that you can have full control over what appears in the final document. This level of specification lets you create targeted PDF files containing only the information that you want to convey. 4 You do not need a special viewer to work with these documents, only a copy of the standard Adobe Acrobat Reader. No special features or capabilities are needed to see all of the data within these PDF documents.
Archive Navigator
255
Conclusion
This Evaluation Guide has introduced you to some of the power and flexibility available in the PADS ES Suite, but that is just a beginning. Obviously, this evaluation has only scratched the surface and presented you with an abbreviated view into the full spectrum of the design capabilities of the products. If you would like to learn more about the many features and functions of these applications, there is a wealth of knowledge to experience and discover in the extensive resources that are available. Additional resources Include: Tutorials Concepts Guides Extensive Help files User Manuals The InfoHub On-line video presentations For more information or to find your local sales representative, please visit: http://www.mentor.com/products/pcb-system-design/design-flows/pads/
257
Mentor Graphics Corporation 8005 S.W. Boeckman Road, Wilsonville, Oregon 97070-7777. Telephone: 503.685.7000 Toll-Free Telephone: 800.592.2210 Website: www.mentor.com