Nordcad PCB and Footprint flow menus for OrCAD / Allegro

©2015 Nordcad Systems A/[email protected]

Rev 1.00

Nordcad Flow menus

©2015 Nordcad Systems A/S – PCB and Footprint Flow menus

Purpose

• The purpose of the PCB and Footprint flow menus is to

guide the user through a number of steps normally

involved in doing PCB Design.

• The menu choices either launch internal

OrCAD©/Allegro© PCB Editor commands or skill

commands

– Example Buildin command: Status Check – ”Display→Status”

– Example skill command: PDF printing – ”ns_pdf”

• Notice:

– The items listed in this menu are not exhaustive, so there

may be more steps involved in doing PCB Design than whats

show here.

– If you have any ideas or suggestions, please let us know.

Send an email to [email protected]

– The use of skill programs is at your own risk, no responsibility

is taken.

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©2015 Nordcad Systems A/S – PCB and Footprint Flow menus

Agenda

• PCB Flow

– Page 04: Board Setup

– Page 05: Netlist Import

– Page 06: Outlines

– Page 07: Constraint Setup with netlist

– Page 08: Placement

– Page 09: Route and Copper shapes

– Page 10: Status check

– Page 11: Post Processing

– Page 12: - Manual procedure

– Page 13: PDF printing

• Footprint Flow

– Page 15: Unit and sheet size, color and grid setup

– Page 16: Padstack Design

– Page 17: Place Pin

– Page 18: Add package outline

– Page 19: Draw outlines

– Page 20: Add refdes

– Page 21: Set properties

– Page 22: Add 3D STEP model

• Show Nordcad PCBFlow menu help: Displays this document

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©2015 Nordcad Systems A/S – PCB and Footprint Flow menus

Board setup

• Unit and sheet size: Setup desired units (mm, mils etc.) and working area size

– Command: Setup→Design Parameters→Design

• Stackup design: Setup the board stackup

– Command: Setup→Cross-section (or xsection)

• Color setup: Configure visibility and color settings

– Display→Color/Visibility (or color192)

• Copper shape handling: Configure shape handling to fit your output format

– Shape→Global Dynamic Params→Void controls

• Constraint Setup without netlist: Build constraint sets and create netclasses

without any nets

• Setup grids: Floating user interface to define grid settings

– Command: grids

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©2015 Nordcad Systems A/S – PCB and Footprint Flow menus

Netlist import

• User interface to import netlists

– Command: File→Import→Logic (or netin)

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©2015 Nordcad Systems A/S – PCB and Footprint Flow menus

Outlines

• Utilities to draw or import miscellaneous outlines

– Draw board outline: (”board outline”)– User interface to create a board outline

– Import DXF: (”dxf in”)– User interface to import dxf data

– Import IDF: (”idf in”)– User interface to import idf data

– Import IDX: (”idx in”)– User interface to import idx data

– Package keepout: (”keepout package”)– Functionality to create a package (component) keepout

– Route keepout: (”keepout router”)– Functionality to create a route (cline) keepout

– Shape keepout: (”keepout shape”)– Functionality to create a shape (copper pour/area) keepout

– Via keepout: (”keepout via”)– Functionality to create a via keepout

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©2015 Nordcad Systems A/S – PCB and Footprint Flow menus

Constraint setup with netlist

• Create/modify constraints and netclasses in

constraint manager

– Spacing: Setup spacing between nets

– Same Net Spacing: Setup spacing inside same net

– Physical: Setup width and via rules

– Electrical: Setup matched length, diff. pairs etc.

– Design Constraint DRC Modes: Enable/disable

relevant DRC check settings.

• NOTICE: Go carefully through all the different

MODE settings so that you’re sure all relevant

DRC checks are enabled.

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©2015 Nordcad Systems A/S – PCB and Footprint Flow menus

Placement

• Placement utilities

– Component placement: (”place manual”)– Open the manual placement user interface

– Command: Place→Manually

– Place mountinghole:– Open the manual placement user interface with focus on

mechanical symbols

– Place titleblock:– Open the manual placement user interface with focus on

format symbols

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©2015 Nordcad Systems A/S – PCB and Footprint Flow menus

Route and copper shapes

• Route: Enables the etch edit application mode

– Command: Setup→Application Mode→Etch Edit (etchedit)– Single click pin,rat or via to start route a connection

– Single click a segment to slide it

• Copper shapes: Start the Add shape command

– Command: Shape→Polygon (shape add)

– Enable the Options panel to see options

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©2015 Nordcad Systems A/S – PCB and Footprint Flow menus

Status check

• Show the current status of the PCB Design

• Command: Display→Status

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©2015 Nordcad Systems A/S – PCB and Footprint Flow menus

Post processing

• Run a post processing user interface for

generating most documentation

• Command: ns_postproc

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©2015 Nordcad Systems A/S – PCB and Footprint Flow menus

Postprocessing – manual procedure

• Goes through some of the post processing dialogs

• Drill customization: (”ncdrill customization”)

– User interface to check that all drill sizes have drill

symbols assigned

• Drill parameters: (”ncdrill param”)

– User interface to configure drill file format

• Drill legend/drawing: (”ncdrill legend”)

– User interface to create drill legend/drawing

• NC Route: (”nsroute”)

– User interface to creates nc route file

• Gerber setup and generate: (”artwork”)

– User interface to Setup and create gerber data

• IPC356 Netlist: (”ipc356 out”)

– IPC356 netlist creation user interface

• Pick and place out: (”plctxt out”)

– User interface to create pick and place data

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©2015 Nordcad Systems A/S – PCB and Footprint Flow menus

PDF Printing

• User interface to generate pdf files

• Command: ns_pdf

– Creates a pdf file

– Requires Adobe Distiller

– Each film setup inside Manufacture→Artwork is one

page inside the pdf document

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©2015 Nordcad Systems A/S – PCB and Footprint Flow menus

Footprint flow

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©2015 Nordcad Systems A/S – PCB and Footprint Flow menus

Unit and sheet size

• Unit and sheet size: Setup desired units (mm, mils etc.) and working area size

– Command: Setup→Design Parameters→Design

• Color setup: Configure visibility and color settings

– Display→Color/Visibility (or color192)

• Grid setup: Setup grids

– Command: grids

– Customized version of Uri Chaplins grid utilitie

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©2015 Nordcad Systems A/S – PCB and Footprint Flow menus

Padstack design

• User interface to create padstacks

– Command: ns_run_pad_designer

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©2015 Nordcad Systems A/S – PCB and Footprint Flow menus

Place Pin

• Makes it possible to add either an electrical or

mechanical pin to the footprint

– Command: Layout → Pins

• Electrical pin: This is a pin that has a

corresponding pin on the schematic symbol

• Mechanical pin: This is a pin that does not

have a matching pin on the schematic like a

mounting hole.

• Use the Options panel to select the correct

padstack and control settings

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©2015 Nordcad Systems A/S – PCB and Footprint Flow menus

Add package outline

• Draw placebound:

– Command: Shape→Polygon

– Placebound is used to describe the package size

– A placebound must exist, if not defined, it will

automatically be added as the smallest rectangle

embracing all pins

• Add package height:

– Command: Setup→Areas→Package height

– Select placebound and specify height

• Draw DFA outline:

– Command: Shape→Polygon

– DFA outline is used for component spacing settings

• Use the Options panel to control settings

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©2015 Nordcad Systems A/S – PCB and Footprint Flow menus

Draw outlines

• Assembly outline:

– Command: Add→Line

– Use to add assembly drawing to footprint

• Silkscreen outline:

– Command: Add→Line

– Use to add silkscreen information to footprint

• Use the Options panel to control settings like

line width

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©2015 Nordcad Systems A/S – PCB and Footprint Flow menus

Add refdes

• Assembly refdes:

– Command: Layout→Labels→RefDes

– Use to add assembly reference designator to

footprint

• Silkscreen refdes:

– Command: Layout→Labels→RefDes

– Use to add assembly reference designator to

footprint

• Use the Options panel to control settings like

text size

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©2015 Nordcad Systems A/S – PCB and Footprint Flow menus

Set properties

• Set properties:

– Open the user dialog to specify properties

• Set locked:

– Set the locked property so that footprint objects cannot

be moved individually in the PCB

• Set Nodrc_sym_same_pin

• Set Nodrc_sym_pin_pastemask

• Set Nodrc_sym_pin_soldermask

– All of the 3 above are used to suppress DRC errors

between pins of the same footprint

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©2015 Nordcad Systems A/S – PCB and Footprint Flow menus

Add 3D STEP Model

• User interface to assign a STEP model to a

footprint

– Command: Setup→Step package mapping

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