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Basic Altium Workshop
Friday, September 23th, 2009
Prepared by HKNCU Boulder Chapter
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Why do a PCB?
PCBs are pretty cheap
$33 for 2-layer boards from www.4pcb.com
Compact and Robust
Signal speed and reduced noise.
Why not?
Design is constantly being modified. Wire wraps
Harder to rework.
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Board Makeup
1/16thinch FR4 epoxy substrate.
1 oz copper traces and plated Vias.
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Part 1The Basics
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Project Makeup?
Schematic Design Label and connect parts.
PCB Layout
Arrange physical components. Lay down the tracks.
Gerber Files Convention on how manufacturer will render your
design.
Advanced Techniques: Signal Integrity Analysis.
Spice simulations.
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Open Altium and open a PCB Project
File -> New -> Project -> PCB Project
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Add a Schematic file to the PCB Project
Right click PCB Project in left column -> Add New to Project -> Schematic
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HKN 9.23.09Altium WorkshopAdd Atmel LibraryPlace -> Part -> -> -> Install -> Atmel
-> Atmel Microcontroller 8-bit AVR.IntLib
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HKN 9.23.09Altium WorkshopAdd Atmel Library Cont
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HKN 9.23.09Altium WorkshopAdd Atmel AVR (ATmega128-16AC)
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HKN 9.23.09Altium WorkshopRename Atmel AVR (ATmega128-16AC)Double click on schematic symbol.
Change Designator
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HKN 9.23.09Altium WorkshopSchematic: Add PowerPlace -> Power Port [po]
Place VCC terminal and then double click to bring up properties and rotate
device 90 degrees
Wire Power Terminals together (Place -> Wire) [pw]
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HKN 9.23.09Altium WorkshopSchematic: Add GroundClick Ground symbol in top tool ribbon
Wire Gnd together (Place -> Wire) [pw]
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HKN 9.23.09Altium WorkshopSchematic: Add Decoupling Capacitors
Place -> Part -> [pp]1) Select Miscellaneous Devices.IntLib from pull down menu
2) Select Cap Semi Folder
3) Select 1608[0603] capacitor and click OK
4) From Place Part Menu, change Designator. Click OK
1
2
3
4
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HKN 9.23.09Altium WorkshopSchematic: Decoupling Capacitors Cont
Place 3 Capacitors, C1, C2, C3Wire top terminal of caps to VCC and bottom terminals to GND
using previous power and ground techniques.
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HKN 9.23.09Altium WorkshopSchematic: Power HeaderAdd power header
Place -> Part -> [pp]
Select Miscellaneous Connectors.IntLib then Header 2
Rename designator
Apply VCC to pin 2 and GND to pin 1
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PCB Creation
Right click Project name in left column and add new PCB to
project
Save
Project
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PCB Creation
Click on schematic in left column to go back to schematic view
Click Design -> Update PCB Document [du]
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PCB Creation
Validate and then execute changes
PCB is now created
1 2
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HKN 9.23.09Altium WorkshopPCBArranging Components
Click and hold -> use space bar to rotate components while clicking on them
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HKN 9.23.09Altium WorkshopPCBRouting Parts Together
Place -> Interactive Routing to get routing tool [pt]
Click on pads to route together
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HKN 9.23.09Altium WorkshopCheck Design Rules
Tools > Design Rule Check
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HKN 9.23.09Altium WorkshopPCBNo Errors! Yeah!
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HKN 9.23.09Altium WorkshopPCBGerber File Generation
From PCB Document: File > Fabrication Outputs > Gerber Files
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HKN 9.23.09Altium WorkshopPCBGerber File Generation
Make sure the important Layers are plotted
- Do not add Mechanical Layers to all Plots
- Press OKand CAM File is generated then Save it in Projects Output folder
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HKN 9.23.09Altium WorkshopPCBNC Drill File Generation
Part 1:
Back in PCB Document:
- File > Fabrication Outputs > NC Drill
- Press OK in new window
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HKN 9.23.09Altium WorkshopPCBSubmit to Advanced Circuits
1. Compress the Project Outputs file into a .zip format
- Weve included a zipped copy in your start folder: Project_Outputs_Basic.zip
2. Go to freedfm.com, Upload the ZIP file
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HKN 9.23.09Altium WorkshopPCBSubmit to Advanced Circuits
3. Fill in the Form
Replace Select One with Drawing Other
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HKN 9.23.09Altium WorkshopPCBSubmit to Advanced Circuits
Make Solder Mask Sides -> Both Sides
Make Silkscreen Sides -> Both Sides
Find Board Size -> Go Back to Project
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Additional Questions?Ask about specific tasks you want to accomplish.
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Part 2 - Useful Tips and Tricks
Thursday, September 23rd, 2009
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HKN 9.23.09Altium WorkshopPCBGround and Power Pours
Place Polygon Pour (pg)
Define the Net + Layer
Define the Vertices
It will automatically connect the Net
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HKN 9.23.09Altium WorkshopPCBPlacing Traces
Place Tracks [pt]
Change Start Angle (Space)
Change Style (Shift-Space)
Remove Last Placement (Backspace)
Escape Action (Right Click)
Unroute connection [tuc]
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HKN 9.23.09Altium WorkshopPCBPlacing Vias Quickly
Must be placing trace
Control-shift- scroll wheel
Manually scrolls between layers and automatically places via from original layer to
selected layer
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HKN 9.23.09Altium WorkshopPCBSingle Layer Viewing
Open the example PCB
Start -> Altium Designer 6 -> Examples -> Other PCB Projects -> PCB Auto-Routingexample boards
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HKN 9.23.09Altium WorkshopPCBSingle Layer Viewing
Press shift+s to see a single layer of the board
Use ctrl+shift+scroll-wheel to switch between layers
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HKN 9.23.09Altium WorkshopPCBNet Highlighting
Hold ctr land click on a trace to highlight the entire connection path
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HKN 9.23.09Altium WorkshopSchematicNet Naming (wireless connections)
Place Net [pn], then hit Tab to pull up Net Properties
Notice auto-incrementing
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HKN 9.23.09Altium WorkshopSchematicNet Naming (wireless connections)
Add Net names to both parts
Highlight all Net names on the right, ctr l-click and drag to move Nets
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HKN 9.23.09Altium WorkshopPCBYour Board in 3D
View -> Switch to 3D
[3]View Board in 3d
[2]View Board in 2d
[vf]Fit the board to the screen
[vb]Flip board around
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Part 3Parts Libraries, Custom Parts
Thursday, September 23rd, 2009
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HKN 9.23.09Altium WorkshopCustom Schematic Symbols
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http://www.national.com/ds/LM/LM2734.pdf
Place Pin [pp]
The X goes towards the outside
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HKN 9.23.09Altium WorkshopNow draw the box [pr]
Cut, paste the pins (hack so that
they are on top)
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HKN 9.23.09Altium WorkshopNow add the footprint you need to
use with it.
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Select Browse
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Hit the ellipsis (or search)
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HKN 9.23.09Altium WorkshopGo to ProjectAdds to the
project instead of the machine
Click Add Library
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HKN 9.23.09Altium WorkshopAltium has extensive libraries
There are always parts you need to make though
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HKN 9.23.09Altium WorkshopOpen the PCB folder.
This folder has standardized footprints for most everything.
Very useful.
Select *.PCBLIBgives you the footprints
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HKN 9.23.09Altium WorkshopWow, that was a lot of parts.
Select the SOT23_5-6Lead_M.PcbLib part library, choose the part with correct-ish dimensions.
Note that often the exactdimensions are not available.
L,M,N stand for the densityprototype, medium density, high-density production (not in that
order)
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HKN 9.23.09Altium WorkshopNow the easy way.
No longer pretending that this part didnt already exist in Altium.
Back in the schematic, place part [pp], hit the ellipsis, hit another ellipsis, hit Add Library.
Go to National Semiconductor under Program Files/Altium/Library
And select NSC Switcher.
Now select the LM2734X or Y.
Thankyou Altium for doing all of this work for us.
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HKN 9.23.09Altium WorkshopOkay, so what if the footprint does not exist?
Altium makes this easy too.
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HKN 9.23.09Altium WorkshopMan this is easy.
Just copy down the specs from the data sheet
Into the wizard.
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HKN 9.23.09Altium WorkshopIs your part not that simple?
Okay, Altium has you covered again.
Anything you would ever want to create, simple
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HKN 9.23.09Altium WorkshopOh wait, you say you cant make your part with these tools.
Liar!
Anyways, you can still do it by hand.
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HKN 9.23.09Altium WorkshopOkay, I made a bunch of parts, how do I find them?
Double Click
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Additional Questions?Ask about specific tasks you want to accomplish.
Additional Altium Awesomeness: