Function |
Description & Benefit |
| Flexibility |
Enhanced Back Annotation
|
Users can now back annotate from PCB design into schematics, allowing more flexibility. Traditionally in the Western world, the schematic design area is master, and the importance has been placed on forward annotation. As organizations operate increasingly on a global scale and have to account for different design practices they have increasing needed the requirement to transfer data back from PCB to schematic – allowing the option to choose if the schematic or PCB design stages are master.
Previously if changes were required (such as changing a resistor), it involved going back to the schematic change and making the amends there. Now changes can be performed in either environment and be forward and back annotated.
This functionality is increasingly important in the design of high-speed PCBs, where it is essential to make modifications in the PCB stage. |
| Ease of Use |
Improved GUI
|
Graphical representations of particular functions are displayed at the top of the GUI making the tool easier to pick up and use for new users. Also helpful when training new team members how to get the most out of CADSTAR.
|
| Enhanced Spacing Classes Matrix |
This allows the definition of spacing between two nets in a more transparent and intuative form, which elimiates the possibilities of problems being overlooked when analysing spacing data. |
| Improved Report Generator |
The report generator within CADSTAR 9 is now a flexible environment, which includes more attribute fields such as part number, price, supplier etc (core data from the parts library). It also has a count function for tallying total quantities of parts used in the design, this elminates the requirement of exporting OLE data into excel and calculating the necessary part quanities. |
| Improved Post Process - Letter Drill Drawing & NC Drill |
The post process drill files now include plating requirements, allowing users to specify if the drill hole for a component requires plating or not.
The support of Extended Excellon NC drill format files allows the illustration of more detailed information relating to the board data for plotting film sizes and widths for via and lines etc. |
| Improved DXF Post Process |
CADSTAR 9 now allows fully complatable output of tue type text fonts |
| Improved Right Mouse Context Sensitive Menu |
Now includes activive hyperlinks when selecting a component. |
| New Control Menu in Toolbar - Default Shape Type |
Remebers values set for each shape type in the Default shapes tab. |
| P.R.Editor |
Improved Trunk Routing
|
General flexibility in functionality now available
|
Interactive Pin Swap
|
Swapping of equivalent pins enabled |
Function |
Description & Benefit |
| Ease of Use |
| Via Modelling |
Provides more detail when modelling vias, with analysis support by SI Simulation. In addition a combination of vias can be used in a scenario and users can create and modify details via definitions in Scenario Editor. |
| Loss Tangent and Resisitivity |
Support of loss tangent attributes, which also allows conductivity to be set as at a board level. Field solutions now combine these new settings for loss tangent and resistivity data. |
| Layers on Transmission Lines in Scenario Editor/Viewer |
Layner names and numbers are displayed on the canvas usinging different colours for transmission lines of each layer. |
| EE Transmission Line Information for Differentail Pairs/Coupled Lines |
More details contained within the field solution on nominal values. Differential impendence is also displayed on the canvas for differential transmission lines. |
| Simulator GUI Updates |
Clearer naming of methods and tabs and the introduction of a new simualtion menu. |
| Eye Diagram Improvements |
|
| Accuracy |
| N-port Devices |
|
| Solder Resist in Field Solution |
Solder resist layers can be defined in a new MLR file and the field solver is able to read this file and consider the solder resist layers when calcualting impedence and velocity. The solder resist is displayed clearly in the layer stack editor. This function is important for achieving simulation accuracy. |
| Snap to Waveform |
Measurement curser automatically fllows mouse position allowing highlighy accurate interactive measurements. |
| General |
| Cross Probe for EE |
Allows cross probing from SE and TV to CM and to SE and TV from CV. |
