• The trainee should have experience in designing printed circuit boards using conventional design techniques.

Objectives

• To develop skills in the essential features within CADSTAR PCB Editor in order to create a design which satisfies the restrictions of a suitable design technology.

Topics covered

• User Interface - covering the Multi-Document interface (MDI)
• Explore "customizable" Toolbar Icons - detail of tool bar icons specific to PCB
• Menu Bar - overview & all new functionality discussed in depth
• Function Keys - definition and usage
• PCB component and documentation symbol creation, Library Pad Stack management.
• Design Technology - creating custom technologies i.e. pad assignments, reassignments, net classes and spacing classes
• Utilities - setting colors, grids, units and defining layers for auto routing PCB designs.
• Managing designs and projects using the forward ECO and Back Annotation function
• Exploring Design Attributes as they apply to
• Auto Routing technology Auto Routing Tools - exploring the Advanced and Batch routers, focusing on multi-pass routing strategies, smoothing and mitering
• Introduction to Test Lands - their purpose and advantages over Testpoints.
• Exploring Copper Pour functionality within the Route Editor, in conjunction with the Design Editor template creation tools.
• How to generate Split Power Planes through post processing using the template creation and copper pour tools
• Post Processing - using the WYSIWYG post processor - in depth discussion covering Gerber and Excellon CAM output
• Creating custom reports using the Report Generator

Comments

• This course does not cover the theory and practice of conventional PCB design, and assumes that the trainee understands the terminology and practices of the PCB design industry.
• Students who attend, are typically PCB Designers

• Applicable to English Versions of CADSTAR 2.0 and above.