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Altium designer 17 guide free.Tutorial - A Complete Design Walkthrough with Altium Designer

 

For this tutorial you will do a combination of the second and third options, decreasing the minimum sliver width to a value suitable for the settings being used on this board, and also decreasing the mask expansion, but only for the transistor pads.

You can use the Query Builder to help create the new rule. The function of this rule is to ensure there is sufficient separation between the silkscreen objects and the copper.

The rule supports checking against the opening in the mask, or checking against the copper exposed by that opening in the mask. Edit the clearance to be 0. Since the 0. This can be done in the existing Clearance Constraint design rule, as shown below. Main article: Silk to Silk Clearance.

The last error to resolve is the silk to silk clearance violations. These are usually caused by a designator being too close to the outline of an adjacent component. You design may not have any of these violations - it depends on how close you placed the components, or if you have already repositioned the designators. Click and hold on a designator to move it - all objects will dim apart from the objects in the component whose designator is being moved - move that designator to a new location.

Reposition any designator that is causing a silk to silk violation. Well done! You have completed the PCB layout and are ready to produce output documentation. Before doing that, let's explore the PCB editor's 3D capabilities.

A powerful feature of Altium Designer is the ability to view your board as a 3 dimensional object. The board will display as a 3 dimensional object - the tutorial board is shown below. You can fluidly zoom the view, rotate it and even travel inside the board using the following controls:.

Hold Shift to display the 3D view directional sphere, then click and drag the right-mouse button to rotate. If you plan on using the 3D mode regularly then you might like to check out a 3D mouse, such as the Space Navigator from 3Dconnexion , which greatly simplifies the process of moving and rotating the board in 3D layout mode.

Now that you've completed the design and layout of the PCB, you're ready to produce the output documentation needed to get the board reviewed, fabricated and assembled.

The ultimate objective is to fabricate and assemble the board. Because a variety of technologies and methods exist in PCB manufacture, the software has the ability to produce numerous output types for different purposes:. An Output Job file allows you to configure each output type, configure their output naming, format and output location.

Output Job files can also be copied from one project to another. Although the setup dialogs for individual outputs are the same as those used in an Output Job, the settings are independent and must be configured again if you switch from one approach to the other.

Main article: Gerber Setup. Configure the Gerber outputs in the Gerber Setup dialog. Main article: Report Manager. Excel-format BoM's can also have a template applied using one of the pre-defined templates, or one of your own. The default configuration for a new BoM is to group like components together. This BoM has been reconfigured to present each component as a unique entry. When creating the Bill of Materials template in Excel, a combination of Fields and Columns can be used to specify the desired layout.

A list of available fields is detailed below:. Fields provide project-level information. These are not usually attached to each item listed in the BOM, but are often used in the header of the document. Fields are used in the format:.

As well as the default Fields listed in the table above, schematic Document Parameters both default and user-defined in the schematic Document Options dialog and Project Parameters Options for PCB Project dialog can also be used as Fields.

If the same parameter exists as both a document parameter and a project parameter, the project parameter takes precedence. If the same document parameter exists in multiple documents, the document parameter that is higher up in the heirarchy takes precedence. Columns provide the information that is supplied on a per-component basis, and would usually appear on each line in the BOM. Columns are defined by entering the column heading, in the format:. Pick and Place information can also be included from the PCB.

Note that these are updated live, and are retrieved when the BOM is generated. Multiple suppliers can be set up for each component. In the table below, these have been described as Supplier Info x - replace x with the appropriate number. If you have just edited parameters in the schematic and want to see them in the BoM, save the edited documents and recompile the project before generating the BoM.

Note that Fields need to be defined above or below the Column region of the template. Using Altium Documentation. Now reading version Creating a new project:. In the Name field, enter Multivibrator. There is no need to add the file extension, this will be added automatically.

Enable the Create Project Folder option, this will create a sub-folder below the folder specified in the Location field, with the same name as the project. In the Location field, type in a suitable location to save the project files, or click Browse to navigate to the required folder. Click OK to close the dialog and create the project file in the specified location. The new project will appear in the Projects panel.

If this panel is not displayed, click the button at the bottom right of the main design window, and select Files from the menu that appears. These features will not be used for this tutorial. Adding a schematic:. Right-click on the project filename in the Projects panel, and select Add New to Project » Schematic.

A blank schematic sheet named Sheet1. SchDoc will open in the design window and an icon for this schematic will appear linked to the project in the Projects panel, under the Source Documents folder icon. To save the new schematic sheet, select File » Save As. The Save As dialog will open, ready to save the schematic in the same location as the project file. Type the name Multivibrator in the File Name field and click Save.

Since you have added a schematic to the project, the project file has changed too. Right-click on the project filename in the Projects panel, and select Save Project to save the project.

Configuring the Document Options:. For this tutorial, the only change we need to make here is to set the sheet size to A4, this is done in the Standard Styles field of the Sheet Options tab of the dialog.

Confirm that both the Snap and Visible Grids are set to Click OK to close the dialog and update the sheet size. Save the schematic by selecting File » Save shortcut: F, S. Searching through libraries:. If it is not visible, display the Libraries panel System » Libraries.

Press the Search button in the Libraries panel to open the Libraries Search dialog, as shown above. Ensure that the dialog options are set as follows: For the first Filter row, the Field is set to Name , the Operator set to contains , and the Value is The Scope is set to Search in Components , and Libraries on path. Click the Search button to begin the search. The Query Results are displayed in the Libraries panel as the search takes place - there should be one component found, as shown in the image below.

You can only place components from Libraries that are installed in the software, if you attempt to place from a library that is not currently installed you will be asked to Confirm the installation of that library when you attempt to place the component.

Placement Tips While the component is floating on the cursor, you can: Press Spacebar to rotate it anti-clockwise, in 90 degree increments.

Press X to flip it along the X-axis, press Y to flip it along the Y-axis. Press Tab to edit the properties of an object prior to placement, the values entered become the defaults, and the designator is auto-incremented. During component placement the software will automatically pan if you touch the window edge.

Finding and Placing the Transistors:. Using the search techniques just described, use the Vault panel to search and locate the transistor, BC When you search the Vault, it will first cluster the results to show the folders that contains possible components. For the transistor search, all results are in the same folder, named General Purpose Transistors. Click the hyperlink to open the search results for that folder, then click the first Item, CMP That component will be presented in the Vaults panel, where you can display the Preview down the bottom and examine the symbol, footprint and component parameters you might need to resize the lower section to display all of the Preview content.

Right-click on the transistor's Item-Revision number to display the context menu as shown above , then select Place CMP from the menu. The cursor will change to a cross hair and you will have an image of the transistor floating on your cursor. You are now in part placement mode. If you move the cursor around, the transistor will move with it. Do not place the transistor yet! Before placing the part on the schematic you can edit its properties - which can be done for any object floating on the cursor.

While the transistor is still floating on the cursor, press the Tab key to open the Component Properties dialog. You can now set up the dialog options to appear as below. In the Properties section of the dialog, type in the Designator Q1. Confirm that the Visible checkbox for the Comment field is enabled. Leave all other fields at their default values, and click OK to close the dialog.

Move the cursor, with the transistor symbol attached, to position the transistor a little to the left of the middle of the sheet. Note the current snap grid, it is displayed on the left of the Status bar down the bottom of the application. It defaults to 10, you can press the G shortcut to cycle through the available grid settings during object placement.

It is strongly advised to keep the snap grid at 10 or 5, to keep the circuit neat, and make it easy to attach wires to pins. For a simple design such as this, 10 is a good choice. Once you are happy with the transistor's position, left mouse click or press Enter on the keyboard to place the transistor onto the schematic. Move the cursor and you will find that a copy of the transistor has been placed on the schematic sheet, but you are still in part placement mode with the part outline floating on the cursor.

This feature allows you to place multiple parts of the same type. You are ready to place the second transistor. This transistor is the same as the previous one, so there is no need to edit its attributes before you place it. The software will automatically increment the component designator when you place multiple instances of the same part. In this case, the next transistor will automatically be designated Q2.

If you refer to the schematic diagram shown before, you will notice that Q2 is drawn as a mirror of Q1. To horizontally flip the orientation of the transistor floating on the cursor, press the X key on the keyboard.

This flips the component along the X axis. Move the cursor to position the part to the right of Q1. To position the component more accurately, press the PgUp key twice to zoom in two steps. You should now be able to see the grid lines.

Once you have positioned the part, left mouse click or press Enter to place Q2. Once again a copy of the transistor you are "holding" will be placed on the schematic, and the next transistor will be floating on the cursor ready to be placed.

Since all the transistors have been placed, exit part placement mode by clicking the Right Mouse Button or pressing the ESC key. The cursor will revert back to a standard arrow. Finding and Placing the Resistors:. Right-click on the resistor's Item-Revision number to display the context menu, then select Place CMP from the menu.

While the resistor is still floating on the cursor, press the Tab key to open the Component Properties dialog. In the Properties section of the dialog, type in the Designator R1.

The footprint selected here will be transferred to the PCB during design synchronization. Leave all other fields at their default values and click OK to close the dialog, the resistor will be floating on the cursor. Position the resistor above and to the left of the base of Q1 refer to the schematic diagram shown earlier and click the Left Mouse Button or press Enter to place the part.

Next place the other k resistor, R2, above and to the right of the base of Q2. The designator will automatically increment when you place the second resistor. This search will return all resistors whose values start with 1K, including 1K1, 1K2, 1K3, and so on. Position and place R3 directly above the Collector of Q1, then place R4 directly above the Collector or Q2, as shown in the image above.

Right-click or press ESC to exit part placement mode. Finding and Placing the Capacitors:. Return to the Vaults panel, and search for a suitable 22nF 16V capacitor. The search will return a number of potential capacitors, click on Item CMP to use in this design. While the capacitor is still floating on the cursor, press the Tab key to open the Component Properties dialog.

In the Properties section of the dialog, type in the Designator C1. Leave all other fields at their default values and click OK to close the dialog, the capacitor will be floating on the cursor. Position the capacitor above the transistors but below the resistors refer to the schematic diagram shown earlier and click the Left Mouse Button or press Enter to place the part. Position and place capacitor C2. Right-click or press Esc to exit placement mode. Finding and Placing the Connector:.

Return to the Vaults panel, and search for header, 2-pin, vertical to locate a suitable connector. The search will return a number of potential terminal strips, some with 0. The search results list will change to show the 9 suitable headers that are in that folder.

From the Description column you will see that some are low profile, one is a press fit, and four are standard through-hole headers. From those that are standard through-hole headers, select CMP from the list to jump to that Vault component. While the header is floating on the cursor, press Tab to edit the attributes and set Designator to P1.

Before placing the header, press Spacebar to rotate it to the correct orientation. Click to place the connector on the schematic, as shown in the image above.

Save your schematic shortcut: F, S. Component Positioning Tips To reposition any object, place the cursor directly over the object, click-and-hold the left mouse button, drag the object to a new position and then release the mouse button.

Movement is constrained to the current snap grid, which is displayed on the Status bar, press the G shortcut at any time to cycle through the current snap grid settings. Remember that it is important to position components on a coarse grid, such as 5 or You can also re-position a group of selected schematic objects using the arrow keys on the keyboard.

Select the objects, then press an arrow key while holding down the Ctrl key. Hold Shift as well to move objects by 10 times the current snap grid. The grid can also be temporarily set to 1 while moving an object with the mouse, hold Ctrl to do this. Use this feature when positioning text. The grids you cycle through when you press the G shortcut are defined in the Schematic - Grids page of the Preferences dialog File » System Preferences. On the Schematic - General page of the Preferences dialog there are settings to select the type of units that will be used, select between Imperial or Metric.

Note that Altium components are designed using the DXP Defaults imperial grid, if you change to a metric grid the component pins will no longer fall onto a grid of 10 - because of this, it is recommended to use the DXP Defaults grid unless you plan on only using your own components. Wiring the schematic:.

To make sure you have a good view of the schematic sheet, press the PgUp key to zoom in or PgDn to zoom out. Firstly, wire the lower pin of resistor R1 to the base of transistor Q1 in the following manner. Click the button Place » Wire to enter the wire placement mode. The cursor will change to a cross hair. Position the cursor over the bottom end of R1. When you are in the right position, a red connection marker large cross will appear at the cursor location.

This indicates that the cursor is over a valid electrical connection point on the component. Click the Left Mouse Button or press Enter to anchor the first wire point.

Move the cursor and you will see a wire extend from the cursor position back to the anchor point. Position the cursor over the base of Q1 until you see the cursor change to a red connection marker. If the wire is forming a corner in the wrong direction, press Spacebar to toggle the corner direction. Click or press Enter to connect the wire to the base of Q1. The cursor will release from that wire. Note that the cursor remains a cross hair, indicating that you are ready to place another wire.

To exit placement mode completely and go back to the arrow cursor, you would Right-Click or press ESC again - but don't do this just now.

Next wire from the lower pin of R3 to the collector of Q1. Position the cursor over the lower pin of R3 and click or press Enter to start a new wire. Move the cursor vertically till it is over the collector of Q1, and click or press Enter to place the wire segment. Again the cursor will release from that wire, and you remain in wiring mode, ready to place another wire. Wire up the rest of your circuit, as shown in the animation above. When you have finished placing all the wires, right-click or press ESC to exit placement mode.

The cursor will revert to an arrow. Wiring Tips Left-click or press Enter to anchor the wire at the cursor position. Press Backspace to remove the last anchor point. Press Spacebar to toggle the direction of the corner. You can observe this in the animation shown above, when the connector is being wired. Available modes include: 90, 45, Any Angle and Autowire place orthogonal wire segments between the click points.

Right-click or press Esc to exit wire placement mode. Whenever a wire crosses the connection point of a component, or is terminated on another wire, a junction will automatically be created. A wire that crosses the end of a pin will connect to that pin, even if you delete the junction. Check that your wired circuit looks like the figure shown, before proceeding.

Wiring cross-overs can be displayed as a small arch if preferred, enable the option in the Schematic - General page of the Preferences dialog. Adding net labels:. Click the button Place » Net Label. A net label will appear floating on the cursor. To edit the net label before it is placed, press Tab key to open the Net Label dialog. Type 12V in the Net field, then click OK to close the dialog. Place the net label so that the bottom left corner of the net label touches the upper most wire on the schematic, as shown in the image below.

The cursor will change to a red cross when the net label is correctly positioned to connect to the wire. If the cross is light grey, it means there will not be a valid connection made. After placing the first net label you will still be in net label placement mode, so press the Tab key again to edit the second net label before placing it.

Place the net label so that the bottom left of the net label touches the lower most wire on the schematic as shown in the image below. Right-click or press ESC to exit net label placement mode.

Save your circuit, and the project as well. Net Labels, Port and Power Ports As well as giving a net a name, Net Labels are also used to create connectivity between 2 separate points on the same schematic sheet. Ports are used to create connectivity between 2 separate points on different sheets. Offsheet connectors can also be used to do this. Power Ports are used to create connectivity between points on all sheets, for this design Net Labels or Power Ports could have been used.

Compiling the Project After you complete the schematic in Altium Designer, you compile it. Configuring the Error Checking:. Scroll through the list of error checks to the Violations Associated with Components group. Select View » Fit Document from the main menus shortcut: V, D to ensure your schematic sheet takes up the full editing window. Open the Components panel if not already — click the button at the bottom right of the application window and select Components from the menu.

Click the button at the top of the Components panel and select Refresh from the menu to update the panel's content with the components acquired from Manufacturer Part Search. Display the Component Details pane of the panel using the button or using the button at the bottom of the panel when the panel is in its compact mode so that you can explore the properties and models of the selected component.

Do not place the transistor yet! Placing the Capacitors. Return to the Components panel and search for: capacitor 22nF 16V Select the found capacitor in the search result grid, right-click on it then select Place from the context menu. While the capacitor is floating on the cursor, press the Tab key to open the Properties panel. In the General section of the panel, type in the Designator C1.

Click the Show More link in the panel's Parameters region to show the full list of component parameters. Placing the Resistors. Select the found K resistor in the search result grid and display the footprint in the Models section of the panel.

Select the M variety as shown in the image below. This selection can be done before the component is placed on the schematic during schematic placement or after schematic placement.

While the resistor is floating on the cursor, press the Tab key to open the Properties panel. In the General section of the panel, type in the Designator R1. In the Parameters section of the panel, enable the visibility of the Resistance parameter and disable the visibility of other parameters.

Leave all other fields at their default values and click the Pause button to return to part placement; the resistor will be floating on the cursor. Position the resistor above and to the left of the base of Q1 refer to the schematic diagram shown previously and click the left mouse button or press Enter to place the part.

Next, place the other k resistor, R2, above and to the right of the base of Q2. The designator will automatically increment when you place the second resistor.

Exit part placement mode by clicking the right mouse button or pressing the Esc key. The cursor will revert back to a standard arrow. Select the found 1K resistor in the search result grid and display the footprint in the Models section of the panel. Select the M variety. Right-click on the resistor in the search results grid and select Place from the context menu. In the General section of the panel, type in the Designator R3. Position and place R3 directly above the Collector of Q1, then place R4 directly above the Collector or Q2, as shown in the image above.

Right-click or press Esc to exit part placement mode. Placing the Connector. Return to the Components panel and search for: connector male straight. Select the found connector in the search result grid, right-click on it then select Place from the context menu. While the header is floating on the cursor, press Tab to open the Properties panel and set the Designator to P1. Click the Pause button to return to part placement.

Before placing the header, press Spacebar to rotate it to the correct orientation. Click to place the connector on the schematic, as shown in the image above.

Save your schematic locally. Editing in the Properties Panel One of the powerful features of the Properties panel is that it supports editing multiple selected objects at the same time.

If all objects share a property, that property will be available for editing. If all objects share the same property value, that value will be displayed.

The value entered or option chosen is applied to all selected objects. Component Positioning Tips To reposition any object, place the cursor directly over the object, click and hold the left mouse button, drag the object to a new position then release the mouse button. Movement is constrained to the current snap grid, which is displayed on the Status Bar.

Press the G shortcut at any time to cycle through the current snap grid settings. Remember that it is important to position components on a coarse grid, such as 50 or mil.

Once a component has been placed on the schematic, the software will attempt to maintain connectivity keep the wires attached if the component is moved. This connective-aware movement is referred to as dragging.

To move the component without maintaining connectivity, hold Ctrl as you click and drag the component. To switch the default behavior from dragging to moving, disable the Always Drag option in the Schematic — Graphical Editing page of the Preferences dialog. You can also re-position a group of selected schematic objects using the arrow keys on the keyboard. Select the objects then press an arrow key while holding down the Ctrl key.

Hold Shift as well to move objects by 10 times the current snap grid. The grid can also be temporarily set to the minimum 10mil value while moving an object with the mouse; hold Ctrl to do this.

Use this feature when positioning text. The grids you cycle through when you press the G shortcut are defined in the Schematic — Grids page of the Preferences dialog Tools » Preferences. The Units controls on the Schematic — General page of the Preferences dialog are used to select the measurement units; select either Mils or Millimeters. Note that Altium Designer components are designed using an imperial grid; if you change to a metric grid, the component pins will no longer fall onto a standard grid.

Because of this, it is recommended to use Mils for Units unless you plan on only using your own components. The Active Bar The tools most commonly used in each editor are available on the Active Bar , which is displayed at the top of the editing window.

Wiring the schematic. To make sure you have a good view of the schematic sheet, press the PgUp key to zoom in or PgDn to zoom out. First, wire the lower pin of resistor R1 to the base of transistor Q1 in the following manner. The cursor will change to a crosshair. Position the cursor over the bottom end of R1. When you are in the right position, a red connection marker red cross will appear at the cursor location.

This indicates that the cursor is over a valid electrical connection point on the component. Left-click or press Enter to anchor the first wire point. Move the cursor and you will see a wire extend from the cursor position back to the anchor point. Position the cursor over the base of Q1 until you see the cursor change to a red connection marker.

If the wire is forming a corner in the wrong direction, press Spacebar to toggle the corner direction. Click or press Enter to connect the wire to the base of Q1. The cursor will release from that wire.

Note that the cursor remains a crosshair indicating that you are ready to place another wire. To exit placement mode completely and go back to the arrow cursor, you would right-click or press Esc again — but don't do this just now.

Next, wire from the lower pin of R3 to the collector of Q1. Position the cursor over the lower pin of R3 and click or press Enter to start a new wire. Move the cursor vertically until it is over the collector of Q1 then click or press Enter to place the wire segment. Again, the cursor will release from that wire and you remain in wiring mode, ready to place another wire.

Wire up the rest of your circuit, as shown in the animation above. When you have finished placing all the wires, right-click or press Esc to exit placement mode. The cursor will revert to an arrow. Left-click or press Enter to anchor the wire at the cursor position. Press Backspace to remove the last anchor point.

Press Spacebar to toggle the direction of the corner. You can observe this in the animation shown above toward the end when the connector is being wired. Available modes include: 90, 45, Any Angle, and Autowire place orthogonal wire segments between the click points. Right-click or press Esc to exit wire placement mode. Whenever a wire crosses the connection point of a component or is terminated on another wire, a junction will automatically be created.

A wire that crosses the end of a pin will connect to that pin even if you delete the junction. Check that your wired circuit looks like the figure shown before proceeding. Wiring cross-overs can be displayed as a small arch if preferred. Adding net labels. A net label will appear floating on the cursor. To edit the net label before it is placed, press Tab to open the Properties panel. Type 12V in the Net Name field, then click the Pause button to return to object placement.

After placing the first net label, you will still be in net label placement mode; press the Tab key again to edit the second net label in the Properties panel before placing it. Place the net label so that the bottom left of the net label touches the lower-most wire on the schematic as shown in the completed schematic image above.

Right-click or press Esc to exit net label placement mode. Save your circuit and the project locally — right-click each file in the Projects panel and select Save. Net Labels, Ports, and Power Ports As well as giving a net a name, Net Labels are also used to create connectivity between two separate points on the same schematic sheet. Ports are used to create connectivity between two separate points on different sheets.

Off Sheet Connectors can also be used to do this. Power Ports are used to create connectivity between points on all sheets; for this single sheet design, Net Labels or Power Ports could have been used. You have just completed your first schematic capture.

Before you turn the schematic into a circuit board, you need to configure the project options and check the design for errors. Dynamic Compilation The Unified Data Model UDM is available from the moment a project is opened and should not require additional compilation, which saves time with increased speed of compilation and persistent listings of nets and components in the Navigator panel.

Configuring the Error Checking. Scroll through the list of error checks and note that they are clustered in groups; each group can be collapsed if required. Click on the Report Mode setting for any error check and note the options available. Changing the Connection Matrix. To change one of the settings, click the colored box; it will cycle through the four possible settings. Note that you can right-click on the dialog face to display a menu that lets you toggle all settings simultaneously, including an option to restore them all to their Default state handy if you have been toggling settings and cannot remember their default state.

Your circuit contains only passive pins. Let's change the default settings so that the connection matrix detects unconnected passive pins. Look down the row labels to find the Passive Pin row. Look across the column labels to find Unconnected. The square where these entries intersect indicates the error condition when a passive pin is found to be unconnected in the schematic. The default setting is green indicating that no report will be generated.

Click on this intersection box until it turns orange as shown in the image above so that an error will be generated for unconnected passive pins when the project is compiled. You will purposely create an instance of this error later in the tutorial. Configuring Class Generation. Clear the Component Classes checkbox as shown in the image above. This will automatically disable the creation of a placement room for that schematic sheet.

There are no buses in the design so there is no need to clear the Generate Net Classes for Buses checkbox located near the top of the dialog. There are no user-defined Net Classes in the design done through the placement of Net Class directives on the wires so there is no need to clear the Generate Net Classes checkbox in the User-Defined Classes region of the dialog. Configuring Comparator Settings. Checking the project for errors. When the validation is complete, all warnings and errors are displayed in the Messages panel.

The panel will only open automatically if there are errors detected not when there are only warnings. To open it manually, click the button at the bottom right and select Messages from the menu. If your circuit is drawn correctly, the Messages panel should not contain any errors, only the message Compile successful, no errors found.

If there are errors, work through each one, checking your circuit, and ensuring that all wiring and connections are correct.

You will now deliberately introduce an error into the circuit and validate the project again: Click on the Multivibrator. SchDoc tab at the top of the design space to make the schematic sheet the active document. Small, square editing handles will appear at each end of the wire and the selected color will display as a dotted line along the wire to indicate that it is selected.

Press the Delete key on the keyboard to delete the wire. PrjPcb to check for errors. The Messages panel will display error messages indicating you have unconnected pins in your circuit. The Messages panel is divided horizontally into two regions as shown in the image above. The upper region lists all messages, which can be saved, copied, cross probed to, or cleared via the right-click menu.

When you double-click on an error or warning in either region of the Messages panel, the schematic view will pan and zoom to the object in error. When you hover the cursor over the object in error not the wiggly line , a message describing the error condition will appear. Before you finish this section of the tutorial, let's fix the error in our schematic. Make the schematic sheet the active document. PrjPcb ; the Messages panel should show no errors.

Save the schematic and the project file to the Workspace — click the Save to Server control next to the project name in the Projects panel, confirm that the Multivibrator. PrjPcb and Multivibrator. SchDoc files are checked in the Save to Server dialog that opens, enter a comment into the Comment field e.

When you double-click on an error in the Messages panel: The schematic zooms to present the object in error. The Zoom Precision is set by the upper slider in the Highlight Methods section of the System — Navigation page of the Preferences dialog.

To clear all messages from the Messages panel, right-click in the panel and select Clear All. Adding a New Board to the Project. Setting the Origin and the Grid. There are two origins used in the software, the Absolute Origin, which is the lower left of the design space, and the user-definable Relative Origin, which is used to determine the current design space location. Before setting the origin, keep zooming in to the lower left of the current board shape until you can easily see the grid.

To do this, position the cursor over the lower-left corner of the board shape and press PgUp until both the Coarse and Fine grids are visible as shown in the images below. The next step is to select a suitable snap grid, as discussed in the table above. During the course of design, it is quite common to change grids, for example, you might use a coarse grid during component placement, and a finer grid for routing.

For this tutorial, you will be using a Metric grid. By entering the units as you entered a value you have also instructed the software to switch to a Metric grid, you can check this on the Status Bar. Editing the Board Shape. The default board shape is 6x4 inches; for this tutorial, you will change the board size to 30mm x 30mm. The board will exactly fill the PCB editor. The next step is to change the board shape. This is done in Board Planning Mode. Select View » Board Planning Mode from the main menus to change it shortcut: 1.

The display will change; the board area will now be shown in green. Note that clicking anywhere other than on an editing handle or an edge of the shape will drop you out of board shape editing mode. Use the current location information at the bottom left of the Status Bar to guide you as you reshape the board. Setting the Designator and Comment defaults. To configure the default settings for the designator and comment strings, select Tools » Preferences to open the Preferences dialog, then open the PCB Editor — Defaults page.

Select Designator in the Primitive List; the default Properties will be displayed. Confirm that the: Autoposition option is set to Left-Above for the Designator. This is the default location in which this string is held when the component is rotated. The string can be interactively relocated at any time during the design process.

Stroke fonts are Gerber-friendly shapes that the software can generate. Text Height is set to 1. Comment visibility is set to hidden. This is a common default; component Comment strings can be selectively displayed during the design process if required. Click OK to save the changes and close the dialog. Before transferring the schematic information to the new blank PCB, it is essential that all the related libraries for both schematic symbols and PCB footprints are available.

Since all components have been acquired from the Manufacturer Part Search panel with their footprints and placed from the connected Workspace, the footprints required for the tutorial are already available. Transferring the design from schematic capture to PCB layout.

Make the schematic document, Multivibrator. SchDoc , the active document. Click on Validate Changes. If all changes are validated, a green check will appear next to each change in the Status — Check column of the dialog. If the changes are not validated, close the dialog, check the Messages panel and resolve any errors. As each change is performed, a check will appear in the Status — Done column of the dialog.

Layer Tips The currently enabled layers are shown as a series of tabs across the bottom of the PCB design space. Right-click on a tab to access frequently-used layer display commands. In a busy design, it can help to only display the layer currently being worked on; this is referred to as Single Layer Mode. Configuring the Layer Visibility. Open the View Configuration panel. Note that this panel is where you control the display of the mask and silkscreen layers, as well as the system layers, such as DRC and grids.

To have less visual "clutter" during placement and routing, disable the display of the Component Layer Pairs except for Overlay layers , Mechanical Layers, and the Drill Guide and Drill Drawing layers. Switch to the View Options tab. Confirm that the Pad Nets and Pad Numbers options are enabled. The Layer Stack Manager opens in a document view, in the same way as a schematic sheet, the PCB, and other document types.

All of the standard View behaviors, such as splitting the screen or opening on a separate monitor, are supported. Configuring the board layer stack.

For a new board, the default stack comprises: a dielectric core, two copper layers, and the top and bottom soldermask coverlay and overlay silkscreen layers, as shown in the image above. To simplify the management of layers, make sure that the Stack Symmetry option is enabled in the Properties panel as shown in the image above.

With this option enabled, layers are added in matching pairs, centered around the mid-dielectric layer. To use a material for a specific layer or pair of layers if symmetry is enabled , click the in the Material cell for the required layer to open the Select Material dialog shown in the image above. Using the image above as a guide, select suitable material for the: Solder Mask, Signal, and Core layers.

Note that the Core layer has been chosen to define a suitable thickness for the finished board. Values can also be typed directly into the Layer Stack Manager. Click on the Via Types tab at the bottom of the Layer Stack Manager and confirm that there is a Thru type via defined.

Select View » Toggle Units or press the Q shortcut key to toggle the design space units between metric and imperial. Regardless of the current setting for the units, you can include the units when entering a value in a dialog or panel to force that value to be used.

Support for Multiple Grids Altium Designer allows multiple snap grids to be defined. As well as defining the type of grid, you also define the area where that grid applies. Note that the Default grid always applies to the entire design space even though it is only displayed over the board shape. Since only one grid can be used at a time, grids also have a priority that is used to determine which grid should be applied when they overlap.

There are also controls for defining if a grid is for all objects, components only, or non-components only. Grids are created and managed in the Grid Manager section of the Properties panel. Use the buttons in the panel to add, edit or delete a grid. Only the default grid is used in this tutorial. Configuring the snap grid.

Make sure that the Step X field has the value 1mm. Because the X and Y fields are linked, there is no need to define the Step Y value. To make the grid visible at lower zoom levels, set the Multiplier to 5x Grid Step ; to make it easier to distinguish between the two grids, set the Fine grid to display as lighter-colored Dots and the Coarse grid to display as darker colored Lines.

Click OK to close the dialog. Use these if you prefer to have some flexibility during routing, for example, when you need to neck a route down or use a smaller via in a tight area of the board. This can be done on the fly as you route by pressing 3 to cycle through the routing widths, or 4 to cycle through the via sizes.

There are also other techniques for editing the routing width and via size as you route; these are discussed more in the routing section. Avoid using the Min and Max settings to define a single rule to suit all sizes required in the entire design. Doing this means you forgo the ability to get the software to monitor that each design object is appropriately sized for its task.

Configuring the Routing Width Rule for the signal nets. Each rules category is displayed under the Design Rules folder left-hand side of the dialog. Double-click on the Routing category to expand the category and see the related routing rules then double-click on Width to display the currently defined width rules.

Click once on the existing Width rule to select it. When you click on the rule, the right-hand side of the dialog displays the settings for that rule including: the rule's Where the First Object Matches in the top section also referred to as the rule's scope — what you want this rule to target with the rule's Constraints below that.

Since this rule is to target the majority of nets in the design the signal nets , confirm that the Where The Object Matches setting is set to All. An additional rule will be added to target the power nets. Note that the settings are reflected in the individual layers shown at the bottom of the dialog. You can also configure the requirements on a per-layer basis. The rule is now defined. Click Apply to save it and keep the dialog open. Adding a Routing Width Rule for the power nets.

The next step is to add another design rule to specify the routing width for the power nets. With the existing Width rule selected in the Design Rules tree on the left of the dialog, right-click and select New Rule to add a new Width constraint rule, as shown in the animation below.

Click on the new rule in the Design Rules tree to configure its properties. This ability - essentially validating that vault components in a design are all up-to-date and using the latest revisions of their parent Component Items - can be checked as part of project compilation.

At the heart of this checking is the Component revision is Out of Date violation type, part of the category: Violations Associated with Components. Configure the reporting mode for this check on the Error Reporting tab of the Project Options dialog. New in Altium Designer. Using Altium Documentation. Now reading version For the latest, read: New in Altium Designer for version Read more Many of the new features and enhancements summarized here require the latest release of the Altium Vault - Altium Vault 3.

Printer-friendly version. Found an issue with this document? Contact Us Contact our corporate or local offices directly. We're sorry to hear the article wasn't helpful to you.

Could you take a moment to tell us why? Connect to Support Center for product questions. I do not want to leave feedback. ActiveRoute The holy grail of PCB routing is to be able to apply the brains and power of an autorouter to multiple nets simultaneously, under the control of a skilled designer. New Project Releaser Altium Designer You don't even have to remember to increment Item Revisions, it's all handled for you. Offline Mode - releasing all generated data into a folder-based structure, all wrapped up in a single Zip file.

Design Rules Improvements Altium Designer Selection and Display Improvements Altium Designer Dynamic Cross-Probing and Cross-Selecting Cross-Probing and Cross Selecting are powerful search tools within Altium Designer that help locate objects in other editors by selecting the object s in the current editor. View Configuration Enhancements In Altium Designer, a view configuration is a snapshot of display settings that you can configure, save and load as required.

Draftsman Enhancements With the release of Altium Designer 17, the Draftsman documentation system includes a range of enhancements and additional features that add to its flexibility while improving drawing efficiency. Simulation Profiles Along with its other enhancements for Mixed Simulation, Altium Designer 17 allows users to easily create and manage multiple Simulation Profiles. Simply position the cursor and click, or press Enter - the point guide will appear, marked by a cross at the chosen point.

Continue placing further point guides, or right-click, or press Esc , to exit placement mode. Using Altium Documentation.

Now reading version For the latest, read: ManageGridsAndGuides for version Parent page : PCB Commands The following pre-packaged resources, derived from this base command, are available:. Access Grid Manager.

The Grid Manager dialog can also be accessed by using the Grids command on the menu associated to the Snap button, at the bottom-right of the main design window. In addition, access can be made by clicking the Grids button at the bottom of the Board Options dialog.

Access Grid Manager Context Sensitive. Access Snap Guide Manager. The Snap Guide Manager dialog can also be accessed by using the Guides command on the menu associated to the Snap button, at the bottom-right of the main design window.

In addition, access can be made by clicking the Guides button at the bottom of the Board Options dialog. Access Local Grid Editor. Place Horizontal Snap Guide.