PCBNavigator®

What’s New

PCBNavigator® is now offering complete bi-direction integration from OrCAD Capture & Mentor DxDesigner (ePD) to Mentor Expedition PCB 2006 and Allegro PCB. The added capabilities include constraints assignment at the engineer’s desktop using PCBNavigator, constraints include “differential pairs, net classes, net rules, delay, impedance, forced order routing, matched length, cross talk, max via’s, stub lengths, virtually everything that is available in Expedition and Allegro PCB system. Create a layout project direct from PCBNavigator for Mentor Expedition PCB 2006 and pass constraints, stay in sync with forward & back-annotation. Also, complete dynamic cross-probing between DxDesigner and Allegro systems.

Integration of schematic capture and board design software such as OrCAD and PADs PowerPCB.

PCBNavigator® takes designs from schematic to board layout faster and safer. Engineers assign constraints at the schematic level using a highly productive spreadsheet driven user interface. Changes back and forth between schematic and board layout are synchronized automatically at the database level. Supported schematic capture (front end) platforms are noted below in the matrix. Currently only NT tools are fully supported. Inquire about our UNIX/Java version.

• Allowing engineers to quickly set constraints before the board designers get involved reduces back and forth communication between board designer and engineer.
• Engineers and board designers can work concurrently without fear of having to redesign the same features thanks to database level complete back annotation integration between schematic and target PCB systems.
• New technology, outsourcing acquisitions, budget constraints keep changing your company's design tool environment.

Schematic and PCB systems Versions Supported DataSheet       Cadence Capture (CIS) 7.2, 9.0, 9.1, 9.2,10.3, 10.5, 10.7, 15.7 Mentor DxDesigner ePD 1.1, 2.0, 3.0, EN2005, EN2006 Hyperlynx LineSim 6.0, 7.1, 7.2, 7.7 Mentor PADS PowerPCB 4.x, 5.x, 2004, 2005 (SP2), 2007 Mentor Expedition 2003,2004, 2005 Altium Accel-PCAD PCAD 2002, 2004, 2006 Zuken CADStar/Visula 9.0 and lower Zuken CR5000 via Visula/RINF interface Cadence Allegro PCB 13.6, 14.1, 15.X

 

• Highlights
• Benefits
• Overview
• Simulation Driven Constraints
• Spreadsheet Based Rules Manager
• Cross-Probe Between Schematics & Target PCB Editors
• Supported PCB & Schematic Systems
• Easy ECO Manager
• System Requirements 

Highlights

• Reads schematic files, and automatically packages your design to target PCB design tool placement and routing constraint rules already set
• Provides complete back annotation integration between schematics and target PCB Design tools.
• Constraint management spreadsheet provides total user control over PCB design rules in an easy to read Excel style spreadsheet supporting board, net, pin, and component design rules.
• Cross-probe object linking and embedding (OLE) components, pins and nets between schematics and target PCB design tools.
• Nodelock, and floating licenses on Windows 98/NT4.0/2000.
• 'Attached Pins' allows the user to find out exactly what pins and type of pins are attached to a net.
• 'Attached Nets' allows the user to find what nets are attached to a component.
• Analyze drivers/receivers on a node: net topology spreadsheet viewer, transfer to HyperLynx (optional).
• Assign multiple design rules for nets (high speed rules), components (clusters), and board (track2track, etc.)
• High speed design rules support such as pin pairs, differential pairs, delay, impedance, etc.
• Supports flat and hierarchical designs.

Benefits

• Reduce PCB board turns due to delays caused by incorrect design rules, and engineering change order (ECO)  errors.
• Saves up to 50% in labor compared to manual method. The engineer or designer can set design rules using spreadsheets at the schematic level.
• Maintain design integrity between schematic designs and target PCB Systems through back annotation of ECO changes in PCB layout. Back annotation available for all supported schematic editors. ECO changes only supported for OrCAD schematic editor.

Overview

The PCBNavigator software provides complete bi-directional integration between schematic and target PCB systems (see list below). The design rule constraint spreadsheet editor allows rule passing for nets, components and board. The software enables the user to debug designs faster with the support of bi-directional cross-probing between schematic capture and target PCB editors. The PCBNavigator solution maintains design integrity, and synchronization with PCB ECO changes (pin/gate swap, reference design rename, rules etc.). ECO changes can be easily read into OrCAD Capture through automatic Swap file (.swp) generation. PCBNavigator is integrated at the database level with supported schematic and target PCB systems. The user can select components/nets in the schematic and the appropriate rules are highlighted automatically in the PCBNavigator spreadsheet (dynamically linked). PCBNavigator automatically checks the PCB ECO file, and reports potential ECO items back to the schematic design.

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The PCBNavigator software empowers design engineers to accurately describe PCB rules at the schematic level and pass constraints to PCB designers. This removes the time-consuming manual method of describing PCB constraints on a separate document. Using the PCBNavigator solution, designers are able to accurately assign board, net, net class, component, component class, clusters, and placement rules at the schematic level. PCBNavigator compiles these rules, and builds a complete PCB net list with rules. PCBNavigator is the only product for OrCAD users that allows constraint driven board-level design for other third party PCB tools. PCBNavigator automatically provides approved PCB attributes for the target PCB system, as well as easy definition and annotation of user defined attributes.

Simulation Driven Constraints

The PCBNavigator solution provides complete net topology analysis. The user may select a net in a design, and complete receivers/drivers are listed, with attributes on each pin node. Based on this information, the fan-out can be predicted and adjusted very quickly. The user also has the option of exporting this data into HyperLynx LineSim format to perform transmission line analysis and optimize the net topology for best termination scheme to reduce signal transmission problems. This data can be back annotated into the schematic as "Routing Constraints".

Spreadsheet Based Rules Manager

High speed rules such as length, parallelism, delay constraints, autorouter restrictions and route priorities can be assigned simply by entering values in the spreadsheets provided for board, net, component, and pins. All design rules are managed in the appropriate spreadsheet, and final configuration is written back to the schematic. All design rules are maintained as part of the schematic database. The component spreadsheet can specify x,y locations, rotations, locks, component side, and clusters.

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Cross-Probe Between Schematics and Target PCB Editors

PCBNavigator is an OLE based database application that provides direct cross-probe capability between the schematic and PCB for selecting, querying and assigning rules to schematic designs.

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Supported PCB and Schematic Systems

Schematic and PCB systems Versions Supported DataSheet       Cadence Capture (CIS) 7.2, 9.0, 9.1, 9.2,10.3, 10.5, 10.7, 15.7 Mentor DxDesigner ePD 1.1, 2.0, 3.0, EN2005, EN2006 Hyperlynx LineSim 6.0, 7.1, 7.2, 7.7 Mentor PADS PowerPCB 4.x, 5.x, 2004, 2005 (SP2), 2007 Mentor Expedition 2003,2004, 2005 Altium Accel-PCAD PCAD 2002, 2004, 2006 Zuken CADStar/Visula 9.0 and lower Zuken CR5000 via Visula/RINF interface Cadence Allegro PCB 13.6, 14.1, 15.X

Easy ECO Manager

PCBNavigator provides complete ECO management. PCB ECO (.eco file) changes are read into PCBNavigator, which checks for entities that can be back annotated. It also generates a correct ECO configuration in the OrCAD native Swap file format.

System Requirements

Windows 98, XP, 2000, 2003.
Inquire about our UNIX/Java version.