OrCAD Walk-through
Get up to speed and productive quickly with these free learning resources and tutorials
New to OrCAD?
This is the best place to get started on your OrCAD journey. Whether you are looking to learn how to create a schematic in OrCAD Capture, set up constraints within PCB Editor, or check component reliability in PSpice, these complete walk-through tutorials will fast-track your ability to create quality printed circuit boards with OrCAD.
OrCAD Capture
Select Your Software Version:
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OrCAD Capture is one of the most powerful schematic design environments. With Capture, you can quickly, easily, and intuitively create complex schematic designs. This walk-through introduces you to OrCAD Capture 17.4. Upon completion of this tutorial, you will be able to:
* Click the video links for written, step-by-step tutorials.
- Open Capture 17.4 and create a new project
- Edit design, template, and titleblock preferences
- Add a new library file to your project
- Copy library parts and paste them into a new design library
- Rename and edit a library part
- Create a new part and add it to your design library
- Add a library to your Capture project
- Place a title block, components, ground and power on a schematic page
- Search for parts in the default Capture libraries
- Place a part from the Unified Search (New in 17.4)
- Connect components to wires
- Select and move groups of wired components
- Connect a bus to components and nets
- Place net aliases
- Add a new net alias to multiple nets and buses
- Edit component values and display information on the schematic
- Add PCB footprints to your design
- Edit reference designator text
- Automatically update schematic annotation
- Define differential pairs both manually and automatically
- Configure and run a design rule check (DRC)
- Correct violations
- Create a custom BOM
- Open the BOM in Excel
- Configure the first-time setup for a Smart PDF
- Generate a Smart PDF
- Create a new PCB layout and netlist for the design
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This walk-through introduces you to OrCAD Capture 17.2. Upon completion of this tutorial, you will be able to:
Video 1:
- Open Capture 17.2 and create a new project
- Edit design, template, and titleblock preferences
- Add a new library file to your project
Video 2:
- Copy library parts and paste them into a new design library
- Rename and edit a library part
- Create a new part and add it to your design library
- Search and place a component using Ultra Librarian
Video 3:
- Add a library to your Capture project
- Place a title block, components, ground and power on a schematic page
- Search for parts in the default Capture libraries
Video 4:
- Connect components to wires
- Select and move groups of wired components
- Connect a bus to components and nets
Video 5:
- Place net aliases
- Add a new net alias to multiple nets and buses
Video 6:
- Define differential pairs both manually and automatically
Video 7:
- Edit component values and display information on the schematic
Video 8:
- Edit reference designator text
- Automatically update schematic annotation
Video 9:
- Configure and run a design rule check (DRC)
- Correct violations
Video 10:
- Create a custom BOM
- Open the BOM in Excel
Video 11:
- Configure the first-time setup for a Smart PDF
- Generate a Smart PDF
Apply Electrical Rules
Design Variants
Multi-page Schematics and Off-page Connectors
Don't Have Access to OrCAD Yet?
PCB Editor
Select Your Software Version:
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OrCAD PCB Editor provides engineers with a concept-to-production design environment. With OrCAD PCB Editor, you can complete your next project easily with powerful design capabilities such as differential signal definition, interactive routing, high-speed constraint management, and real-time design capabilities. This walk-through introduces you to OrCAD PCB Editor 17.4. Upon completion of this tutorial, you will be able to:
* Click the video links for written, step-by-step tutorials.
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Setup and edit design parameters
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Add a layer to the board stack up
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Create a mounting hole
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Place mechanical symbols on your PCB
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Place components
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Review a report that identifies unplaced components
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Cross probe components between Capture and PCB Editor
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Set up a differential pair
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Specify electrical, physical and differential pair rules with Constraint Sets
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Add ground and power planes
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Draw and merge geometric shapes
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Route and clean-up traces
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Verify all nets are routed
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Run a Design Rule Check
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Identify and correct DRC errors
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Add dimensions and titleblock for fabrication
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Create a Drill Chart and Cross Section Chart
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Setup Artwork Films
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Generate IPC-2581, Gerber Artwork files and NC Drill file
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Setup STEP mapping for 3D Models
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Perform collision detection
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Cross-probe between 2D and 3D to resolve collisions
Want to Follow Along?
Video 1:
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Add PCB footprints to your design
Video 2:
-
Create a netlist for the design
Video 3:
-
Setup and edit design parameters
-
Add a layer to the board stack up
Video 4:
-
Create a mounting hole
-
Place mechanical symbols on your PCB
Video 5:
-
Place components
-
Review a report that identifies unplaced components
-
Cross probe components between Capture and PCB Editor
Video 6:
-
Set up a differential pair
-
Specify electrical, physical and differential pair rules with Constraint Sets
Video 7:
-
Add ground and power planes
-
Draw and merge geometric shapes
Video 8:
-
Route and clean-up traces
-
Verify all nets are routed
Video 9:
-
Run a Design Rule Check
-
Identify and correct DRC errors
Video 10:
-
Add dimensions and titleblock for fabrication
-
Create a Drill Chart and Cross Section Chart
-
Setup Artwork Films
Video 11:
-
Generate IPC-2581, Gerber Artwork files and NC Drill file
Video 12:
-
Setup STEP mapping for 3D Models
-
Perform collision detection
-
Cross-probe between 2D and 3D to resolve collisions
Want a Deeper Dive? Try these OrCAD Videos
Define Bendable Areas in Your Flex PCB
Optimize Placement for Routing
Reuse Placement from Tested Designs
Signal Tranmission with Rigid Flex
Define Path for Critical Signals
Tune High-speed Signals
Utilize Space to Reduce Crosstalk
Backdrilling Parameters
Creating Test Points
Manufacturing Reports
Placement Creating Board Design Template
Placement Update Symbols
Routing: Adding Shapes and Zcopy
Design Rules DFM Constraint Setup
Placement by Group
Placement Bypass Capacitor
Routing: Create Shape from Lines
Analyze DRC Check
Routing: Custom Smooth
Need Help with In-design Analysis, Constraints, and More?
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PSpice gives engineers the ability to conduct advanced circuit design, simulation, and analysis for analog and mixed-signal circuits. With PSpice, you can be confident your design will perform as intended, the first time. This walk-through introduces you to PSpice 17.4. Upon completion of this tutorial, you will be able to:
* Click the video links for written, step-by-step tutorials.
- Open PSpice and create a new project
- Navigate through the PSpice Start page
- Access PSpice online learning and Help resources
- Place PSpice parts on your schematic
- Perform a part search and place the part
- Place wires to complete your schematic
- Rename and edit schematic parts
- Assign net names
- Perform bias point and DC sweep simulations
- Add traces to a plot
- Add voltage probes to the circuit
Optimize for Yield
Spice Model
Simulate Design Reliability
Analog Behavioral Model
Smoke Analysis
These advanced OrCAD workshops will help you learn specific OrCAD features, accelerate your design and evaluation process, and enable you to learn at your own pace.
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Change, Adjust, and Work Through Shapes in Real-Time
Skill level: Intermediate
Don’t lose precious design time waiting for shapes to repour each time you make an adjustment or change.
- Easily create and adjust shapes in real-time. No need to wait for shapes to repour.
- Plow through shapes and they will adjust automatically and apply any spacing rules.
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Industry-Leading Routing Technology
Skill level: Intermediate
Improve efficiency and productivity of the routing stage of your design process with industry-leading technology
- Context sensitive and selection-aware—just select your traces and start designing.
- Routing tool analyzes and informs while routing—providing intelligent, electrically aware engineering information in a heads-up display.
- Working layers provide you with the ability to add vias on the fly so you don’t have to pre-plan every possible via structure.
- Quickly weave through BGAs and other high pin count interfaces with scribble/snake, automatic channel routing.
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Quickly and Easily Identify Signal Integrity Issues
Skill level: Intermediate
With deadlines shortening, you don’t have the time seek the help of an Signal Integrity expert. With OrCAD, you can fix SI issues on your own—with no outside help.
- Visual feedback helps identify signal quality issues and causes.
- Analysis done driectly inside OrCAD—no import/export required. Allows for real-time analysis and problem solving.
- Based on industry-leading Sigrity ERC and SRC technology.
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Consistent, Repeatable Fanouts and Vias
Skill level: Intermediate
Stop wasting time manually creating fanouts and vias. OrCAD provides a simple, automated solution so fanouts can be done faster (and correctly).
- Fanouts in OrCAD are simple—no complicated setup—vias are automatically centered and escape angles are automatically calculated.
- OrCAD is constraint-driven for intelligent fanout creation. Constraints for line width help limit impedance and constraints for via size make sure DDR devices automatically get micro vias.
- Quickly apply the same fanout to many devices and make it easy to adjust the layout of your designs without having to recreate fanouts with design reuse feature
Identify Critical Components Quickly and Accurately
Skill level: Advanced
Measuring performance for a circuit is no easy task. With OrCAD, you can easily discover which components have the most effect on circuit performance. Now, you can make intelligent part decisions, so you can focus on reducing costs and improving design performance.
- One-click circuit simulation.
- Find precise component measurements with ease.
- An ordered list of critical components helps you to make informed component design choices.
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Real-Time Design Feedback for Constraints
Skill level: Intermediate
Improve your designs and ensure they are completed accurately with constraints in OrCAD.
- Real-time, visual feedback during the design process.
- Familiar spreadsheet interface makes constraints easy to create, manage, configure and apply.
- Includes extensive rules for electrical spacing, physical spacing, same net (HDI) spacing, and manufacturing.
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Analyze, Prioritize, Find, and Flag Errors Before Manufacturing
Skill level: Intermediate
Don’t make costly manufacturing errors again. OrCAD provides a straightforward way to help you identify errors in your design earlier in the process.
- Rules cover electrical, manufacturing, and physical errors.
- Live checks with visual cues doesn’t just display errors, but details the rule being violated—all as you design.
- A design error review helps you to easily manage design errors for further follow up.