Resource Library
Posted on May 3, 2019
New part creation can be time consuming and error-prone, OrCAD makes it simple without ever leaving your CAD environment with real-time part data.
Posted on Feb 12, 2019
Communication and collaboration during a project are vital to ensure your design is completed on-time, on-budget and as smoothly as possible. There are many aspects to manage in a design and many stakeholders, but who is responsible for what? This episode of Whiteboard Wednesdays will discuss PCB project stakeholders and their responsibilities throughout the design process.
Posted on Jan 25, 2019
Curious to what a day in the life of an OrCAD Capture is like? Watch this video to see a typical workflow.
Posted on Nov 2, 2018
Connect with the world's leading manufacturers to easily request and implement custom manufacturability rules. Learn more.
Posted on Nov 2, 2018
Double check your DFM rules before signoff with a forced batch check of all rules for your whole design. If you do find something awry, it’s easy to locate and fix in your design.
Posted on Nov 2, 2018
Double check your DFM rules before signoff with a forced batch check of all rules for your whole design. If you do find something awry, it’s easy to locate and fix in your design.
Posted on Nov 2, 2018
Easily ensure test points are accessible in your designs.
Posted on Nov 2, 2018
Check for common copper and component spacing issues that could potentially derail manufacturing and cause a respin.
Posted on Nov 2, 2018
Easily create and assign constraints for manufacturing based on IPC standards and common PCB rules.
Posted on Nov 2, 2018
Remove unused sections of plated through holes in high-speed designs to improve signal integrity on your designs.
Posted on Nov 2, 2018
Measure from true signal origin to end point through vias and through packages, not just the etch, so you can get timing right and ensure signal performance.
Posted on Nov 2, 2018
Visual indicators of length constraints help you meet delay propagation and total etch length goals when placing components.
Posted on Aug 1, 2018
With the speed at which technology is advancing, the need for new designs to be completed quickly and accurately is more important than ever. Any delay in design or manufacturing could be detrimental to your timeline and product release. Manufacturing Design Errors can halt board production and cause lengthy delays in your design process. However, checking for fabrication errors early in the design process can streamline manufacturing. OrCAD helps you do this with Design for Fabrication Constraints. Ensure the manufacturer’s minimum tolerances are met by defining constraints for outlines, masks, annular rings, copper spacing and silkscreen. Address the errors, flagged with DRC Markers, before sending the board to manufacturing to ensure production is completed quickly and accurately.
Posted on Aug 1, 2018
Manually routing large, complex, high-density boards can be tedious and time consuming. With the number of routing possibilities, your board becomes a puzzle that could take hours, days or even weeks to solve and with deadlines getting shorter, every second counts in the design process. However, by automating some or all of your routing, you can ensure your design is completed on time. OrCAD helps you do this with an industry standard Auto-router. Set up the required parameters for the auto-router to follow and define the number of passes. Set preferences for fanouts, vias, tuning, testpoints and more;then let the auto-router do the work.
Posted on Aug 1, 2018
You’ve spent countless hours creating the perfect layout for a specific circuit on your PCB. Now you need to create the same layout for matching circuits in your design. Replicating redundant circuits can be time consuming and mundane. Instead of wasting time manually placing each part with the identical spacing and layout of your original circuit, automate the process and focus on more important aspects of your design. Placement replication in OrCAD helps you do this. Once a circuit is defined, easily create a place replicate module. Highlight the components for the redundant circuit and apply the module. OrCAD PCB Designer automatically configures the circuit layout and spacing.
Posted on Jul 31, 2018
Rigid- Flex boards result in increasing complex designs and constraints. Many constraints need to be considered that are not necessary in standard PCB designs. These Design Rules can be difficult to manage and check in a Rigid-Flex design, especially in transition zones where constraints are layer specific and different for the flex and rigid parts of the design. Manual checking of these zones can result in oversights and design errors. Dynamic Zone DRC Checking can help you manufacture with confidence by automating this process. Now, you can define and manage zones in the PCB. With Dynamic Zone DRC, any zone or inter-layer errors are flagged with a DRC marker. Check transition zones for via and routing constraints. Ensure cover lay openings and gold masks are aligned for proper conductivity.
Posted on Jul 31, 2018
Design Rules can be difficult to manage in Rigid-Flex designs, especially in transition zones due to different rules for flex and rigid areas and layer specific constraints. With increased design complexity, manually checking Rigid-Flex designs can be time consuming and result in an oversight. However, by assigning layer-based constraints, this process can be automated. OrCAD helps you do this with Inter-Layer DRC Checks. OrCAD allows you to set separate rules for both a flex and rigid design. Simply select the subclass layers that will be checked against one another. Assign and define the rule and let OrCAD PCB Designer automatically check the design—any errors are flagged with a DRC marker for your review. Eliminate the need for error-prone, time-consuming, manual checks of your Rigid-Flex Design with OrCAD PCB Designer and manufacture your design with confidence.
Posted on Jul 31, 2018
Manually adding test points can be a lengthy process and can cause errors in your design. Fabrication and Assembly houses may have specific requirements for testpoint to testpoint spacing and testpoint to component spacing. Not meeting these specifications could result in a delay in production until issues are resolved. However, by automating this process, you can ensure no shorts or opens were created in the assembly and adhere to strict fabrication requirements. Automatic Test Point Creation within OrCAD can help. First define the constraints then, set the parameters and automatically generate the testpoints with the click of a button. Easily communicate your design by creating the test point fixture and exporting a drill file.
Posted on Jul 31, 2018
With the size of devices decreasing and frequencies increasing, the need for managing electromagnetic interference in RF Designs is more important than ever. This disturbance by an outside source can cause a variety of issues in your design including a decrease in signal and power integrity, addition of cross talk, resonance and ringing, or even complete circuit failure. Designing for these issues at the board level is a tedious and time-consuming part of the design process, but allows you to ensure your design intent is not affected. A common, inexpensive solution is to include via shielding in your design. OrCAD helps you do this using Via Arrays. Automatically insert a group of vias in a matrix pattern over the entire board, an area inside a boundary box, or in a dynamic shape. And place vias as a boundary around a shape, hole, route keepout, cline, via, or pin. By placing vias with proper spacing around the edge of your board or high-risk areas, you can reduce EMI and cross talk. Design changes are made easy with the ability to unplace all vias automatically. Quickly and easily add and edit the necessary via shielding and ensure your RF designs are not affected by EMI with Via Arrays in OrCAD PCB Designer.
Posted on Jul 31, 2018
Running traces over voids and split planes can cause impedance and noise control issues. Signal traces must be routed over an uninterrupted copper plane to ensure continuous loop or return path current. However, by automatically identifying problem traces, you can eliminate the need for time consuming, error-prone manual scanning on every layer of the board. OrCAD helps you do this with Segment Over Void detection. Now, problem traces are reported with the click of a button and highlighted for your review.