IC Design and Solutions Lab

Weekly Note

OrCAD Tutorial

Van Hoang Nguyen

College of Information & Communication Engineering, Sungkyunkwan University
PCB Editor: Library Setup

Decide the folder that store your footprint, Padstack and 3D model
Case 1: Using default folder
Copy PCB footprint, Padstack and 3D model of all component used in project to cadence’s folder
• PCB Footprint and Padstack folder: C:\Cadence\SPB_17.2\share\pcb\pcb_lib\symbols
• 3D model folder: C:\Cadence\SPB_17.2\share\local\pcb\step
Case 2: using custom folder
Using can store new footprint or padstack in your own folder, example: D:\HoangNguyen\Project\Cadence\Library

These folder are used in “ User Preferences” setup.

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PCB Editor: Library Setup

• Above figure is PCB Designer window in

“Mechanical Symbol” mode.
• We can set “User Preferences” in any
mode.

Set “padpath” and “psmpath” directories are

folders that contain your footprint and
padstack.
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PCB Editor: Assigning Footprints to Your Components
To assign Footprint to components:
1. Open your schematic file (“OrCAD Capture CIS” project)
2. Edit Object Properties
3. Assign Footprints

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PCB Editor: Assigning Footprints to Your Components

If you don’t know a footprint name exactly, you can search in the “OrCAD
PCB Designer” Tool after Library setting up.

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PCB Editor: Create Netlist

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PCB Editor: Create Netlist

Choose any Choose the

folder where configuration
store your file for
If want to create netlisting
PCB board first netlist file
and then add the
netlist file, it is
un-checked

If you want to
update exist
file, you should
choose the
input file
C:\Cadence\SPB_17.2\tools\capture\[Link]

The folder
where store
your PCB file
Open OrCAD PCB
Editor after
netlisting
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PCB Editor: Set Up PCB Design and Draw a Board Outline
1. Setup “Design Parameters”

There are a lot of parameters to set

before design. Example, you can
change the units to millimeter

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PCB Editor: Set Up PCB Design and Draw a Board Outline
2. Setup “Grids”

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PCB Editor: Set Up PCB Design and Draw a Board Outline
2. Database Preparation: Board Outline

Input the dimension of

the board outline

Board Outline is
created

Place the designed board

outline and close the
“Design outline” window
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PCB Editor: Set Up PCB Design and Draw a Board Outline
3. Database Preparation: Cross Section

The number of the PCB is modified in “Cross Section”

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PCB Editor: Set Up PCB Design and Draw a Board Outline
3. Database Preparation: (Import Netlist file)
If you plan to create the Board Outline first and then import the exist Netlist file, you can follow step below:

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PCB Editor: Create and Place Mechanical Symbols

If you want to create a symbol yourself?

Make sure that your symbol

is store in the folder that is
added in the “padpath” in
“User Preferences”

Name your
symbol

Choose type
of symbol

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PCB Editor: Create and Place Mechanical Symbols

During placing your component, if there

are an error like “Pin(s) cannot be
placed outside the drawing extents”,
your pins is outside of the design area,
you should change your design area by
following step below:

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PCB Editor: Create and Place Mechanical Symbols

To move the
component

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PCB Editor: Place component
To make a interaction between schematic (OrCAD Capture) and Layout (OrCAD PCB Designer), which allow you to
select the component on the Schematic directly, below step should be done first: (in OrCAD Capture)

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PCB Editor: Place component
In PCB Designer, Place -> components Manually.

The component is chosen in

Schematic is shown up in PCB
Designer

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PCB Editor: Set up Differential Pairs and Constraint Manager

You can modify Differential

pair after generating

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PCB Editor: Set up Differential Pairs and Constraint Manager

Create new Physical/Electrical set in

Set Electrical “Physical/Electrical Constraint Set”
and Physical and then apply it in “Net”
Constraint

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PCB Editor: Create Ground and Power Plane
You can create the ground plane by following step below:
Select the layer where
You can create a plane you want to place a plane
with different boundary

Select the net which is

connected to the plane

If you want to create a plane

from separate part, you can
you “Merge Shapes”

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PCB Editor: Create Ground and Power Plane
If you have multiple source, such as 5V, 1.8V, 3.3V in the same layer, you should isolate those region. To do that, you
should use “Create Split Plane” function.

Select the layer that you

want to assign the power
source

Select the Net is

assigned

Tip: You can turn off

another layer for
clearly visible
purpose

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PCB Editor: Create Ground and Power Plane

To assign multi source you

much create the region
where you want to isolate
before using “Split Plane”

Note that: The boundary can be any

shape (line, rectangle) and much be
draw in the same layer with one you
want to assign power source

Tip: you can select Power plane

type in “Split Plane Params”

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PCB Editor: Routing
You can change the layer color in your PCB to make it easy to see.

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PCB Editor: Routing
You can easy create connection between pins of component with the power plane or ground plane by
using “Create Fanout” function

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PCB Editor: Routing

You can move a via by using

“Etchedit” and then click and
hold a via and move

If you want to change

trace width you can
choose
“Edit -> Change Objects”

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PCB Editor: Routing
Let rout remainder nets!

After Routing, if you want to make your

traces look like nice, you can modify by
using “Etchedit or “Custom Smooth””

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PCB Editor: Routing

After routing, you should

have a check to make sure
that all nets are routed

Click to “Update
DRC” to check DRC
till “DRC error”
change to green

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PCB Editor: Prepare for manufacturing

Before create manufacturing file, all Nets color must be cleared

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PCB Editor: Prepare for manufacturing
You should set the origin of your PCB and then add the “Title box”

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PCB Editor: Prepare for manufacturing

Add the “Title Box”

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PCB Editor: Prepare for manufacturing
You have to define the output director for storing all extracted file for manufacturing

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PCB Editor: Prepare for manufacturing

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PCB Editor: Prepare for manufacturing
You can add the “Reference Designator” for component or delete any text in your design

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PCB Editor: Prepare for manufacturing
Create fabrication film file

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PCB Editor: Prepare for manufacturing

Save the artwork form

Right click and choose “Add”

FAB

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PCB Editor: Prepare for manufacturing

Create Assembly Film

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PCB Editor: Prepare for manufacturing

Create “Silk Screen Top” film

Change the
“undefined line
width” to 0.127

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PCB Editor: Prepare for manufacturing

Create the SOLDER MASK TOP film

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PCB Editor: Prepare for manufacturing

Create the PASTE MASK TOP film

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PCB Editor: Prepare for manufacturing

Create the SOLDER MASK BOTTOM film

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PCB Editor: Prepare for manufacturing

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PCB Editor: Manufacturing Exporting
Export IPC-2581

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PCB Editor: Manufacturing Exporting
Export Artwork (Gerber)

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PCB Editor: Manufacturing Exporting
Export NC Drill

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