Altium shorcuts

Hugo, I don't use AD/DXP but I believe what you are mentioning is the trace "neckdown" feature and I believe it only works for pad/land entries. I don't belive it works on necking down a trace between pads. Can't you set several preferred trace widths in AD/DXP (not sure which version) and then switch them with some shortcut keys?

Sincerely, Brad Velander

I don't use Altium either, but when I used PCAD you had to stop the route where you want to neck down, change the trace width with the menu on the task bar, and then continue. At least that's how I did it, I never saw any short cut in the manual. The system I use now had the ability to define a "Necked" width and to select it on the fly. I like that much better.

Jim

Assuming you are running the current version of Altium Designer, while interactive routing there is a default hotkey of '3' to cycle through a list of favourite track widths. A default hotkey of Shift-W brings up a menu of the favourite track widths. The list of favourite widths can be configured under Tools>Preferences>PCB Editor>Interactive Routing>.

While in an interactive mode the '~' hot key (might be a different key depending on the nationality of your keyboard) brings up a menu of hotkeys active in that particular mode.

What I did with my CAD software was to have large pads on layer 2 and narrow pads on layer 1 so I could run tracks easily between pads. My symbol designer allowed this so it was no problem.

I have the list of preferred track widths, but my problem is that I can't change it while routing. I can bring up the list Shift-W but nothing happens if I choose a different width - and that is very frustrating :-)

/Hugo

Works for me setting the width of the track you are currently placing.

Check you don't have a design rule which would be broken by the selected width.

Can you change the width by hitting tab and typing a new value? I am pretty sure you will be warned about design rules in that case, maybe the hotkey just silently forces the width to comply with rules.

Hugo, I wondered if you were just a little confused by the prior message about setting the favorite widths.

Shift-W brings up the window to set the favorite track widths. It is the '3' key that then cycles through the favorite widths while you are routing.

Could it be that the '3' only works on the numeric keypad and it has to be set to numeric functions or vice versa? You should be able to check your hotkey settings as well, maybe your '3' was previously set to some other function or just blanked in your set-up?

Otherwise "nospam" has a good point about trying to change the width manually and double checking that some design rule is not trumping your desired trace width change. Been there, done that, now I usually recognize it right away since I have run into it so many times.

After some 'fidling around' I managed to get this working - it is not optimal but it works :-)

Now I am only left with one problem (for the time being) and that is the optional to have more than one clearance setting. I want one setting for routing and one for when adding polygons. But that I haven't been able to figure out.

--

/* Vy 73 de OZ8HP / OZ1IIQ /* Hugo Pedersen /*

You can have a zillion different clearance rules.

Add a new clearance rule with a query "InPoly" against All. Make it higher priority than tighter clearance rules.

It will apply to any part of a polygon against everything else on the PCB.

Hugo, Sounds like you needd to do some reading on the capabilities of your tool. If you don't know how to do multiple rules then you are just playing at it. 8^>

Not sure which version of AD you have but you need to check out the learning guides available for download through the Altium website. Like:

TR0116 Design Rules Reference

or

AR0111 Specifying the PCB Design Rules and Resolving Violations and TR0116 Design Rules Reference earlier DXP2004 version than the one listed above.

And there are many, many more, a couple of dozen. There are also some of these available on your computer right now through the "About" drop-down menu area.

Well the last thing you normally do is to read the manual :-) After not having used PCB software for some years it is a big step from Protel 2.0 to Altium Designer 6.7 and further more I am not full time user. So please forgive me if asking 'stupid' questions :-)

Hugo, No problem, you aren't exactly asking for step by step guidance on how to do every basic thing like some posters to the NG. Have you looked at the website to see all of their guides? Have to give Altium credit for doing all those guides, they far surpass the typical help file or manual one receives today.

Protel 2.0? That must have been purchased back in about 92/93? I used the first versions of Protel up to and including vesion 1.7 or 1.8, then we threw it in the round file under my desk because we couldn't get product out the door, for the fact we were always sending corrupt files to Protel for salvation/fixes.

AD is actually quite a powerful system but you do need to understand the rule/query portion of the tool to get the best out of it. I think the capabilities in the rules/queries need a few more capabilities but those that are there can easily surpass most of the competitive systems capabilities since you can write your own rules and consition them to fit most needs. Certainly doesn't limit you to the simple rules capabilities that the designers/programmers could think of up front.

It sounds about right with 92-93. I started working at the company in 94 and at that time it was the software used by the electronics guys there and due to my interest in the subject (I am licensed HAM amateur and likes to play around with small electronic setups) I tried the software and have been using it on and off since. About a year ago I should use some PCB software and got the opportunity to try the AD and I liked it much better than Eagle that I simply can't work with :-) but since the license is on a laptop I burrowed from one of the guys at my old company, I will have to return to my old Protel 2.0

That is the story of my use of the AD - not proff. just for fun.