PROTEL question

I'm using Protel DXP 2004, but (obviously) I'm a total newbie at using ANY pcb design software. The schematics are very, very simple, couple of resistors and few chips. When I try component autoplacing and autorouting, PROTEL makes really small PCBs. It does seem to be possible to fit several schematics to one PCB, but what happens to labels if for eg. both schematics have R1 and R2? Please tell me if there is better way.. I'm not sure what should be copy and where it should be pasted, PCBs or schematics ? Do I make seperate PCBs for all schematics and then paste them somewhere? BTW, each PCB should have its own +5V and GND

I see, thanks. But then there must be some easy way to print several (seperate) PCBs onto one sheet , right?

Most reasonable size PCB projects are multi - sheet "hierarchical" designs. DXP 2004 comes with pretty good tutorials on how to set this up. Basically you create a top level master schematic which contains sheet symbols for all subordinate drawings and modules or ports showing the interconnecting labels. If your only problem is multiple parts with the same names. DXP will automatically re-annotate your schematic.

Bob

er.. I forgot to tell: PCBs are totaly seperated, I want them on single sheet simply because the guy who makes PCBs doesn't do any smaller than

1dmx1dm, so a lot of space would be wasted if every board was on different PCB. I want them all on one and to cut them afterwards.

On 15 Aug 2005 01:48:19 -0700, snipped-for-privacy@mail.ru wroth:

Have you tried Protel's copy and paste ability? Which version of Protel are you using?

If you only want to print two schematics on one piece of paper for documentation, then there are many other ways to do it.

Jim

A lot of times a different piece of software is used to combine, check and panelize the gerbers-- those tasks are not done in the design software. FabFactory has some software for this purpose, but the board houses seem to use stuff that is not well known outside of the industry. It's very quick for them, and the software takes into account their actual equipment and tools, which has advantages for both sides.

This is analagous to, say, me making a design in a CAD program, and the company producing the part using their own CAM software to generate the g-codes to drive their specific machinery using their tooling. Or me producing an output file for a printing company from Quark or Indesign on a PC and the printing company internally creating the "signatures" from the sheets on a high-end Mac.

Sometimes, due to pricing quirks on PCB prototypes, it appears to be significantly cheaper if you combine parts yourself, and I suspect that's why you're asking. If that's the case, you might shop around for suppliers who have different quirks or are more flexible.

Best regards, Spehro Pefhany

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Normally the PCB company does this for you. They have the package to lay up multiple copies of the same work on one sheet, and even leave areas unused, allow for the guillotine clearances etc.. Spaces also have to be left, for things like the electrode attachment points. This is not something the user would normally do (except for making a multi-board 'set', where the whole set comprises one assembly), since it is not as simple as chosing a 1dm*1dm space and packing all the boards into this, if this is the 'working' size. If you do need to lay them out like this, then just duplicate the finished board 'into' a larger sheet size, with suitable gaps.

Best Wishes

You should become member and user of the altium forums at :

No, you cannot have multiple schematics on one pcb without some tricks. The tricks consist of copy/pasting multiple fully layed out pcbs into one, thereby giving up on the design-rule-checks, as multiple nets are called the same. There is also a feature called paneling, though I haven't tested it yet.

Rene

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Do your two different designs completely separate.

Then cut/paste the PCB file gerber files into one for each layer. Should work fine. (at this point you're out of any CAD intelligence about nets, component ref designators, etc)...

I'm aslo sometimes doing this. If I know it beforehand, I just draw several schematic oto one sheet. The naming of the nets defines whether DXp wants them connected or not. If everything fails, you can cut/paste the gerbers together with the camtastic subtool of DXP.

Rene

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grind them into powder, and sprinkle onto an adhesive coated sheet of A4 :)

Cheers Terry

OK, thanks all. I've got just one more question: cant find anywhere option for changing PCB size after closing the wizard, placing all the components and autorouting, is it even possible to change it now?

That's one thing Protel does pretty well. In DXP 2004,

Design Board Shape Redefine Define from Selected objects.

I do this all the time, in fact, I don't use the wizard at all.

Bob

I haven't used Protel for a while now so I'm rusty, but I'm sure someone will fill in the boring details. :-) Isn't there a facility whereby you can make up a 'block' of a circuit with defined inputs and outputs and insert multiple copies of that 'block' onto the schematic? In the OP's instance, these blocks would be isolated of course, but this way the net-checking will recognize the different nets.

Ken

I've done what you want in 99SE, but I forget exactly how - there is a way when copy/pasting to prevent slowtel from automatically buggering up ref-des etc. never tried in DXP. oh, and you cant DRC etc. afterwards, so do it on the individual PCBs, then dont fiddle post-paste.

Or do it properly, with different nets on the various sch's so DRC will work fine

Cheers Terry

schreef in bericht news: snipped-for-privacy@g44g2000cwa.googlegroups.com...

Sure, board shape is typically drawn on mechanical layer1, and then there's the keepout layer, often the same shape as the board. Edit/resize whatever is on those layers.

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Thanks, Frank.
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I notice that you don't include context when you respond.

FYI, this is Usenet. Google Groups is one way of accessing Usenet, but is is not the entirety of Usenet.

Most folks use a "newsreader" to read the Usenet newsgroups.

That means that THE VAST MAJORITY OF PEOPLE (who don't read the group at Google) DON'T SEE WHAT YOU SEE ON GOOGLE.

See how I went back and added a bit of your previous post to this post? That is called **context**. To get context the easy way: (hint: DON'T CLICK THE **Reply** LINK THAT IS IN PLAIN SIGHT), click the **show options** link, then click THAT Reply link.

You don't have to re-post **everything** from the previous post; feel free to snip out as much from the automated blockquote as you wish. I only leave enough to show what part I'm referencing ("context"). See above.

DO NOT snip out the name of the person to whom you are responding.

Reading some threads and observing how others post, will give you a boilerplate for your posts. . . Rich Grise (pointedly) remarks on context here:

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