Issue link: https://iconnect007.uberflip.com/i/568901
52 The PCB Design Magazine • September 2015 As with all Mentor PCB design tools, the ability to place and route directly from the schematic is a major time-saving trait. The Component Explorer is used to setup place- ment. You can place parts directly from the se- lect list or by cross-probing with the schemat- ic. The latter is the most effective way, as the components are then placed by functionality. Placement groups of components can also be defined. Components can also be placed in the 3D view, which gives you added confidence in the avoidance of height restrictions and inter- ference with other components. A cut in 3D can be placed to view the cross-section. Addi- tionally, a 3D mechanical assembly (such as an enclosure) can be imported to enable the visu- alization of the overall product fit. Exchange of data with MCAD tools is achieved via the collaboration tool. The obvious downside here is that this is not "live." A COM Server dynamically linking ECAD/MCAD applications would be a more el- egant solution for real-time collaboration. But the collaboration tool would work well in a large organization where an MCAD department has to sign off on the mechanical aspects. Are you tired of shelving and repouring plane areas? I certainly am! But what if you could simply plow straight through a copper pour or plane and gracefully push the copper out of the way as you go? The dynamic plow- ing is as smooth and fast as routing a normal trace. As the trace plows through the copper, clearances are effortlessly generated automati- cally. PADS Professional provides a selection of routing tools with each optimized to perform a particular function. Typically, using one rout- ing tool will not satisfy the requirements of an entire design. Obviously, you will not achieve acceptable results if the entire design is com- pletely autorouted. The typical flow would be to first set up the design constraints, fanout, inter- actively route and tune critical nets, and then use the automated tools to perform the more mundane tasks including clean-up after fixing critical signals. But once you get your hands on the router— wow—what can I say? You certainly won't want to digress back to that inept PCB tool you previ- ously used with pride. This routing technology is definitely something you have to see to be- lieve. For years, it has left rivaling tool salesmen scratching their heads with disbelief, and it just keeps getting better. The latest evolution of the Mentor's rout- ing technology is the sketch router. Two factors enable high performance: escape optimization and multiple net routing. When considering the set of netlines to route, the sketch router will simultaneously escape the two ends of the netlines out of the BGAs and order them so that the routing can be completed without ad - ditional vias. It is this approach that makes an incredible difference in performance. There are two modes of sketch routing: packed and un- packed. The packed style groups the traces to- gether, and it's very useful for dense, synchro- nous buses. The unpacked style uses a more direct, efficient approach that will naturally spread the traces apart, reducing crosstalk be- tween adjacent trace segments. In both cases, the tuning algorithms are post-processed with the existing traces pushed and shoved to allow space for the serpentines. Screenshots of the router really don't do it justice. View the PADS demo videos to get a feel for how it works dy- namically. beyond design Figure 4: Plowing dynamically straight through a copper pour. ToP GEAR: PADS PRoFESSIoNAl RoAD TEST