A basic introduction to Cadence OrCAD PCB Designer
A basic introduction to
Cadence OrCAD PCB Designer
Version 16.3
Professor John H. Davies
Department of Electronics and Electrical Engineering
Glasgow University, Glasgow, G12 8QQ, Scotland, UK
Email: jdavies@elec.gla.ac.uk
2010 July 08
Contents
Preamble
2
1
Introduction
3
2
One-transistor amplifier: Schematic capture
5
3
OrCAD PCB Editor
14
4
Instrumentation amplifier – single-sided board
25
5
Instrumentation amplifier – double-sided board
35
6
Artwork and drill files
39
7
Summary: PCB design flow
46
A Where to learn more
47
B Capture techniques
50
C PCB Editor techniques
51
D PCB Router techniques
65
E Plots with open drill holes
65
1
Preamble
This document introduces the basic features of OrCAD PCB Designer. It is aimed primarily at novices with limited experience of construction who have never designed a PCB before. For this reason I concentrate on pin-through-hole devices (although surface-mount devices are no more difficult) on single and double-sided boards. I strongly recommend Mitzner’s book [1] instead if you are an experienced designer, interested in more advanced PCBs for commercial production. Other readers may be experienced users of OrCAD Layout who are obliged to switch to
PCB Editor; I hope that they don’t feel that their intelligence is insulted! I’ve highlighted some of the most significant differences between Layout and PCB Editor. (I think that PCB Designer refers to the complete suite while PCB Editor is the specific application for editing PCBs but it’s not entirely clear.)
I adapted this document from an introductory class and have removed several features that are unlikely to be of interest to most readers. For example, we have developed a local library of footprints for PCBs constructed by students. The pads are enlarged to allow easy soldering and the symbols contain features to discourage common design errors, such as
Cadence OrCAD PCB Designer
Version 16.3
Professor John H. Davies
Department of Electronics and Electrical Engineering
Glasgow University, Glasgow, G12 8QQ, Scotland, UK
Email: jdavies@elec.gla.ac.uk
2010 July 08
Contents
Preamble
2
1
Introduction
3
2
One-transistor amplifier: Schematic capture
5
3
OrCAD PCB Editor
14
4
Instrumentation amplifier – single-sided board
25
5
Instrumentation amplifier – double-sided board
35
6
Artwork and drill files
39
7
Summary: PCB design flow
46
A Where to learn more
47
B Capture techniques
50
C PCB Editor techniques
51
D PCB Router techniques
65
E Plots with open drill holes
65
1
Preamble
This document introduces the basic features of OrCAD PCB Designer. It is aimed primarily at novices with limited experience of construction who have never designed a PCB before. For this reason I concentrate on pin-through-hole devices (although surface-mount devices are no more difficult) on single and double-sided boards. I strongly recommend Mitzner’s book [1] instead if you are an experienced designer, interested in more advanced PCBs for commercial production. Other readers may be experienced users of OrCAD Layout who are obliged to switch to
PCB Editor; I hope that they don’t feel that their intelligence is insulted! I’ve highlighted some of the most significant differences between Layout and PCB Editor. (I think that PCB Designer refers to the complete suite while PCB Editor is the specific application for editing PCBs but it’s not entirely clear.)
I adapted this document from an introductory class and have removed several features that are unlikely to be of interest to most readers. For example, we have developed a local library of footprints for PCBs constructed by students. The pads are enlarged to allow easy soldering and the symbols contain features to discourage common design errors, such as
References: [1] Kraig Mitzner, Complete PCB Design using OrCAD Capture and PCB Editor, Newnes (Elsevier), 2009, ISBN 9780750689717, about £40 3rd edition, Newnes, 2009, ISBN 9781856175074. You might not guess from its title but this includes a wide-ranging description of modern components and construction including