hybridfree/eevblog-posts huggingface dataset:
Moving from AD16 to AD19 - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / general

author: Ribster
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: June 08, 2019, 04:06:48 am
content: I've purchased AD19 a month ago.Been using it a little bit, and i have a few remarks on the AD19.Once everything was set up, it actually gave me a nice feeling of added features that i enjoyed.The automatic price checking / stock checking for components was very handy.The more i use it, the more i'm liking it.Although. I cannot shake the feeling that i am loosing a lot.It's mostly control. Like the PCB inspector is all changed, and i cannot edit stuff as fast / easy as i could before.The other thing that i noticed is that they changed up the menu system a little bit. My mostly used commands would be changed slightly. Nothing i cannot adjust to, it's doable.The trace routing algorithm that follows my mouse is also slightly different, where it wants to take corners much faster.The AD16 trace router was a bit better in this regard: is was a little bit more reluctant to take a 45 degree corner.The biggest thing i am missing, except for the pcb inspector / sch inspector tab, is the multi routing quick option.I used to just go P + M when i selected multiple pins from a QFP for example, hit tab to set the spacing and route a bunch of signals at the same time. It's just GONE. I sure hope i can dig into the settings to get it back, but this is a big mistake on altiums part for what i am concerned.Are u guys experiencing the same thing, or am i the only one?

author: Ysjoelfir
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: June 08, 2019, 08:04:20 pm
content: Quote from: Ribster on June 08, 2019, 04:06:48 amI missed that, too. They changed that for whatever reason to u, m.

author: xjordanx
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: June 10, 2019, 09:05:08 pm
content: Multi-route is still there.In AD17 it moved to a dedicated "Route" drop-down but of course that meant the accelerator keys changed.So instead ofPlaceMulti-route it became RouteMulti... so from P-M to U-M (I'll agree with you that the U was an unfortunate compromise).If you want, you can customize the Place menu to put all those things back on it.View » Toolbars » Customize, then in the master commands list you can drag-and-drop the routing tools back into the Place menu where they used to be.https://youtu.be/KIQoXmqUwA4

author: Analog
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: June 11, 2019, 02:00:00 pm
content: My move to 19 hasn't been as positive. I can't focus as much on the design because I am fighting panels. I was more productive with 17.

author: rf-fil
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: June 25, 2019, 04:11:42 am
content: Yep, complete disaster here. Different UI - some commands seem to have disappeared or moved to a non-obvious place. It's also slower: the menu takes a few seconds to appear after clicking. Altium 16 was OK on the same machine.
BGA fanout doesn't follow room rules - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / general

author: FPSUsername
author_rank: Newbie
timestamp: June 20, 2019, 01:10:32 pm
content: Hello,I am trying to fanout a BGA chip. I followed the only tutorial in existence on. However I have the same issue as the personhere. Unfortunately his solution doesn't work for me. The fanout doesn't follow the rules set for the rule. In the room definition I also tried to only match the component, but that doesn't work either. What am I doing wrong?
footprint Connecto Charging Iphone: "Lightning-Female"  - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / general

author: Mr.Daci
author_rank: Newbie
timestamp: June 13, 2019, 03:50:38 am
content: Hi Everyone!Can you help me have the library, footprint charging Iphone "Lightning-Female" , or it's datasheet.https://www.upsieutoc.com/image/BFXxoBhttps://www.upsieutoc.com/image/BFXLOOhttps://www.upsieutoc.com/image/BFXJx1My Email: cuongset55@gmail.comThanks you!

author: ahbushnell
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: June 13, 2019, 05:35:59 pm
content: your link does not work.

author: Mr.Daci
author_rank: Newbie
timestamp: June 14, 2019, 04:51:32 am
content: Thanks for your view.it here:https://www.upsieutoc.com/image/BFXxoBhttps://www.upsieutoc.com/image/BFXLOOhttps://www.upsieutoc.com/image/BFXJx1

author: Simon
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: June 14, 2019, 06:30:01 am
content: Please do not double post the same topic. It wil get you banned for spamming.

author: Mr.Daci
author_rank: Newbie
timestamp: June 14, 2019, 02:49:01 pm
content: oh, Sorry Sir.I Will delete it.

author: Simon
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: June 14, 2019, 03:53:38 pm
content: I already have.
Coordinates following the cursor - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / general

author: Ammar
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: October 31, 2019, 04:55:10 am
content: Any Altium wizards want to tell me how to stop the coordinates following my cursor? Not sure what I pressed but they usually behave and sit in the corner.Sorry for the terrible quality gif.

author: SerieZ
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: October 31, 2019, 07:32:20 am
content: Shift+h and you will never have to see that Monstrosity of a Box again. I personally never used it and it has annoyed me far too often.I have never seen the Issue you have tho, if you really want to keep the box look into Heads Up Display, that is how that thing is called.

author: T3sl4co1l
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: October 31, 2019, 07:53:15 am
content: View - Board Insighthas all the controls you need.Seems you hit SHIFT+G at some point!Personally, I prefer the heads-up, with SHIFT+D (delta) enabled. Never found the tracking or magnifier settings useful or even pleasant.SHIFT+S (toggle single layer view) is another handy one that you may discover frustratingly by accident.Tim

author: mengfei
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: October 31, 2019, 08:13:19 am
content: Never had any use for that.Always OFF

author: SerieZ
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: October 31, 2019, 09:55:01 am
content: Quote from: T3sl4co1l on October 31, 2019, 07:53:15 amShift + S is an extremely useful shortcut in my Opinion.I use it all the time.I dont get why you would ever want to use Shift + G tho.

author: Psi
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: October 31, 2019, 10:02:17 am
content: Ah, the good old coordinates following cursor problem.Sooner or later everyone turns that on by accident.

author: Ammar
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: October 31, 2019, 10:26:15 pm
content: Yeah, I use Shift + S all the time. Thanks Altium brains trust, all fixed. I find the heads up display useful when it's not following my cursor. Why would anyone want it to follow their cursor?

author: Pseudobyte
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: November 01, 2019, 12:56:04 pm
content: Quote from: Ammar on October 31, 2019, 10:26:15 pmIt is useful when you run at high resolutions like 4k.

author: toybuilder
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: November 05, 2019, 10:28:05 am
content: When you're plunking down a bunch of passives in a cluster and don't want to remember which component has which value, the hover-over information is quite useful. I use it to figure out which of the several bypass caps has the lower capacitance, to be placed closer to the IC. Otherwise, I have to cross-select. It's faster to use the heads-up.
Interactive routing - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / general

author: temperance
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: June 06, 2019, 10:17:39 pm
content: Hi,I'm experiencing some troubles with the interactive routing tools in AD.1. You can create a rule on how SMD PAD's are being entered. (Design Rules>SMT>SMD Entry) This works for a new trace being routed. However, this rule is ignored for traces which are being pushed while routing. Troublesome because it generates a lot of DRC's.2. The rule SMT (SMD) rule is also ignored when dragging traces.3. AD19 has this new feature to automatically re-route traces when a component is being moved. Also in this case the SMT rule is ignored.Can someone enlighten me on how to force AD to follow the rules?4. When traces are being pushed, and you change your mind, the pushed traces don't return to this original position if they are being pushed beyond some "imaginary" boundary.Can one force AD to move traces back into their original position?Regards, Temperance

author: T3sl4co1l
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: June 07, 2019, 12:57:56 am
content: Welcome to the incoherent side of Altium?...I would guess these rules are more informational (i.e., run a batch DRC check to find cases), and for autorouting.You could always use route for changing traces, never dragging them. I guess this is the PADS way, and some people are simply used to that. (Bothers the hell out of me though.. and probably you too?)Personally, I don't worry about SMD entry, and there are other constraints that matter IRL but which Altium doesn't have rules for (in particular, thermal balance / spokes for small chips), so I do it by inspection anyway.Tim

author: ajb
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: June 07, 2019, 01:11:37 am
content: They say it's a poor carpenter who blames his tools, but IME when something isn't working in Altium it's 50/50 whether it's user error or a software 'limitation'. There are a number of issues with interactive routing, so in this case it's probably not anything you're doing wrong. The propensity for 'helpful' features like pushing tracks and dragging components to fuck things up is well known.Is the pad entry rule new? I wouldn't be the least bit surprised if they added a rule and just neglected to make sure that all of the routing functions respect it.

author: temperance
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: June 11, 2019, 08:45:50 pm
content: I have no idea if this "pad entry rule" is new. The best solution is to not use this "feature" for now.
Altium Library footprint not found [SOLVED] - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / general

author: Ribster
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: June 03, 2019, 10:00:25 pm
content: So i'm moving my MySQL database from AD16 to AD19.I've got my DBLib up and running, coupled and everything.When i browse my library in components, everything comes into view. So Schematic gets rendered, Footprint also.I've updated the components in my schematic from my library, everything imported great.When i try to import them in the PcbDoc -> Failed to add component class.So take im taking a look at the component itself, looking at the properties.The footprint is coupled, id is coupled, footprint is found.Except, when i click on the edit footprint it says that the footprint is not found.Anyone knowing what this issue is about ?My paths do not contain spaces.. I'm scratching my head here..

author: Ribster
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: June 03, 2019, 10:32:10 pm
content: Ok, this is due to the table name changing.There does not seem to be an easy way to change the table name for each component when the database changed a bit.Casing matters also!

author: Ribster
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: June 03, 2019, 11:41:54 pm
content: For reference:The component table needs to be correct /w the correct case.AD16 let's you overwrite to a new table name, while AD19 does not let you do it via the update from libraries function.On AD19 i had to move all my SchLib and PcbLib files into 1 folder where my DBLib resided.Else it could not resolve the path for the PcbLib file.There is another thread on this forum where a user suggests this as a solution. So if you're having this issue, try it.
FunFact - clearance constraint between blind via and Fullstack Pad - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / general

author: Kanc1erz
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: June 05, 2019, 09:34:31 am
content: Hello, I observed that TH Pad and blind Via has a clearance constraint even when the blind via is only on BottomLayer + one layer above and TH Pad is on TopLayer (on all other layers that pad has smaller size), as in the screenshot below
Camtastic and exporting part centroids - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / general

author: jvolk
author_rank: Newbie
timestamp: March 27, 2019, 10:16:04 pm
content: Hi guys.I want to get pick and place file from gerbers. I imported gerbers into cam file and then use comand Tools->Parts->Create & Group Parts. I defined a few parts from pads and I get crossed square which represents component, but when I try to export (File->Export->Part Centroids) the list is emptyWhat I am doing wrong?

author: cadguy68
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: May 17, 2019, 07:17:58 pm
content: You're not doing anything wrong. It simply doesn't work.We tried it here extensively as well to no avail.

author: ddavidebor
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: May 17, 2019, 08:02:21 pm
content: Gerbers themselves do not contain P&P information.Re-creating that information if you only have the Gerber can be extremely tedious, and I am not aware that Altium has this functionality.I recommend you purchase a software called FAB3000, you can rent it for 80 EUR / month. It does include excellent reverse engineering capabilities, including a wizard for creating P&P from gerber data. I've used it extensively.

author: cadguy68
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: May 17, 2019, 08:46:47 pm
content: Agree, FAB3000 is a great toolAltium itself doesn't have the functionality, but Camtastic does, at least in theory. It just doesn't work however. Yes, tedious describes the process well.Actually, FAB3000 is what Camtastic would look like today if it were maintained/updated by Altium. The guy who created Camtastic created FAB3000
Subscription - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / general

author: cadguy68
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: May 16, 2019, 06:41:13 pm
content: We dropped subscription last year.A few weeks ago I started getting calls/emails offering to re-instate our licenses for around $20k.Said nope, and explained why.This week I'm getting calls from someone else offering to re-instate our licenses for around $10k.

author: labnet
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: May 23, 2019, 12:35:19 am
content: How many licences?
ActiveBOM - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / general

author: daedalus
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: May 18, 2019, 09:16:05 am
content: When using ActiveBOM, is there an easy way to build a basket at a supplier's website from a given activeBOM design? Say i have selected parts from Digikey for a 5 off run of my design, is there a way to automatically build a digikey basket with all the parts i need, labelled with the designators from the project?I have recently done this by hand for a project and was thinking that surely there is an automated way to do this?

author: ajb
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: May 20, 2019, 04:06:23 pm
content: You should be able to do this with an outjob. Should just be a matter of making the ActiveBOM the source of a BOM output, and then setting up the appropriate BOM template and filtering.

author: T3sl4co1l
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: May 20, 2019, 07:35:13 pm
content: I forget how good the integration is (I've never used it), but if nothing else you can generate a BOM with the relevant fields (Mfg/Supplier PN, qty) and import that into Digi-Key, or Mouser or any other supplier that has spreadsheet import (which is many!).Tim

author: daedalus
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: May 21, 2019, 08:27:32 am
content: Thanks for that, I will give the spreadsheet route a try.
Can you overlap rooms? - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / general

author: audi95
author_rank: Newbie
timestamp: May 16, 2019, 05:48:01 pm
content: Hi, I am new to Altium and I started a project using hierarchical design, so I have rooms for each sheet symbol and I have nested sheet symbols too. If I try to put one room on top another sometimes when I move the room on top, traces stick to the room below, messing everything up.Do rooms have to be completely non overlapping for things not to go wrong?Thanks so much!

author: ajb
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: May 16, 2019, 10:37:45 pm
content: In my experience, yes, it is much better if the rooms do not overlap. Rooms tend to ride the knife edge between 'useful but annoying' and 'too much trouble to bother'. I suppose if your projects tend to always wind up with functional units cleanly isolated from one another on the board they could be a lot more useful (driving rules for instance) and less annoying, but that's not the sort of board I design as a rule. It is nice to be able to copy a room layout from one channel to another, though--when that works, anyway. . .EDIT: Also, it's not immediately obvious because it's not consistent with anything else in the PCB UI, but you can edit the room shape so that it's not a rectangle (Right Click > Room Actions > Edit Polygonal Room Vertices) which can help keep rooms from overlapping.

author: audi95
author_rank: Newbie
timestamp: May 17, 2019, 01:49:39 am
content: That clears up a lot, thank you! I have a multichannel design which is why I was so keen to use rooms. I will definitely edit the room shape, seems like the way to go.Is it okay to have some components outside a room generated from a hierarchical design?I have a power led in one room that I want on a completely different area of the PCB.

author: T3sl4co1l
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: May 17, 2019, 02:10:51 am
content: Not a problem, but it depends.Mind that a room will drag around whatever's inside it, so if you're still moving rooms around a lot, and there is routing present, the traces in the shared area will probably get torn in different directions and you'll have to remember to patch them up.Preferred is to wait until placement looks really good, then lock the rooms down (and most of the components, probably) and begin routing. Don't have to worry about rooms dragging everything out of whack, if you never drag them...If you're not at expert level with regards to component placement, you'll want to do some back-and-forth, laying out local areas and shoving components as needed. Don't be afraid to rip up routing -- chances are you'll re-lay it in half the time the first round took, so it's not a huge cost in the grand scheme of things. (A bit Sisyphean, true...)Remember to leave plenty of room, don't try to over-optimize a minuscule board. That way lies madness (not even exponentially, buthyperbolicallyincreasing effort!).Quote from: audi95 on May 17, 2019, 01:49:39 amDRC will flag this as a room containment violation. Pedantically, you should put it on another sheet, I suppose.Tim
Negative Overlay - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / general

author: Gioreva
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: April 30, 2019, 10:07:50 am
content: HiHow can I draw Negative Overlay?Black is Overlay.I don't think we can make negative gherber.

author: ddavidebor
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: April 30, 2019, 12:17:36 pm
content: You can create a polygon, then use one of the convert tools on your shape (under tools-->create cutout from select primitives) to create a cutout on that polygon.For the text, there is an option to make it negative if you select "truetype"Another option is to draw it in a software like autocad, explode it, then create polygons once imported in altium.Another option, you can draw it positive then invert the gerbers in postprocessing.Still, the last one, draw it positive and tell the fab house to invert it.

author: Gioreva
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: April 30, 2019, 01:36:22 pm
content: Tanks.I can't import DXF, only rectangles or circles appear, but the numbers don't appear. (Number = Curve)I'm trying the first option, but text are not recognised as primitive.I create poligon PourI place True Type Text, Inverted or not.I select both(v19) Tools -> Convert -> Creates Poligon from selected Primitives.>>>> Could not find closed shape using primitives centerline due to the following error:>>>> At least 2 connected traks/arc or full circle requiredIf I create rectangle using line, select rectangle and text.(v19) Tools -> Convert -> Creates Poligon from selected Primitives.It creates it without errors, but the text is not subtracted.

author: luismh
author_rank: Newbie
timestamp: April 30, 2019, 02:32:57 pm
content: Maybe this thread can help youhttps://www.eevblog.com/forum/altium/invertnegative-of-a-gerber/

author: T3sl4co1l
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: May 01, 2019, 03:39:04 am
content: Still another option: generate SVG, load SVG into a TTF font file e.g. with glyphter.com then place a string with that character on the board. Size as needed, set inverted.Tim

author: Gioreva
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: May 06, 2019, 08:27:49 am
content: I can ask the supplier to reverse, but the online prototypes are not very helpful, it's all automatic.Quote from: ddavidebor on April 30, 2019, 12:17:36 pmddavidebor helpMa sei Italiano ?I read the post, but it's not for me.
Altium for EAGLE Refugees? - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / general

author: MRiddickW
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: May 22, 2019, 04:17:35 am
content: Hi all, I just installed Altium Designer tonight; how exciting!Can anyone point me towards a series of videos or articles geared towards EAGLE users making the move to Altium?I've used EAGLE for the entirety of my (short) professional career, so I have many ingrained habits and ways of thinking that already have me yelling "Seriously?! Why would you do it that way??" while trying to learn this program. Of course, I'm sure I'd be saying the exact same things if I had to go from Altium to EAGLE. I think a bunch of "here's what you're probably used to in EAGLE, here's what you want to do in Altium" would help a lot.Thanks for the help!

author: EEVblog
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: May 22, 2019, 05:27:50 am
content: https://www.youtube.com/user/matarofe/videosand he has a paid course too

author: MRiddickW
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: May 23, 2019, 01:28:56 am
content: Awesome, thanks Dave!
Utilities toolbar Altium Designer 15 vs 17 - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / general

author: Perfect_Stranger
author_rank: Newbie
timestamp: May 02, 2019, 06:09:53 pm
content: HELLO !This is my first time writing in this forum. Thank you for your time!I want to ask if there is a way to duplicate an toolbar from AD15 to AD17 interface. In the attached file i underline the two toolbars which i want to make identical. For me, this toolbar on the AD15 is very useful. I want it on AD17. I'm asking for the information how to do that. Thank you all!
Altium: Can you have layers that appear on all pcbdocs in a project? - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / general

author: Psi
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: April 24, 2019, 07:51:01 am
content: Hi,I have a project that has many plug-able sub-boards. I need to keep track of position/location/outline info between 10 or so projects.Currently i have one special PCB doc that only has this sort of into in it, no actual PCB. It uses various layers for different location/outline info.I then add this pcbdoc to all projects that need it.If i need to update a size/position dimension i update the doc and then copy/paste all layers from it into each of my sub-board projects as neededI was wondering if there's a better way to do this in a more automated way.It would be awesome if there's a way to have layers that appears on all projects in a workspace, or on all pcbdocs within a project etc..And if i update 1 doc all the other docs update automatically.Is there any feature in Altium that would let me do this?I'm using Altiums 15

author: ajb
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: April 24, 2019, 04:07:07 pm
content: I think the only reasonable way to do this would be to create a PCB symbol that has all of the reference data you want in it. Then you just need to update the PcbLib and pull the updates into your designs whenever it changes. As a bonus you can lock the primitives to avoid accidentally editing the reference data. The big downside is that the reference data cannot include separate PCB footprints for other components. But you could include geometry on mechanical layers that you could use to provide snap points for the footprints in the derived PCB files.In AD19, the new multi-board project feature may provide a more elegant way of handling your use case, but I haven't messed with it, and obviously that doesn't help you in AD15.

author: free_electron
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: April 24, 2019, 04:36:23 pm
content: Use PCb sheet in combination with a template.google for TU0110 'preparing the board for design transfer.'set up a master template and bind all your pcb's to that template.

author: Psi
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: April 25, 2019, 09:54:45 am
content: Quote from: free_electron on April 24, 2019, 04:36:23 pmThanks, i will check this out shortly.
does altium have some kind of top-level circuit assosiation thing? - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / general

author: coppercone2
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: April 19, 2019, 11:15:44 pm
content: So I was looking at a post on the RF forum and I saw thishttps://images-wixmp-ed30a86b8c4ca887773594c2.wixmp.com/f/594d1b64-0c88-4f69-af0c-46b15f0468ac/dd4z9hv-74a9142f-d470-4b30-8f4e-779e9c9960d0.png/v1/fill/w_1280,h_834,q_80,strp/capture_by_bas126_dd4z9hv-fullview.jpg?token=eyJ0eXAiOiJKV1QiLCJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiJ9.eyJzdWIiOiJ1cm46YXBwOjdlMGQxODg5ODIyNjQzNzNhNWYwZDQxNWVhMGQyNmUwIiwiaXNzIjoidXJuOmFwcDo3ZTBkMTg4OTgyMjY0MzczYTVmMGQ0MTVlYTBkMjZlMCIsIm9iaiI6W1t7ImhlaWdodCI6Ijw9ODM0IiwicGF0aCI6IlwvZlwvNTk0ZDFiNjQtMGM4OC00ZjY5LWFmMGMtNDZiMTVmMDQ2OGFjXC9kZDR6OWh2LTc0YTkxNDJmLWQ0NzAtNGIzMC04ZjRlLTc3OWU5Yzk5NjBkMC5wbmciLCJ3aWR0aCI6Ijw9MTI4MCJ9XV0sImF1ZCI6WyJ1cm46c2VydmljZTppbWFnZS5vcGVyYXRpb25zIl19.pkqK6-uP30njf_TcsOa7_FvLvlywj-iBVGKO_4EQ9AQDoes altium have something like that, where if you make a complicated circuit, you can go on another page, click the box, and it would highlight all parts associated with that subsection? Or even, stay on the same page, and expand the view so the parts show up where the rectangle was but leave the other rectangles in place (so its like your opening a box to look inside), along with the distortion of space associated with this box.Like a fusion with microsoft VISIO. To keep the amount of distracting stuff on the screen down. And the ability to nest boxes too (i.e. you can say decided to 'hide' non signal path devices (i.e. decouple caps) until you press a "Power Plane Parts" box next to your op-amps that were revealed when you pressed the 'input protection filter' box.

author: ajb
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: April 20, 2019, 01:12:52 am
content: Altium can do sheet symbols, where you place one sheet as a symbol on a higher level sheet. Ports in the subsheet appear on the sheet symbol so you can connect signals from one subsheet to another subsheet by drawing wires (or buses or harnesses) between sheet symbols. If you do it right your top level sheet becomes a block diagram of the system.

author: T3sl4co1l
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: April 20, 2019, 01:19:34 am
content: As for highlighting, typically subsheets generate component classes, so you can simply query everything that's on that sheet, and there it is.I'm not aware of any tool that shows a cutesy graphical distorted zoom something or other view. You'll have to use your imagination to get that.Tim

author: coppercone2
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: April 20, 2019, 02:31:16 am
content: yea I kinda wanted it on the same sheet so it blows up and moves everything around, and you can adjust it while its blown up to kinda make it work
Altium Net Tie on Internal Plane - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / general

author: cjurczak
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: April 10, 2019, 12:31:08 pm
content: Is it possible to place a net tie on an internal layer?I'm trying to tie an analog ground, to my digital ground at a single point on one of my internal plane layers. This directive is per the datasheet, but I'm having trouble figure out how to make Altium do what I want. I need to tie a small analog ground (only on one layer), to digital ground plane(s). This means I change them all to the same net name, because they would be connected to subsequent ground planes in the stackup.In the screen shot you can see the outline of my AGND plane, with a small opening on the right. I want to tie the AGND plane to the remaining DGND plan at one point, whether it is a via, or a small portion of copper on a internal plane.If you have any input it would be appreciated.

author: Bud
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: April 10, 2019, 01:05:16 pm
content: Place a net tie on the schematic, this will keep the net names.

author: cjurczak
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: April 10, 2019, 02:16:15 pm
content: I have a net tie on my schematic, the problem is when I place the footprint on the internal plane it becomes a void, and not a connection point.

author: ajb
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: April 10, 2019, 08:09:52 pm
content: If you need a single-point connection between areas of a plane layer you probably need to draw lines to make the required cuts. Plane layers are negative layers, so they work a lot differently from signal layers. You could also switch to a signal layer and then use polygons/tracks--plane layers perform better for complex boards, but for simple boards signal layers with planes work fine and can give you a bit more flexibility. I'm not sure that you would be able to do a net tie on an internal signal layer though, since net ties are treated as components. Can you define internal layer features in a component footprint? I've never thought to try.Side note, regardless of what the datasheet says, it's pretty rare that slicing up your ground planes is really the best solution, as it comes with other potential pitfalls and can be very hard to get right in a design that's more than just that one mixed-signal IC.

author: cjurczak
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: April 15, 2019, 12:47:14 pm
content: Yeah, last friday I came to a similar conclusion that I will likely just have to switch it from a plane to a signal layer, and created a couple of polygons. We have a track record with this switching supply, 0.85V core voltage supply, and a split in the plane meets our needs, and this board has ~5 ground planes, so the effects of the split on one ground plane isn't so bad. I have checked, and you can assign a net tie component to an inner layer, plane layer or signal layer. But it will not function as intended on a internal plane layer.
AD18+ selection tip (right to left vs left to right) - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / general

author: thmjpr
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: April 11, 2019, 04:58:23 am
content: Basically:- Click and drag left to right selects only within the box- Right to left selects all objects inside and touching boxIt looks like this was added in AD18:https://www.altium.com/documentation/18.0/display/ADES/NFS_18_0((The+Selection+Filter))Was not immediately obvious to me at all. It would have been more obvious if they highlighted the selection immediately, but that could have performance issues.

author: T3sl4co1l
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: April 11, 2019, 05:52:10 am
content: AD17 actually. So, it was common knowledge to AD followers, I guess, but that was a couple years ago. So it may not the most obvious thing to new users!Tim

author: krish2487
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: April 11, 2019, 09:22:27 am
content: I seem to remember that it was always a given feature in autocad.. Atleast in the last 5-8 years as far as I can recall..When I started dabbling in altium, it felt like a taken-for-granted feature...

author: ajb
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: April 11, 2019, 02:53:39 pm
content: Yep, AutoCAD has had it for a while. When it showed up in Altium I found it kind of annoying at first, but it's sort of helpful after getting used to it. Still lots of times you just have to use E,S,I or E,S,O to specifically select inside/outside though just with PCBs being what they are. There are probably ways to make selection in the PCB editor a lot better, but I don't trust Altium to figure that out.

author: T3sl4co1l
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: April 12, 2019, 04:25:47 am
content: Oh, you can save a keystroke: S is the Select submenu.Tim
How to turn off 45 degree wires in the schematic editor - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / general

author: Mars
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: April 01, 2019, 07:27:22 pm
content: The shift button stopped working (?) in my Altium 18.1 installation at some point which means I cannot turn off e.g. 45 degree angled wire placement in the schematic editor. If I do Place Wire and try to hit shift+space to change the angle mode, it just reads "Choose object to rotate..." as if I only pressed space. I've found no place in the obscure menu system where I can choose to globally turn this annoying behaviour off. Other shift-<command> options are broken too, but to stay sane I'm only concerned about the 45 degree angle issue for now.For someone who came in at version 16, I wonder if there any known cases of users of Altium, say, version 4-5-6 or thereabouts who did not kill themselves?

author: mengfei
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: April 02, 2019, 09:26:53 am
content: Yes - shift+Spacebar = change angle in my AD18/ AD19 which placementyou do a restart- reboot
AD18 Altium 18 problem with KeepOut-Layer - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / general

author: Kanc1erz
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: April 06, 2018, 04:56:26 pm
content: Hi again.I have a problem with activating KeepOut Layer.In menu Layers (L) I checked the eye (which was crossed-out) and I can see this layer in layer bar, however when I switch to it and try to e.g. draw a line it switches me automatically to multilayer. Any existing line, for instance drawn in mechanical 1 I can't switch to KO (there is no such a layer to select). In layer menu, when I click "Used On" it hides KO so I assume, that KO Layer is switched off, however how can I enable it?Please - help again :<

author: ajb
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: April 06, 2018, 06:14:43 pm
content: The Keepout layer gets special handling. Use the tools under Place > Keepout to place objects on the keepout layer.https://www.altium.com/documentation/1.0/display/NEXUS/((Object+Specific+Keepouts))_AD(That link is for Nexus, but it looks to be identical in AD18.)

author: mengfei
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: July 13, 2018, 08:48:59 am
content: ...Also How do you convert Keep out Layer to Mechanical Layer, it was so much easier with AD10

author: Deridex
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: July 14, 2018, 05:52:51 am
content: Well, you did not write, what Altium-Version you are using. So i just assume you are using AD 18.1To place stuff on the KeepOut-Layer: (P)lace -> (K)eepout -> your choice ...(T)rack as example.(Remember: You don't have to use the "Alt"-Key to access the menus with the keyboard.)Important: I think you need to define, whats kept out.To Move stuff from the Keepoutlayer to an mechanical layer: I think you can just select the stuff and then pick another layer in the properties panel. But i'm not 100% sure there and i don't have AD18.1 at home.

author: Andromedam31
author_rank: Newbie
timestamp: November 12, 2018, 10:46:17 am
content: Hi are you able to change Keep-out layer to Mechanical layer in AD18 yet? I just update from AD15 to AD18 , I also down-grade to AD17 but AD17 did the same thing to keep-out layer too. I used to convert Keep-out layer to another mechanical layer, but now I can't do that, I want to cry now.

author: Deridex
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: November 13, 2018, 05:53:45 pm
content: I would just copy that tracks from the Keepoutlayer to another layer.Simple: Select it -> Strg+C -> select anchor -> switch to another layer -> edit->paste special -> paste on layer

author: PeteT
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: April 10, 2019, 09:25:24 am
content: Quote from: Deridex on November 13, 2018, 05:53:45 pmExcellent, thanks for this. We've skipped a couple of Altium upgrades and arrived at AD19 - there are some great features but other things which used to be easy have become very difficult. I appreciate that some uses of keepouts (layer specific etc) have got better, but wanting the outline of a board on the keepout is pretty standard practice and this method solves the issue
Altium Designer 18.1.7 - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / general

author: ryanengineering
author_rank: Newbie
timestamp: April 01, 2019, 05:45:30 am
content: Hello All, I am performing the finishing touches on a board and trying to add a logo, I did all of the steps that I have found on the net ( Convert to black and white, save as BMP ) copy and paste wont work, I also did the alternative method of placing object from file with no luck.... Any ideas out there? can someone that has luck with this convert for me? Thank you -Ryan

author: maxpayne
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: April 05, 2019, 03:07:20 am
content: Quote from: ryanengineering on April 01, 2019, 05:45:30 amYou need to run attached delphi script to include a logo on the PCB.

author: Psi
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: April 05, 2019, 03:16:59 am
content: The copy/paste thing needs to be done correctly.Ya need to copy the image not the file and some programs don't conform to the correct copy/paste spec.Also the only color that will import is 100% black, (0 red 0 blue 0 green).MSPaint in Win10 works fine.Load any image into mspaint that has some 100% black in it, draw selection box around the area you want and click the 'copy' button.Then paste into an Altium PCB document

author: radar_macgyver
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: April 05, 2019, 05:12:27 am
content: You can import a DXF. My preferred method is to make a custom Truetype font and then just create a string object and use that font. Creating the font can be painful though.

author: ajb
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: April 05, 2019, 06:50:12 pm
content: Quote from: Psi on April 05, 2019, 03:16:59 amThat's kinda neat, I didn't realize that worked. I guess I never tried copying the image the right way. Doesn't seem there's any way to control the size though?

author: Psi
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: April 05, 2019, 10:44:57 pm
content: Quote from: ajb on April 05, 2019, 06:50:12 pmYes, there is a way to do that. (at least it works in AD15 that i'm using)When youfirstpaste the image into Altium it will have "handles" You can drag those to make it bigger/smaller.(If you click off the object you will lose the handles. Getting them back is annoying you have to click "Resize Union" and then click in the right place)

author: ubbut
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: April 07, 2019, 08:18:25 pm
content: Quote from: radar_macgyver on April 05, 2019, 05:12:27 am
Can I run Altium designer on this system - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / general

author: iman.sedgh
author_rank: Newbie
timestamp: April 01, 2019, 04:48:36 pm
content: HiI want to see if I can run Altium designer on my laptop (which version)here is my system informationPentium(R) Dual-Core CPU T4200 @ 2.00GHz (2 CPUs), ~2.0GHzRAM: 8 Gb DDR3Mobile Intel(R) 4 Series Express Chipset FamilyDisplay Memory: 796 MBit supports direct x 11

author: T3sl4co1l
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: April 01, 2019, 04:58:23 pm
content: Maybe. Altium is notorious for only running usefully fast on NVidia graphics. I've seen some newer Intel graphics that work fine. Of that vintage, it's probably a slideshow.I guess it's not running XP if it's DX11 capable, so any version of Altium should do (XP support ended with AD15). Can try various versions and see, though.Tim

author: mengfei
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: April 02, 2019, 09:28:06 am
content: it will crawl as you go along, AD18/ AD19 hogs a lot of memory

author: Psi
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: April 02, 2019, 11:21:45 am
content: It will run.Your CPU is a little slow, but i ran Altium on a 2.4ghz core2 quad cpu for quite a while and that worked totally fine.8gb ram is totally fine (unless you plan to make 10 layer BGA boards).The only real question is how much hardware acceleration it can get from your onboard graphics.Not something we can predict, just have to try it.But DX11 support means its not super old, so it may work fine.The only other thing i would say is that Altium has a habit of crashing randomly more than normal if you run it on odd hardware.Sometimes you get lucky though.The usual solution to repeated Alitum crashes is to get an Nvidia gfx

author: iman.sedgh
author_rank: Newbie
timestamp: April 02, 2019, 05:46:57 pm
content: thanks all for replyso I think there isn't any problem if I install Altium 16 or older and design 2-3 layer PCBsAm I right?

author: thm_w
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: April 02, 2019, 09:29:57 pm
content: Quote from: iman.sedgh on April 02, 2019, 05:46:57 pmYesAnd can always turn off extra features like live DRC, trace highlighting, etc. to speed it up depending on preferences.
Altium 18 no gerber files in camtastic panel - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / general

author: mzbas
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: March 29, 2019, 06:34:11 am
content: Hi, after generating gerber files from a job file, I cant see the layers in Altium's camtastic panel. The gerber files have been generated in the project folder and can be viewed in Altium 17 though. Any suggestions? Thanks in advance.
Could someone convert an orcad ascii pcb file to altium pcb v5 file please? - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / general

author: trevwhite
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: March 27, 2019, 08:36:09 am
content: Hi, i have a reference design from IDT which is in Orcad ASCII pcb file format. Could someone convert this to altium pcb v5 for me please so I can load it into Circuit Studio?Would be a great help.ThanksTrev

author: rahandford
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: March 28, 2019, 07:56:40 am
content: Not sure if this is what you wanted but I tried

author: trevwhite
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: March 28, 2019, 09:08:58 am
content: Thanks but it does not seem to import to CircuitStudio. Maybe its saved as PCBv6 format? I really need v5 if that is possible?Trev

author: rahandford
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: March 28, 2019, 09:27:02 am
content: Try this exported as v5.0 and in Circuit Studio format (I think it depends on what version of Circuit Studio you are running!)

author: trevwhite
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: March 28, 2019, 09:47:19 am
content: That is great, thanks. This version works for me.Trev

author: rahandford
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: March 28, 2019, 09:50:01 am
content: You are welcome any time. If you ever need any Altium work you know where to come
Show net name in pcb print - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / general

author: telco2
author_rank: Newbie
timestamp: March 20, 2019, 06:11:42 pm
content: Hi everybody!I am creating the output jobs of my project and I realized how useful getting net names in pcb prints could be. However, I've not been able to get it done. I am choosing the output "PCB Prints" in my output job, maybe there's another output which allows it...any suggestion or idea? Thank you all in advanceBest regards

author: Cloud
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: March 27, 2019, 02:08:32 pm
content: Workaround is screenshoting
Can someone import a PADS Logic ASCII .txt file into Altium schematic for me ? - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / general

author: cadrjr
author_rank: Newbie
timestamp: March 25, 2019, 12:53:46 am
content: When using the Altium Import Wizard on two exported PADS Schematic ASCII .txt files (2005.2), I get an "Out of Memory error" after a few minutes.Could someone try this import for me on their Altium system and generate two Altium schematics + libs (.SCH , .LIB) please ?The 2 files and the Import instructions are attached.ThanksR

author: ebclr
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 25, 2019, 02:48:02 am
content: 3 hours running with 64Gb consuming 27 GB and nothing ( no error no end ) , I wait another 3 hours, but I guess something is wrong here

author: cadrjr
author_rank: Newbie
timestamp: March 25, 2019, 03:46:31 am
content: Many thanks for trying ebclr!I think I have got to the bottom of this. I have got one file importing now.After trying many combinations, I suspected something might be wrong with the schematics.I deleted a sheet at a time, generated a new .txt file and tried an import.Eventually I discovered the problem was with one particular sheet.I copied this sheet to another sheet - and deleted the original sheet.Now it works !

author: ebclr
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 25, 2019, 07:01:01 am
content: Good I was still trying but i guess was on an infinite loop. Nexy quit now
Altium Designer Integrated Library part - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / general

author: ALAN13
author_rank: Newbie
timestamp: February 28, 2019, 09:34:33 am
content: I have created a new Integrated Library in altium consisting of a schematic symbol and footprint. I've compiled it and it appearing in my library but minus the footprint. I thought the integrated library should have both in.If I do a search fo r the footprint I can direct it to the folder with the foot print in but it still says foot print missing. This is driving me mad!!!I can see my integrated library withe the schematic symbole and footprint in my project window to the left of the screen

author: Psi
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: February 28, 2019, 09:42:09 am
content: I've only ever had a separate Integrated Library for footprints and another for schematic symbols, and compiled each separately.but i would try close and reopen Altium if you haven't yet, occasional it can get a bit confused regarding library paths.

author: kuikmaa
author_rank: Newbie
timestamp: March 23, 2019, 08:22:09 pm
content: I regularly create integrated libraries with both a schematic library, and a pcb library. I believe this is the whole purpose of an integrated library, to compile both the schematic symbols, and the PCB footprints into a single compiled library.Regardless, when you are in the schematic library file in the integrated library, do you see the footprint added? Once in your schematic document, you can use the footprint manager (tools->Footprint Manager) to validate the footprints for each symbol. Just place the symbol you're having issues with, and double check that the path is correct once you validate in footprint manager. I have had some weird instances where footprints dont show up, and it was usually resolved through footprint manager.
ERC to check voltages - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / general

author: electricar
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: April 29, 2019, 01:16:56 pm
content: Hey folks,is it possible to check somehow if there are any capacitors or other components which have a less specified voltage (in their parameters) than the net they are connected to?Some directives or net labels? I couldn't find anything...Thank you in advance!Cheerselectricar

author: ajb
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: April 29, 2019, 03:04:06 pm
content: I don't think there's a built-in way to do this. Sounds like a job for a user script.You can almost use PCB filters to do a very crude approximation by using something likeCode:InNet('+3V3') AND HasCompParameterValue('Voltage Rating', '16V')but filters I think treat all parameter values as strings, so I don't think there's a way to make it understand something like 'ParameterValue >= 10V' or whatever. Also there are some annoying limitations regarding selecting by pin (InNet) versus by component (HasComponentParameter) that make the logical query operators insensible.