Patent ID: 8161451

Claim:
A printed wire board layout tool, comprising: a layout module in communication with a component database, the component database having a plurality printed wire board component records, each record having operating parameters for a corresponding printed wire board component, the layout module operable to produce a printed wire board design from components selected from the component database and connected through wire traces, the printed wire board design including at least two printed circuit board components; and a design check module in communication with the layout module and the component database, the design check module operable to calculate electrical parameters of the wire traces based on dimensions of the wire traces and based on operating parameters for at least two components in the printed wire board design; calculate an expected voltage drop across each wire trace based on operating parameters associated with at least one component and based on electrical parameters of the wire traces; determine if each component will receive sufficient voltage or current during a operation of the printed wire board based on the expected voltage across each wire trace; and identify a potential failure point in the printed wire board design based on the operating parameters of the components and based on the electrical parameters of the wire traces and to generate information useable to graphically indicate the failure point in a graphical environment, wherein the indication of a potential failure point in the graphical environment is an indication of a wire trace that fails to provide a component with sufficient voltage or current.