At MEDtech Ingenieur, we are familiar with and use various tools for hardware development. For our own developments, and when we have a choice, we prefer Altium Designer for creating schematics and layouts. This article describes why Altium is our preferred tool for schematics and layouts and how we use it. If you're considering switching to Altium or have any questions, we'd be happy to provide independent advice.
Altium has a market share of approximately 10% in PCB tools (As of 2015The software has been around since 1985 and was previously sold under the name Protel. It seems to be more widely used than the stated 10%, which is also reflected in the fact that many component manufacturers provide libraries for Altium Designer, and Texas Instruments, for example, provides schematics and layouts of reference designs in Altium format. This article is not intended to be an advertisement for Altium, but rather to demonstrate how we work with it.
Why Altium Designer 18?
From my experience with various tools, the following reasons speak in favor of AD18:
- The Library administration It's very convenient. Components can be easily created and managed. There are extensive component libraries from various manufacturers, but they must be reviewed before use and usually require minor adjustments. Information layers and mechanical layers, in particular, are not fixed and are used differently. And if you want to create attractive and clear documentation, line thicknesses, for example, should be consistent throughout the library.
- Altium supports Version control with Subversion, which we use extensively, and manage all libraries and project data with Subversion. Altium Designer offers integrated support for Subversion. Anyone interested in learning more about version control systems or Subversion can find a wealth of information online; a good starting point is the Wikipedia article on Tortoise SVN.
Version control allows features such as graphical comparisons of different development stages, both in the schematic and the layout. Changes can be viewed individually. SVN keywords can be used for shared documents such as the schematic, so the SVN revision is automatically updated and always recognizable and up-to-date. - The Price-performance ratio Altium Designer is good, but prices are rising again after the software was offered at a very low price for several years.
- As an avid reader of our blog, you have already noticed that electromagnetic compatibility (EMC) is a topic that is important to us (see EMC in medical technology and The EMC test plan). PCB design has a major impact on EMC. Altium Designer supports developers here with integrated functions for line length adjustment, automated bus routing, differential routing, tools for impedance-matched lines (keyword: X-Signals), and extensive options for formulating design rules.
- The options for Integration of mechanical models. On the one hand, it allows the import and export of STEP and DXF files, and on the other hand, there are also useful functions within the program, such as viewing 3D data or folding flex circuit boards (and exporting them folded as a STEP model).
- The Export of production data can be largely automated by using templates and output jobs.
| Dipl.-Ing. Martin Bosch, shareholder, hardware developer E-mail: bosch@medtech-ingenieur.de Phone: +49 9131 691 241 |
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Do you need support with the development of your medical device? We're happy to help! MEDtech Ingenieur GmbH offers hardware development, software development, systems engineering, mechanical development, and consulting services from a single source. Contact us. |
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Tips and tricks
When using Altium, you should consider the following points:
- Using shortcuts
Many functions can be accessed very quickly using shortcuts, and if you use them frequently, this saves a lot of time compared to mouse clicks. Some examples are:- Select components and press the “a” key to open the Arrange menu.
- If Cross-Probe Mode is selected, selecting components and pressing “t” “o” “c” allows components to be placed by hanging the selected components on the mouse pointer and placing them one after the other.
- Very useful are the Schematic Navigator and PCB Navigator for checking designs. Here, for example, you can view all connections in the circuit diagram and check whether the nets are connected correctly.
- parameter can be used in the schematic to mark nets and then allow design rule checks in the layout. Parameters can be used, for example:
- Current carrying capacity
- Differential lines
- High-voltage lines with due consideration of clearance and creepage distances.
- Use of Templates and templates for documents, outputs, and design rules. When used well, templates can save a lot of time and ensure consistent documentation across projects. A person within the company should be assigned the responsibility of maintaining the templates, because as useful as good templates are, outdated templates are just as impractical.
Of course, Altium Designer is just a tool, and like any tool, it needs to be integrated into your company's development process. This means validating the tool, adapting checklists for tool-specific queries, training employees, and setting up the infrastructure.
Do you have questions about Altium or are you planning to implement Altium Designer in your company? We're happy to support you and share our best practices with you.
Best regards
Martin Bosch