CADSTAR to eCADSTAR Migration – Library Preparation

CADSTAR to eCADSTAR Library Migration

Transcript

This tutorial will demonstrate how to prepare your classic CADSTAR for migration into eCADSTAR, which will help ensure the ease of post-migration tasks in the eCADSTAR library. First, we’re going to add our Vias from the template designs into the padstack library in classic CADSTAR.

Add the vias defined in the templates or designs you wish to use in eCADSTAR into the CADSTAR library. This is because eCADSTAR has one central padstack library which the Via is allocated, as opposed to being kept with the design.

You can, of course, add these manually after migration, however, this way they will come through with the eCADSTAR layers defined, which I will explain shortly.

Once the Vias are added to the padstack library in CADSTAR, then go into the layer definition’s, delete all of the inner electrical layers, so just the top and bottom remain, then we want to add two new layers called inner and inner-suppressed. This is because eCADSTAR does not require separate layers for the inner-electrical layers to be defined. Instead, the eCADSTAR inner layer can be mapped out to several in the technology editor. I’ll explain this further in eCADSTAR.

Once this is done, create an archive file of both the symbol library and the component library and save in a new folder with the CADSTAR library index file.

eCADSTAR Library Editor

Open eCADSTAR’s Library Editor and use the Library migration tool located on the ribbon of the start menu. Locate the directory you have just created and point to the archive files.

Once this is migrated, eCADSTAR will open this new Library.

Now, open the pad stack library editor. Now, we have migrated two layers called inner and inner-suppressed. The inner layer is used for pad stacks with non-functional lands.

Then place all pads on all layers will be present in the design, even if not used. The inner-suppressed layer only adds a part when routed. Currently, these layers are defined the same. So a quick and easy way to delete the unconnected pad definition from the entire inner-suppressed layer is to expand all layers and copy and paste the column into an external spreadsheet.

Then use a filter to view that inner-suppressed layer, only. We can then delete the information defined in the unconnected pad column. Once this is done, cancel the filter and copy the entire unconnected pack column. We can now paste this into the eCADSTAR pad stack library. Then save and close.

Open the technology editor. You can either create a new technology or import the technology from a migrated design. I’m going to create a new four-layer technology first, then I will show you how to import the technology. In eCADSTAR, there are two sets of layers, the ones defined in the footprint and the other in the PCB design. In the technology editor, the footprint layers need to be mapped to the PCB layers for both sides A and B. Once this is complete, then the footprint can be brought through to the design upon a forward annotation.

Additionally, after migrating a CADSTAR design, we can use the technology and rule stacks from that migration folder and import directly.

Please see the design migration video in this series for more information.

When you migrate a CADSTAR design, a local library is created in its directory, locate the library and the folder called tech rule. Here the technology and rule stack up associated with the design have been migrated. Instead of creating new technologies and rules in eCADSTAR you can import them from the migrated designs using this method.

Following these steps of preparation ensures you can get up and running with eCADSTAR very quickly using your classic CADSTAR data.

More about eCADSTAR

eCADSTAR brings together the latest advances in collaboration and connected engineering in a borderless electronic design environment, connecting the engineering desktop with comprehensive design and manufacturing services.

In the 2020 Release

SIGNAL INTEGRITY   |    Add sophisticated Signal Integrity Analysis capabilities to eCADSTAR. Simulation in the Schematic (pre-layout SI) as well as in the PCB Layout (post-layout SI).

POWER INTEGRITY AND EMI   |    Embedded into eCADSTAR, these functions share the same design data and simulation library used for Signal Integrity.

IBIS-AMI   |    Analyse SERDES channels (e.g. PCI-Express Gen3+, HDMI, SATA, USB, etc.) based on IBIS-AMI models, S-Parameter characterisation of the channel, Eye diagram results, BER estimation and bath-tub curves and import IBIS-AMI devices into the simulation library.

 

 

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