Technical Note - Altium Training Files

Summary

This Tech note details the Altium Training Notes for use if you are unfamiliar with the Altium Software installed in the ECS ECEN Labs: LB217, CO239, CO249, AM218, AM219.

The installed version of Altium is .. in CO239, CO249, AM218, AM219 - Altium 18.1.9 (AD18), and LB217 - Altium 17.1.9 (AD17).

Details

There are 3 parts to the Altium training notes.

  • PCB Layout builds on from the Intro to PCB layout.

As well as the training notes there are also Altium files which can use used while following the notes. These are:

Altium Schematic and PCB Libraries

The Altium library files are in the directory ... C:\Users\Public\Documents\Altium\AD14\Library.

If the full set of libraries is not present, there is a zipped copy on Somes in the directory C:\Users\Public\Documents\Altium\AD13.

Help on Altium

Getting Started with Altium Designer

PCB Design Requirements

ECS

PCBs made here can be double sided, but will not be PTH (plated through hole) and will not come with a solder mask (the green coating on a PCB) or a silkscreen (the words and component outlines). If your PCB is double sided, you will need to solder a wire into the via to connect the topside track to the bottom side track.

  • Minimum track width and spacing: 15 mil (0.381 mm) tracks / 15 mil (0.381 mm) spacing
  • Drill sizes: 0.6 mm to 2.5 mm (in 0.1 mm steps, holes over 2.5mm are routed)
  • Maximum number of drill sizes: 4 (try to keep the number of different holes sizes to less than 4, this is because the router can only hold a total of 10 milling tools at a time, and stopping halfway to reload different tools can mess things up)
  • Board outline on the KeepOut layer

SeeedStudio - Fusion PCB Service

http://support.seeedstudio.com/knowledgebase/articles/447362-fusion-pcb-specification

Tutorial - Exporing manufacturing files from Altium Designer https://forum.seeedstudio.com/t/tutorial-exporing-manufacturing-files-from-altium-designer/17647

PCBs from SeeedStudio are the real deal … they are PTH, with a solder mask (green) and silkscreen (white) and you get 5 or 10 boards of you PCB design.

  • Minimum track width and spacing: 6 mil (0.1524 mm) tracks / 6 mil (0.1524 mm) spacing
  • Minimum Silkscreen line thickness: 6 mil (0.1524 mm)
  • Minimum silkscreen text height: 32 mil (0.8128 mm)
  • Drill sizes: 0.3 to 6.35 mm (in 0.1 mm steps)
  • Board outline on the KeepOut layer (Seeed used to require it to be in the TopOverlay layer (silkscreen layer))
Keep your board size to somewhere in 50 mm steps, eg. 50x50, 100x50, 100x100, 150x50, 150x100, etc (maximum board size is 200 mm x 200 mm)

PCBWay.com

Design spec pages
https://www.pcbway.com/pcb_prototype/Pinted_Circuit_Board_Prototype.html
https://www.pcbway.com/capabilities.html
:

Other PCB Manufacturer's we outsource to are: www.pcbcart.com, jlcpcb.com

ECS Bill of Materials (BOM) and PCB Design Requirements

The following document outlines the requirements for submitting BOM and PCB documents to "electronics@ecs.vuw.ac.nz"

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