PADS Layout Training

Duration:  3 Days
Pricing:  $2,100 USD
Course Part Number: 213142

Course Overview

The PADS Layout class will teach you the workflow of laying out a printed circuit board using the latest version of Mentor Graphics PADS Layout. You will be guided through the steps necessary to design a printed circuit board. Course highlights include creating physical components, importing netlists, adding/updating parts, routing connections, generating reports and Gerber information.

Detailed lab exercises help reinforce what is discussed during the lectures and provide you with extensive tool usage experience under the guidance of our industry expert instructors.

You will learn how to

• Customize and work with the PADS Layout interface
• Create Board Outlines, Keepouts and 2D Line items
• Create Parts Types, Decals and Pad Stacks
• Import netlists, create board stackup and set up design rules
• Place parts manually and use cross probing capabilities
• Route a design using manual/interactive routing and editing tools
• Create copper shapes and plane areas
• Verify the design
• Generating Gerber Data
• Work with ECO files

Hands-On Labs

Throughout this course, extensive hands-on lab exercises provide you with practical experience under the guidance of our expert instructors. Hands-on lab topics include:

• Interface Overview
• Creating Drafting Items
• Creating Libraries and Library Objects
• Netlist Importing and Design Preparation
• Parts Placement
• Routing a Design
• Copper and Planes
• Clearance and Connectivity Checking
• ECO Functions
• CAM Documents  

Audience

• PCB Designers new to PADS Layout
• Electronic Engineers that need to understand the back end of the design process using PADS Layout

• An understanding of PCB design
• Familiarity with Windows 98, NT, 2000, or XP operating systems

Key Topics

User Interface

• Graphical interface - toolbars
• File management - importing/exporting file types
• Changing tool defaults/creating and using start-up files
• Setting layer and object colors
• Altering settings through Preference and Status interfaces
• Biasing objects for selection with the Filter
• Mouse/keyboard command combinations and Modeless Commands

Drafting

• Drafting Toolbar commands and Changing Drafting Preferences
• Creating and combining text and 2D-Lines
• Creating and saving frequently used objects to the Library
• Board Outlines and Cutout (holes in boards)
• Keepouts for various restrictions
• Setting global (whole board) and local (small area) height restrictions
• Dimensioning and measurement preferences

Library

• Fundamentals of PADS Layout library structure
• Accessing libraries and changing library settings
• Part Types – assigning decals, gate and pin swaps, refdes prefix, alphanumeric pin numbers, implicit pins and attributes
• Decals – creating component footprints by adding pins, silkscreen outlines, polarization indicators and copper
• The Decal Wizard for instant creation of common component footprints
• Using Pad Stacks to change pin pad shapes on board and documentation layers

Importing and Design Setups

• Manual and automated import of netlists
• Board layer preparation – number of layers, naming, routing and plane types, assigning nets to planes, routing direction, increasing and decreasing layers and documenting physical board make-up
• Design rules – hierarchy structure, rules interface, default rules and extended rules option, Clearance, Routing and High Speed rule categories, conditional rules and printing rule reports
• Setting net colors and viewing properties

Placement

• Grid and Design Preferences
• Design Toolbar placement tools
• Commands for single, multiple and groups of objects
• Gluing parts
• Using Cross-Probing for placement
• The Find utility during placement
• Align and Nudge capabilities

Routing

• Design Toolbar routing tools
• Routing with the: Route Editor, Dynamic Route Editor, Pin to Pin Autorouter, and Bus Route Editor
• Routing options, adding vias and layer pairs
• Protecting traces (gluing)
• Using the Trace Length Monitor
• Creating through hole, partial vias and via layer pairs
• Adding stitching vias
• Modifying trace widths
• Changing pad entry styles
• Route editing tools – sketch, add corner, split segment, stretch and smooth

Copper Generation

• Drafting Toolbar copper tools
• Copper and copper cut outs
• Copper Pours – flooding, net assignment, and thermal generation
• Creating copper fill, patterns and solids
• Flood, Hatch command and viewing options
• Creating modifying split/mixed planes and individual thermal control

Design Verification

• Measuring clearances with the View Clearance tool
• Using the Verify Design utility to check the design against design rules
• Clearance and Plane settings for verification
• Working with Error Markers

Output Generation 

• ECO Toolbar commands
• Gate and pin swapping
• Setting options in the AutoRenumber interface
• ECO Preferences
• Generating reports
• Using Basic scripts
• Define CAM Documents interface, creating and customizing CAM documents, output devices, previewing single or multiple CAM documents
• Automated PowerLogic to PADS-PowerPCB link
• Automated ViewDraw to PADS-PowerPCB link