Altium Designer 6 Integration Platform

Project
Altium Designer 6 allows you to access all documents related to a design via its user
interface. The basic of any design is the project. The project links the elements of your
design together, including the source schematics, PCB, netlist, any libraries or models you
want to keep in the project.
There are different types of project in Altium Designer: PCB Project, FPGA Project,
Core Project, Embedded Projects, Script Project and Library Packages (the source for
an integrated library). Related project can also be linked under a common Workspace, giving
easy access to all files related to a particular design. You can add document to your project,
example add Schematic, PCB, Cam Document, PCB Library, Schematic Library, etc.

Creating a New Project

1. Select the File>>New>>Project>>PCB Project menu to create new PCB project.

2. Now add the schematic by right click at project header (PCB_Project1.PrjPCB)

choose Add New to Project>>Schematic

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 3. You also can add new schematic by go to File>>New>>Schematic
Save the Project and Schematic file to your folder.

Draw Schematic
4. To draw schematic as shown below, we need to browse the schematic symbol from
Library.

5. Library is placed at Right side on project panel. Click at Libraries, and search your
schematic symbol. Library from Altium is Integrated Library, it means inside the
library, it have schematic symbol, footprint, simulation model, signal integrity,
and PCB3D. Library is grouped based on the name of manufacture. i.e. microchip,
Atmel, maxim, etc.

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 6. Inside one integrated library, it contains few schematic symbols, and each schematic
symbol, it have Footprint, PCB3D, Simulation model and Signal Integrity (note: not all
schematic symbol have simulation and signal integrity model, depends from
manufacture).

7. Double Click on ‘Cap’ or press “Place Cap” button, and now you are on component
placing mode. Before the placement, press Tab to view the properties and edit the
attribute for this component. Do the same step for each component. To exit from the
current mode, Right click or press Esc key.

8. If you don’t know where is your schematic symbol is placed, you can search it use
search engine provided by Altium. Key in your keywords component, i.e. 2N3904 and
click Search. After search engine found your keyword component, you can press
stop button to stop searching. When you want to place the component and the
library is not installed, it will automatically prompt you to install, choose to install the
library. Do the same step for another unknown schematic symbol.

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Notes:

 To place Wire, select Place>>Wire (P, W).

 To place P1, P2, P3, and P4 use net label. Net label can be accessed by go to

Place>>Net Label (P, N).

 To place Power port (VCC and GND), click on the icon

 To place the 12Vpos click on this icon , and choose 12Vpos.

Shortcut Key
 Page Up => Zoom In
 Page Down => Zoom Out
 TAB => Edit properties before placing
 Esc => Escape from current process
 CTRL+A => Select all
 CTRL+C => Copy selected objects
 CTRL+X => Cut selected objects
 CTRL+V => Paste copied/Cut objects
 Spacebar => Rotate object under move object command
 Shift+Spacebar => Change Wire mode under Wiring/ Routing mode
 X => Flip or mirror Component in X Direction/axis
 Y => Flip or mirror Component in Y Direction/axis
 Backspace => Remove the last vertex when placing a wire/bus/line/polygon

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Common Mouse Controls
 Left Click on Object => Select object
 Left Click and Hold on object => Select object and move.
 Middle click and hold => Pan Mode in PCB only
 Right click and Hold => Pan mode in both PCB and Schematic
 Right Click => Bring up optional Feature in both Schematic and PCB
 Right Click on Object => Bring up Additional Object Feature and Properties in both
Schematic and PCB
 CTRL+Scroll up/down => Zoom in / Zoom out
 Double click on object => open properties of selected object

For Shortcut key, you can access from View>>Workspace panel>>Help>>Shortcut.

9. When schematic drawing is done, Compile the project, select Project>>Compile

PCB Project qqq.PrjPCB. (qqq is your Project name) (P, C)

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 10. You can see your compile result from Message panel. Click at System, and choose
Messages or go to View>>Workspace Panel>>System>>Messages

Run Simulation
11. To do simulation, make sure all of your schematic symbol have simulation model.
From default library, Altium provide simulation for basic component.
12. Double click on component and component properties dialog will display

13. Inside the schematic properties, you can add the parameter for your schematic
symbol, add the footprint, PCB3D model, simulation file, signal integrity and can add
rule for your PCB design.

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 14. For parameter, you can use it for creating your BOM (Bill Of Material) report. All
information about the component, you can add from here and when create the BOM,
you can add this parameter to your BOM report.
15. After schematic is completed, go to Design>>Simulate>>Mixed Sim (D, S, S)

16. Select P1, P2, P3, and P4, add to active signal by pressing „>‟, Change SimView
Setup to Show Acive Signals.
17. Enable Transient/Fourier Analysis and Operating Point Analysis

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 18. Click on Transient//Fourier Analysis, Uncheck “Use Initial Condition” and “Use
Transient Defaults” boxes.

19. Change the value same as shown below.

20. Press OK, and Altium will generate simulation file (.sdf file)

This is signal behaviour from schematic design based on your net label (P1, P2, P3, P4).

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 21. Click on one of the signal (i.e. P1), go to Wave>>Cursor A. move the cursor to point
the value from signal.

22. Clear from select mode by pressing ‘Clear’ button, or use the short cut key SHIFT+C.
23. You can compare your signals, click and drag on one of signal to another plot. I.e.
click and drag P1, and move to plot P2.

Create PCB
24. Before you transfer your schematic design to PCB, you have to make sure all of
your schematic symbol have footprint model.
25. Add a footprint for 12Vpos, Double click at this component, component properties
dialog will display, click at Add>>Footprint, Browse to Miscellaneous
connectors.IntLib and search for 2 pins header (HDR1X2H).

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 26. There are 2 ways to create new PCB Document, manual and use PCB Board
Wizard,
27. Manual way is add PCB documents directly without set any rule and PCB shape. Go
to File>>New>>PCB, or right click at project header, Add New to Project>>PCB

28. To use PCB Board Wizard, Select File Tab in Workspace panel. Click on PCB

Board Wizard icon.

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 29. Wizard dialog will appear click Next to go to next setup.

30. Choose the type of measurement units for your board (imperial = inch; metric =
milimeter), for example use the imperial. Click next to the next setup

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 31. Choose your board shapes, Altium provides PCB board shape template. Choose
custom if you want to define the board shape itself. Click next to the next setup.

32. After you choose custom, you need to set your board shape properties. The board
outline can set to rectangular, circular, and custom. Entry your board shape size and
set your boundary board.

33. Choose how many layer for the board (signal layer up to 32 layer, Power Planes up to
16 layer.). if you want to set your board become 2 layers, set signal layer 2 and
Power Planes 0.

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 34. Choose your board VIA style, can Thruhole Via only, or Blind and Buried Vias only.
Click Next to next setup.

35. Set your component routing and placement. Click next to the next setup.

36. Set your Track size, Via properties, and clearance. This value will be your Design
Rule on PCB. Click next to your next setup.

37. Click Finish to create your PCB.

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 38. Now you have new PCB document and this is free document, click and hold on file in
Project panel, then drag to inside the project (Figure (A).)

(A) (B)
39. Now the new PCB file is under your project tree, Save Your new PCB file in the same
folder with your project.

40. There are 2 ways to update design from Schematic to PCB, from PCB view. Go to
Design>>Import Changes from qqq.PrjPcb (qqq is your project name.) (D, I)

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 41. From Schematic view, go to Design>>Update PCB Document xxx.PcbDoc (xxx is
your pcb document name). (D, U)

42. Engineering Change Order screen will appear..

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 43. It gives information about how many components, Nets, component classes, and
room definitions will be updated to PCB.
44. Press Validate Changes,

45. Press Execute to apply changes. Press close to close the windows.
46. Zoom out the PCB to see component, the component is placed out from PCB
boundary.

47. Put the component and arrange inside the PCB board.

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Routing
For Routing, Altium provide 4 types, 2 types for single routing (Interactive Routing and
Smart Interactive Routing) and another 2 types are for multiple routing (Differential
Routing and Multiple Traces).

Interactive Routing
48. Interactive routing can be accessed by go to Place>>Interactive routing (P, T) or

click on icon.
49. In interactive routing, there’re 3 modes, Push Obstacle, End Ignore Obstacle, Stop
at First Obstacle. This option can be accessed by pressing SHIFT+R

Interactive Routing (Push Obstacle)

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Interactive Routing (Stop at First Obstacle)

Interactive Routing (Ignore Obstacle)

Smart Interactive Routing

50. Smart Interactive routing can be accessed by go to Place>>Smart Interactive

Routing (P, I) or click on icon.

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Smart Interactive routing will give preserve angle track to you, if the track is ideal, you can
place the track by pressing CTRL + left Click. For this project, we only use Singles routing.

Polygon Pour
51. Polygon pour is a copper on PCB. This can be connected to GND, VCC or the other
net.

52. To place polygon pour, go to Place>>Polygon Pour (P, G) or click on icon, and
polygon dialog will appear.

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This dialog is for your Polygon properties. You can choose fill mode, properties for size of free
island copper, deviation for pad boundary, polygon name, polygon active layer, net
connection, etc.
After finish the setup, click OK to define your polygon/copper shape.
In polygon mode, for polygon shape, you can choose 45 degree, 45 degree with arc angle, 90
degree, and any degree by pressing Shift+Spacebar.

Now your board have copper for bottom layer. If you want to change the layer for this copper,
double click on polygon pour and after dialog displays, change the layer become top layer
and press OK.

There’s one confirmation window message will appears; click Yes to confirm the changes.

Note: to add the polygon pour to another layer, i.e. add polygon pour to top layer, you can
repeat from stepi 50, or you can use copy and paste.

Use Copy and paste to add Polygon Pour on another layer.

53. Select current polygon pour, copy the polygon by pressing CTRL+C, define one
point around the polygon by click on polygon and that point become your reference
point when placing the polygon. Now press CTRL+V to paste the polygon, and the
polygon will have reference point same like as the point that had been choose.
54. The confirmation dialog will appear to confirm to rebuild the polygon.

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 55. Click No, to cancel rebuild the polygon.
56. Then double click on polygon pour, it will
show to you 2 polygons on your PCB.
57. Choose any polygon, then Polygon
dialog will appear. Change the layer
connection become top layer, then click
OK. Confirmation dialog will appear
again, click YES to apply changes.
58. Now you have two polygons on your
PCB and in different layer.
59. If you want to edit your track, you don’t
need to delete your polygon, you can
remove it temporary. To remove your
polygon temporary, go to
Tools>>Polygon Pours>>Shelve
polygon. And after edit the track, you
can restore back your polygon by go to Tools>>Polygons Pour>>Restore
polygons.
Now you board is ready.

Creating Gerber File and NC Drill file

After PCB had been done, next step is creates Gerber and NC Drill File.

60. On PCB panels, go to File>>Fabrication outputs>>Gerber Files to create the

Gerber file and Gerber Setup dialog will appear.

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 61. Choose your unit measurement and Format, or you can take it from default value.
Click to the Layers TAB.

62. On this TAB, choose which layer that you want to create the gerber. If you don’t know
which layer that you are using now, click on Plot Layers and choose Used on. Then
go to next TAB, Drill Drawing TAB.

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 63. Enable Plot all used layer and then go to Aperture TAB.

64. On this TAB, we no need to set anything, go to next TAB.

65. The value from film size, can take it from default, but if the board size bigger than the
file size, you have to change the film size value larger than film size. Click OK to
generate the file.

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 66. Save your Camcastic File on your project folder and go to Camcastic editor to see
your gerber file layer by layer.

65. Uncheck all the layers box, and enable one by one to check your board.

Create NC Drill File.

NC Drill file is a file with information about engineering Drill. We can create this file by go to
File>>Fabrication Outputs>>NC Drill Files.

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 67. NC Drill Dialog will appear and make sure this setup information is same like as your
gerber file information or you can take it from default setting. Press OK to continue.

68. After press OK, another window will appears, this is Import Drill Data dialog. Press
OK to Continue.
69. A new Camcastic file for NC Drill file will be created, save this file on your project
folder.

70. Your Gerber and NC Drill Files will be generated and placed in your project output
folder.

Documentation
Documentation for project is very important, Altium give a better tool to do documentation for
your project. It’s called Smart PDF. This tool is called Smart PDF due to you can browse your
component one by one by clicking on component index and this tool also can generate your

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schematic and PCB file into PDF file without any PDF writer on your system. So you no need
to install any PDF writer, what you need is only PDF reader.

71. To use this feature, go to File>>Smart PDF (F, M) and smart pdf setup dialog will
display.

72. Smart pdf setup dialog will display. Click next to go to the next setup.
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 73. Choose your document and select the directory to place your pdf file. Click next.

74. Choose your project file then click next.

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 75. This dialog will configure your printout setting. Right click on windows, and click final
to create all your entire Schematic and PCB.

Confirmation window will appear and click Yes to continue.

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 76. Press Next to continue the dialog.

77. You can set your additional setting for schematic and PCB in this dialog or let it
default. Click next to continue.

78. You can set this option or can take it from default setup, click next to continue.

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 79. This is the Final dialog from Smart PDF setup, click FINISH to view the PDF file.

80. Browse your component one by one by clicking on the component name in index
properties.

81. Browse your component one by one

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Creating Integrated Library, Footprint, Schematic Library, and link it
together.
Footprint
81. To create your own footprint, you must in PCB Library Editor. Go to
File>>New>>Project>>Integrated Library.

82. Add PCB Library to your project. Go to File>>New>>Library>>PCB Library or right

click on project >> Add New to Project>>PCB Library.

Note: Don‟t forget to save your integrated library, schematic library and PCB library.
For this example we will build Capacitor, Resistor and LM 75 Temperature Sensor.

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Capacitor
83. Zoom In the windows (CTRL+Scroll Up or Page Up) until you can see the Visible

Grid. To place the pad, go to Place>>Pad (P. P) or click on this icon . Before the
placement, press TAB to edit the properties, change the designator value to 1 and
after the first placement, Pad number will automatically increase. On this dialog, you
can set up your pad hole properties, example, you can change hole size, hole type,
shape, layer connection, etc.

84. Use line to draw component silkscreen,

first step is change your current layer to
Top Overlay, go to Place>>Line (P, L) or

click on this icon . To Draw ARC, Go

to Place>>ARC (P, A), there are 3 types
ARC, choose which one you feel suitable.
Click on Pad number 1, and set it become
origin for this component by go to
Edit>>Set Reference>>Pin 1 (E, F, P)

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 85. Double click on component footprint to edit the component properties (name and
description) or go to Tools>>Component Properties (T, E).
86. To create another footprint, Right click on PCB Library Editor, and choose New
Blank Component or go to Tools>>New Blank Component (T, W).

Resistor

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 87. This is SMD resistor, to draw this footprint, use the pad and edit the pad properties.
Change the properties same as shown below.

88. To draw silkscreen, use line and make sure you are on Top Overlay Layer.

Build Footprint based on Component Datasheet using IPC Footprint Wizard.

This feature will let you create your footprint based on your component datasheet.
89. Go to Tools>>IPC Footprint Wizard (T, I) and Wizard dialog will display. Click Next
to continue your setting. Choose SOP and click next

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Datasheet Specification (LM 75 Temperature Sensor)

90. Key in all information detail from datasheet. And click next to go to the next setup.

91. After Finish key in the component parameter, press Next to go to the next setup.

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 92. For Heel Spacing, you can use calculated values or can key in by uncheck the box.
93. This setup will let you to set the Solder Fillets. You can use from default value. Click
next to continue.

94. You can set the component tolerance for this component. Click Next to continue.
Click Next to take the default setting until Finish.

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 95. Now your footprint is completed, Save it by go to File>> Save All (F, L)

Schematic Library
96. On Schematic editor, you can draw your schematic symbol and add footprint. Go to
File>>New>>Library>>Schematic Library (F, N, L, L). Place your schematic Pin by
go to Place>>Pin (P, P). Before the placement, press TAB to change the pin
properties.

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 97. Set the first pin number to 1, and after the first placement, Pin number will
automatically increase.

98. To draw a line, use Place>>Line (P, L). These are all tools
that can be used to draw schematic symbol. After finish
your drawing, you can edit your component properties by
double click on component name on component editor and
component properties dialog will display. Edit the default
designator, edit comment, change the component name,
add footprint and add another parameter. Click OK to apply
changes. To change component name, go to
Tools>>Rename Component (T, E)

99. To add the footprint, Click Add Footprint and footprint model will display.
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 100. Click browse to add your footprint. Choose which footprint you want to use,
press OK to Add.

101. Now your schematic symbols have a footprint. Click OK to apply.

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 102. You can cross check for the connection between Schematic symbols and Footprint.

Note: Schematic and footprint is linked based on Pin number on schematic symbol and
Pad number on footprint. One schematic symbol can have more than 1 footprint
Exercise
103. Do the same step for Resistor, Draw your Schematic symbol, add footprint and edit
the component properties

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 104. Draw your Schematic symbol same as shown below,

Note: To draw LM75 body, use rectangle. You can get this from Place>>Rectangle (P, R)

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 105. After build all libraries, now it’s time to build your library becomes integrated library.
Go to Project>>Compile Integrated Library QQQ.LibPkg (QQQ is your
integrated library name) (P, C) and confirmation window will appear, click OK to
continue.

106. After you compile, your new

integrated library will be automatically
installed on your library and ready to
use.

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