Product category:
Design and Development Software
News Release from: Mentor Graphics UK | Subject: TeamPCB
Edited by the Electronicstalk Editorial
Team on 01 August 2003
PCB design software is made for sharing
TeamPCB is a powerful new design collaboration tool for implementing and managing team design processes more easily and effectively than previously possible.
TeamPCB is a powerful new design collaboration tool for implementing and managing team design processes more easily and effectively than previously possible For PCB designs that are too large or complex for a single person or team to complete in the desired time frame and for PCBs with multiple technologies requiring specialised design teams, TeamPCB allows companies to make effective use of design resources across geographically or functionally dispersed PCB design groups to dramatically reduce overall design cycles
This article was originally published on Electronicstalk on 21 Feb 2001 at 8.00am (UK)
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Unlike other team design methods that require error-prone manual editing, TeamPCB features an automated design process which manages and synchronises layout design data, allowing multiple PCB designers to work on the same PCB layout simultaneously.
TeamPCB is compatible with the Mentor Graphics Expedition PCB, Board StationR RE and SFX RE layout tools.
It is designed for immediate deployment and does not require time-consuming training or changes to a company's infrastructure or library to implement.
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"The majority of our PCB designs are high-speed mixed-signal systems requiring collaboration with our analogue designers and high-speed specialists.
In the past, we have used our own concurrent design methods to shorten the overall design time", said Moo-Sik Jeon, Senior Engineer, Samsung Electronics Company.
"The automated methodology of TeamPCB not only allows us to make the best possible use of our PCB layout design resources, it also ensures data consistency".
TeamPCB provides a process for partitioning a board in the layout design phase, allowing design teams to "divide and conquer" projects in a fraction of traditional schedules.
Traditional team design and concurrent design methods relied on logical partitioning or design reuse blocks, which often involved the error-prone manual editing of ASCII files and databases.
TeamPCB eliminates many problems associated with other team design processes, through an automated design methodology that manages all edits and keeps design files synchronised.
Before the design is partitioned, any number of reserved areas may be drawn on the board.
Each reserved area must be given a name (for example, design functionality or a designer's name) before subdirectories are created in a master design database.
The board is then "split" into the various partitions.
Each partition includes the data from the entire master design prior to the split, but only elements within each partition may be edited from that partition.
"While PCB designs are becoming more complex than ever before, today's business climate means companies are also facing tighter time-to-market windows.
As a result, they are looking for ways to effectively utilise their design resources by collaborating across geographic locations and design team specialisation", said Joe Dalton, Director of Marketing, Systems Design Division, Mentor Graphics.
"In initial trials with customers such as Lucent, results are showing that the TeamPCB methodology allows greater control over their schedules and resources and delivers a proportional reduction in design time based on the number of designers they assign to a given project.
For example, on a board that has been split into four partitions, TeamPCB has the capability to reduce total layout design time by a factor of four".
Components can be placed within TeamPCB partitions.
Additionally, interactive and automatic route editing capabilities are available in TeamPCB, allowing designers to complete their partitions independently and gain the full time savings of the parallel design process.
Each designer is able to edit within an assigned partition and up to the edge of the adjoining partitions.
When the partitions are rejoined, the automatic router completes the traces according to the design rules established within the master design database.
Guide pins (virtual points in space that the nets will route through) may be added in the master design prior to a split, to guide and optimise routing up to the edge of, and between, reserved areas.
While designing in a TeamPCB partition, a designer can view edits from other partitions in two ways.
First, all design partitions can be rejoined to the master design database.
When the master design is then resplit into partitions, each designer can see all edits from the updated master design.
Second, designers can communicate changes between the partitions (without rejoining and resplitting) through a process of "peer-to-peer" updates.
Designers can select any, or all, partitions in which they wish to see updates.
They can then view edits up to the last save of the selected partitions.
TeamPCB is available immediately as an optional addon to Expedition Series, Board Station RE and SFX RE product flows and stand-alone pricing for the tool starts at $15,000 per seat.
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