You may prefer to get straight into the product and find your own way, creating new designs and layouts, learning as you go. If you like to work this way you will be pleased to see that Pulsonix is easy to understand and use, especially if you have already used another CAD or PCB design product. We will take a brief look at the key elements of the system and get you started straight away. We start with a brief overview of the user interface. If you wish you may skip this and go to “A New Schematic design”.
The User Interface
The user interface on Pulsonix is logical, easy to understand and follow, being similar in concept to your Microsoft office applications.
Starting to Customising Pulsonix
You can easily customise the Toolbars, add new Toolbars, and position them wherever you wish within the design window.
The product comes to you with an extensive set of default Shortcut Key settings. You can easily change all or any of these as you like. These can be set quickly so that the shortcuts are as you require.
To change or add Shortcuts, select the Keyboard tab on the Customise dialog.
You can generate a list of all the shortcut key commands supplied with the product. Note that not all commands are defined, just the most common ones. You may add a new shortcut or replace an existing one with a new command of your preference. A report sorted by command or by key can be generated of all the commands defined.
Technology Files
One of the most important elements in Pulsonix are the Technology Files. The Technology File holds key parameters within your design in one location e.g. text styles, net classes, track widths, pad styles and sizes, spacing rules, etc.
The Technology file is available from the Setup menu or from the Standard Toolbar.
You can build as many (or few) Technology files as you wish with design parameters set for a certain type of schematic or layout and store them using your own naming convention. Then, when you start a new project you merely select the appropriate Technology and you have the correct design information ready to start immediately.
Using the same Technology contents, especially Layer setup, for creating both library items and designs, will allow for consistency and standardisation.
For more details see also Technology and Technology Files
Tutorial
A front to back tutorial is available from within the Pulsonix product by clicking on the Help menu and selecting Online Manuals>. From the list, select Pulsonix Tutorial and Evaluation Guide. This is a PDF file and will guide you through the process in more detail.
A New Schematic design
The New Design option is located on the File menu and New option.
On the Designs tab, you can create a new design of the various types; PCB, Schematic, Footprint, Symbol, Part etc. For designs, you select a Technology file and Profile file to start your new design with. The Technology in Schematics will include all the line styles, net names, terminal styles, junction point styles, etc. The Profile file can be the drawing blank used from a set of standard profiles created and save as you build them up.
Adding Components
Components can be inserted from the Insert menu and Insert Component icon.
Use the Look In to be all libraries and show Preview as on. In Part drop down, you may select an appropriate part and see this displayed in the preview window. Clicking the Add button will add this part to your design. Press the EscCancel Insert Component. The Insert Component dialog re-appears, click Cancel to escape or choose another component to insert.
Adding Connections
With components in your design, drag off any pin on a symbol and you can start drawing a connection. As you near a potential target pin you will see an F appear on the cursor. This is a finish marker and means if you now single click with the F visible the connection will be finished for you.
You can see how easy it is to build up a simple Schematics design. Of course, this design does not actually make any sense, but it serves to show you how quickly you can design your circuit.
You can add lots of additional design information to annotate your design, such as power and ground symbols, busses, text, areas, drawing blank etc.
Translating to PCB
Once the Schematic is completed, use the Translate to PCB option on the Tools menu to translate the design to a PCB.
As when starting a new Schematic design, the PCB Technology may be selected from the Technology: box. You can use a Pulsonix technology with pre-defined layers or create your own to use.
The Profile File: will allow you to select a board profile from the library of standard board profiles you build up.
You can optionally choose to place All Components to bin. This will place all the components in the component bin ready for selection. If you choose not to use this option, components will be placed around the board outline or in an array if no board outline is defined. Show bin will open the bin ready to use.
The PCB Design Editor
Following Translate to PCB, the component footprints will appear in the bin ready to place (if you selected this option). Placement to the design window is by drag and drop on selecting of the component name or symbol preview.
If not chosen from your library of profile shapes, Board profiles can be created on the fly using Insert Board, imported using one of the valid mechanical formats - STEP, DXF or IDF or imported from other systems using valid ASCII import formats. The Pulsonix Construction Line feature can also be utilised to accurately to help create board outline shapes.
Component placement can be made by simply dragging components into place. Use the Rotate and Mirror commands to accurately place them. Use Grids to snap components into line.
Once placement has been done, you would now be ready to route the board. Manual routing tools and the built-in autorouter are also available to assist this task.
Copper areas can be added to the board using the Insert Template option from the Insert menu.
Run the Design Rules checking option from the Tools menu to check that all Spacing rules and integrity have been adhered to.
Once satisfied with your design, use the CAM Plot option from the Output menu to generate Gerber plotting files, Excellon NC drilling files, PDF plots, IPC-356 etc. format files.
Related Topics
System Overview | Schematics Design Editor | PCB Design Editor | CAM Plot