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How to Install and Configure Altium (view source)
Revision as of 02:35, 8 November 2017
, 02:35, 8 November 2017→Installation and Setup: retconned "passives.dblib"
===Installing the Microsoft Access 2007 Driver===
===Installing the Microsoft Access 2007 Driver===
For reasons that are poorly understood, many SSI Altium users cannot use two additional libraries - one of resistors and one of capacitors - without first installing this [https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/download/details.aspx?id=23734 Microsoft Office 2007 compatibility driver]. This solution took considerable experimentation to discover and is a good example of SSI [[Tribal Altium Knowledge]]. Installing this driver, though demonstrably not required for all users, will prevent hard-to-diagnose future headaches.
For reasons that are poorly understood, many SSI Altium users cannot use database libraries without first installing this [https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/download/details.aspx?id=23734 Microsoft Office 2007 compatibility driver]. This solution took considerable experimentation to discover and is a good example of SSI [[Tribal Altium Knowledge]]. Installing this driver, though demonstrably not required for all users, will prevent hard-to-diagnose future headaches.
===Installing Passives Database Library===
Several additional parts categories - including a large number of surface mount chip resistors and surface mount ceramic capacitors - are stored in separate "database" libraries because they come in several thousand very similar varieties which can be defined using a creatively formatted Excel sheet and are imported into Altium through a .dblib file. We will install this library in this step.
In the same window used to install SSI.IntLib (from the Libraries panel, "Libraries..." → ''"Installed"'' → "Install..." → "Install from file"), navigate to "libraries/dblib." You will initially see nothing there; to fix that, change the type of libraries visible from "Integrated Libraries *.INTLIB" to "Database Libraries *.DBLIB" (see right). Three files - "passives," "resistor," and "sscp" should appear; install "passives.DbLib."
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===Installing Resistor and Capacitor Database Libraries===
===Installing Resistor and Capacitor Database Libraries===
[[File:InstallingDBLibs.png|thumb|200px|right|It's called "sscp" because it was originally made by the Stanford Solar Car Project (you'll understand when you get there). It's full of capacitors.]]
[[File:InstallingDBLibs.png|thumb|200px|right|It's called "sscp" because it was originally made by the Stanford Solar Car Project (you'll understand when you get there). It's full of capacitors.]]
Optionally, repeat the steps for "capacitor$" with "capacitor_auto$." The "capacitor_auto$" section contains capacitors specially rated for automotive applications, which are of obvious use to the library's creators (hint: they build a car every two years) but are typically not important for SSI projects. "capacitor_auto$" does not have a "human_value" parameter
Optionally, repeat the steps for "capacitor$" with "capacitor_auto$." The "capacitor_auto$" section contains capacitors specially rated for automotive applications, which are of obvious use to the library's creators (hint: they build a car every two years) but are typically not important for SSI projects. "capacitor_auto$" does not have a "human_value" parameter
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===Configuring Altium Preferences===
===Configuring Altium Preferences===
[[File:SystemDefaultLocations.png|thumb|200px|right|You will end up with something like this.]]
[[File:SystemDefaultLocations.png|thumb|200px|right|You will end up with something like this.]]