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Hitchhiker's Guide to Making a PCB (view source)
Revision as of 08:28, 21 November 2018
, 08:28, 21 November 2018sheet entries yikes
* All sheets have a position in the ''hierarchy'', with one sheet at the top (hence "TopSheet.SchLib") and all other sheets one or more levels below.
* All sheets have a position in the ''hierarchy'', with one sheet at the top (hence "TopSheet.SchLib") and all other sheets one or more levels below.
* Sheets get a place in the hierarchy by being referenced with "sheet symbols" (see [[#Adding Sheets]] below). Any sheet that has a sheet symbol for another sheet gets a copy hierarchically beneath it. This means that your top sheet will have a sheet symbol for each second level sheet, which may each in turn have one or more lower level sheets (though this is uncommon).
* Sheets get a place in the hierarchy by being referenced with ''sheet symbols'' (see [[#Connecting Sheets|Connecting Sheets]] below). Any sheet that has a sheet symbol for another sheet gets a copy hierarchically beneath it. This means that your top sheet will have a sheet symbol for each second level sheet, which may each in turn have one or more lower level sheets (though this is uncommon).
* There is one unique, editable sheet file for each unique sheet in your design, but by duplicating its sheet symbol you can produce a duplicate copy of the circuit it contains in your design. This is useful for PCBs with repeated circuits - for example, ValBal avionics have two identical copies of the same motor driver circuit, one for each of the two motors in the system.
* There is one unique, editable sheet file for each unique sheet in your design, but by duplicating its sheet symbol you can produce a duplicate copy of the circuit it contains in your design. This is useful for PCBs with repeated circuits - for example, ValBal avionics have two identical copies of the same motor driver circuit, one for each of the two motors in the system.
* Unless explicitly connected (see [[#Connecting Sheets]] for how), wires on different sheets are not connected to each other by shared names. This means two wires labeled "SIGNAL1" on two separate sheets - even two copies of the same sheet - are not automatically connected. Importantly, this means that you need to add explicit connections for power and ground between sheets to make sure all sheets are powered.
* Unless explicitly connected (see [[#Connecting Sheets|Connecting Sheets]] for how), wires on different sheets are not connected to each other by shared names. This means two wires labeled "SIGNAL1" on two separate sheets - even two copies of the same sheet - are not automatically connected. '''Importantly, this means that you need to add explicit connections for power and ground between sheets to make sure all sheets are powered.'''
===Adding Sheets===
===Adding Sheets===
===Connecting Sheets===
===Connecting Sheets===
[[File:Ports.png|thumb|200px|right|The four flavors of port. The use of unspecified ports is discouraged]]
After adding a sheet (whether new or reused), you will need to connect it into your design (see [[#Using Multiple Sheets|Using Multiple Sheets]]). To pass wires (i.e. power, ground, and signals of interest) between your sheet and another, your new sheet will need to have ''ports''. Ports are placed using Place → Port. (shortcut {{altium-shortcut| p → r}}). Each port will need a unique name and a "direction" that specifies if the signal is generally entering (input) the sheet, leaving (output), or doing both (bidirectional). The direction is cosmetic (so don't stress over it too much) but helps make your sheet more readable. You can add and delete ports as needed throughout the design process. A reused sheet will likely already have ports on it, but make sure they're the ports you want and change them as needed.
When you're satisfied with the ports on a sheet and need to start connecting it to another, open the sheet you want it to appear under. There, go to Design &rarr Create Sheet Symbol from Sheet (shortcut {{altium-shortcut|d → y}}) and select the sheet you want to connect in the menu that pops up. You'll then get to place a ''sheet symbol'' - which will have ''sheet entries'' corresponding to the ports on the sheet - which you can start drawing connections to.
If you update the ports on a sheet, you can push the changes to your sheet symbols by going to Design → Synchronize Sheet Entries and Ports (shortcut {{altium-shortcut| d → p}}). In the dialog that comes up, hit "Delete Sheet Entries" and "Add Sheet Entries," as appropriate, to update your sheet symbols so that they have entries for all of the ports on their matching sheets.
===Applying the SSI Schematic Template===
===Applying the SSI Schematic Template===
To replace the default text on your PCB and in the schematic template, go to Project → Project Options (shortcut {{altium-shortcut|c → o}}) and switch to the Parameters tab. In the "Values" column that comes up, set all of the parameters to the values you'd like. Enter more than one name on each of the PrjEngineer lines if needed - using just a first initial and last name for each contributor is encouraged to save space. Remember to give credit where credit is due, and to include people who've contributed, even if they haven't taken point - remember that it costs you '''nothing''' to put a name on a circuit board but it's a great acknowledgement of the work your fellow SSI members have done.
To replace the default text on your PCB and in the schematic template, go to Project → Project Options (shortcut {{altium-shortcut|c → o}}) and switch to the Parameters tab. In the "Values" column that comes up, set all of the parameters to the values you'd like. Enter more than one name on each of the PrjEngineer lines if needed - using just a first initial and last name for each contributor is encouraged to save space. Remember to give credit where credit is due, and to include people who've contributed, even if they haven't taken point - remember that it costs you '''nothing''' to put a name on a circuit board but it's a great acknowledgement of the work your fellow SSI members have done.
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