Difference between revisions of "How to Install and Configure Altium"

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(Wrote the first half of a real "Installing Altium" tutorial)
 
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{{guide| authors=Sasha Maldonado ({{slack-user|smaldonado}})}}
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{{guide| authors=({{slack-user|sunet-id=smaldonado|display-name=Sasha Maldonado}}) and updated by ({{slack-user|sunet-id=timv|display-name=Tim Vrakas}})}}
  
 
==Background==
 
==Background==
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Altium allows users to draw circuit schematics and then design the physical layout of the components represented in the schematic. This requires libraries of symbols to represent components, the physical dimensions of those components in real life, and links so that they can be purchased from suppliers. SSI and Stanford Solar Car Project members have designed parts for these libraries over the course of several years, and as an Altium user, you will almost certainly [[Making Parts for PCB Libraries|add parts to the SSI PCB libraries]].  
 
Altium allows users to draw circuit schematics and then design the physical layout of the components represented in the schematic. This requires libraries of symbols to represent components, the physical dimensions of those components in real life, and links so that they can be purchased from suppliers. SSI and Stanford Solar Car Project members have designed parts for these libraries over the course of several years, and as an Altium user, you will almost certainly [[Making Parts for PCB Libraries|add parts to the SSI PCB libraries]].  
  
These libraries are shared and synchronized amongst all of SSI's Altium users using a [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Version_control version control] technology called Subversion (typically "SVN"). SVN allows a group of folders (known as a "repository") to be shared selectively between SSI's Altium users, while tracking changes between versions of the files and allowing users to decide when they share changes they've made with the rest of the SSI userbase (sharing your changes is known as "committing" those changes). SSI's SVN is hosted online by a sponsor, [https://assembla.com Assembla].
+
==Where do things live?==
 +
There are three places Altium data lives:
  
Users familiar with git will find SVN familiar but notably different; SSI's reasons for using SVN over git are captured [[Tribal Altium Knowledge|here]].
+
* All new projects are stored on Github. An example of this is [https://github.com/stanford-ssi/ThunderGuppy-EE ThunderGuppy-EE]. All SSI projects should be public on the [https://github.com/stanford-ssi SSI Github], but in order to commit changes, you're going to need to [https://github.com/join create a Github Account] and have someone add you as a member of the SSI Github organization. Ask in {{slack-channel|git}} to be added.
 +
* All components and parts live on the [https://stanford-university-student-space-initiative.365.altium.com/ Altium 365 workspace]. To access this you will need an Altium account connected to your Stanford email, and you will need to be added to the workspace. You should ask for these things in {{slack-channel|altium}}, and tag the {{slack-user|sunet-id=altium-admin|display-name=altium-admin}}.
 +
* Templates, Logos, Fonts, and oddball SSI-wide data lives in the [https://ssi-svn.stanford.edu/svn/altium-core/ Altium SVN]. SVN ([https://subversion.apache.org/ Subversion]) is the grandfather to Git and Google Drive. To access the SVN you need credentials which you can get from https://ssi-svn.stanford.edu/ and an SVN client, like [https://tortoisesvn.net/ TortoiseSVN].
 +
 
 +
==A Brief Motivational Note==
 +
At the time of this guide's original writing, only two people in SSI had used Altium for more than a year (neither of whom wrote this article - I began using Altium 8 months prior to originally writing it). As with any worthwhile skill, Altium takes time to gain familiarity with, and doing projects in Altium - though initially somewhat tedious and frustrating at times - is the best way of learning to use it.
 +
 
 +
Furthermore, as with all good technical software, Altium has many features, with many buttons and options. This is understandably anxiety-inducing. This guide (and the SSI wiki at large) is written to try and point you to the buttons you will need to complete setup and common tasks, which are a small subset of all of the buttons available to you. People who have worked in Altium for 20 years have commented that they still have never used most of the features of the program. In reality, doing a couple of projects is enough for you to learn what the core functions are and how to use them, and SSI has a robust community of able and willing engineers eager to help you get started.
 +
 
 +
With that in mind, let's get underway!
  
 
==Installation and Setup==
 
==Installation and Setup==
Line 17: Line 27:
 
===Account Setup===
 
===Account Setup===
 
[[File:TortoiseSVNMenu.png|thumb|200px|right|A screenshot showing all of the SVN functions available when right-clicking after installing TortoiseSVN. You will never use most of these.]]
 
[[File:TortoiseSVNMenu.png|thumb|200px|right|A screenshot showing all of the SVN functions available when right-clicking after installing TortoiseSVN. You will never use most of these.]]
Within the {{slack-channel|altium}} channel, request an account for both Altium itself and for Assembla. Messaging {{slack-user|altium-admin}} will summon the relevant person.
+
Within the {{slack-channel|altium}} channel, request an account for Altium itself, and the Altium 365 workspace. Messaging {{slack-user|sunet-id=altium-admin|display-name=altium-admin}} will summon the relevant person. Once they give you an account, you should receive an email allowing you to log in to your account and access the [https://stanford-university-student-space-initiative.365.altium.com/ Altium 365 Workspace]. From the online workspace you can browse some recent projects without having to install any software.
  
===Installing SVN===
+
=== But I don't have a Windows computer! ===
You will need SVN software to use the SSI Altium repository. The recommended choice is to install [http://tortoisesvn.net/ Tortoise SVN] (Windows-only). Mac and Linux users who want SVN access from within their home OS are recommended to install [https://http://www.smartsvn.com/ SmartSVN], though we will not discuss its usage in this article.
+
Never fear, many cool projects were designed without Windows computers! You have a few options:
  
TortoiseSVN will run persistently on your computer and allow you to work with files synchronized with the SVN. As shown at right, TortoiseSVN will appear as a menu available when right clicking on files or folders. We will introduce the most useful of these commands in this article; several more are discussed [[Using TortoiseSVN|here]] (recommended reading ''after'' installing Altium).
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* Install Windows in a dual-boot configuration with your current OS (only for x86 computers, you'll need a bit of storage)
 +
* Run Windows in a local Virtual Machine (VM). [https://www.virtualbox.org/ VirtualBox] works well on many systems, and Stanford offers [https://stanford.onthehub.com/WebStore/Welcome.aspx VMWare for free], but for Apple Silicon (ARM) machines, [https://kb.parallels.com/124137 only Parallels supports DirectX], without which things will be very slow.
 +
* Connect to an [[Windows Remote VMs|SSI hosted Virtual Machine (VM)]]. This works best when you're connected directly to a campus network.
 +
* Use an SSI desktop, in [[End station III|ESIII]]. This works well, but can be inconvenient.
  
===Downloading SSI Altium Libraries===
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===Installing Altium===
[[File:SVNCheckout.png|thumb|200px|right|Make sure you're right clicking on the folder you just created.]]
 
[[File:SVNCheckout2.png|thumb|200px|right|Your checkout window should look very similar to this.]]
 
Find a convenient location on your computer (i.e. your desktop) to create a folder that will host all of the shared SSI Altium files. Create a new folder there (my folder is called "SVN-SSI-Altium"). Right click on the folder, and select "SVN Checkout" (see right). A window should pop up (see right) showing a URL to download files from and a location on your computer where the files will be downloaded. Verify that the target on your computer is where you intend and set the URL of the repository to http://subversion.assembla.com/svn/stanfordspaceinitiative, and click OK. You will then be prompted for your Assembla login - this will be your '''username''' ('''not''' email) and password for your Assembla account. Enter these, click OK, and your computer should begin to download the Altium libraries. These are rather large and will take several minutes.
 
  
If your credentials are not accepted (a rare but known problem), make sure they are correct, and then reset your password (not necessarily change it, simply reset it). The origin of this issue is unknown, but a password reset typically solves the problem. If it still doesn't work, log into [https://assembla.com Assembla] and ask their 24-hour support for help with SVN authentication - they are typically very helpful and respond in around half an hour.
 
 
===Installing Altium===
 
 
Once you have an Altium account, Altium Designer can be downloaded [http://www.altium.com/products/downloads here] after logging in on the Altium website. Be aware that the software will only install on Windows operating systems. After downloading, install with the default settings.
 
Once you have an Altium account, Altium Designer can be downloaded [http://www.altium.com/products/downloads here] after logging in on the Altium website. Be aware that the software will only install on Windows operating systems. After downloading, install with the default settings.
  
 
===Connecting Altium to the License System===
 
===Connecting Altium to the License System===
[[File:AltiumSignIn.png|thumb|200px|right|You will only ever need to do this once.]]
 
 
[[File:AltiumLicense.png|thumb|200px|right|Protip: Don't publish sensitive information on the internet.]]
 
[[File:AltiumLicense.png|thumb|200px|right|Protip: Don't publish sensitive information on the internet.]]
After Altium finishes installing, open it. Under "My Account," click "Sign in" (see right) and log in with your Altium account. Check "Sign me in when I open Altium Designer," as this will automatically grant you license access when you start the program. Next, under "Available Licenses," select Altium Designer from the list of products (you may or may not have other options listed; you can safely ignore all other ones) and click "Use" underneath (see right). This will now happen automatically every time you open the program.
+
After Altium finishes installing, open it. Under "My Account," click "Sign in" and log in with your Altium account. Check "Sign me in when I open Altium Designer," as this will automatically grant you license access when you start the program. Next, under "Available Licenses," select Altium Designer from the list of products (you may or may not have other options listed; you can safely ignore all other ones) and click "Use" underneath (see right). This will now happen automatically every time you open the program.
 +
 
 +
===Configuring Altium Preferences===
 +
[[File:SystemDefaultLocations.png|thumb|200px|right|You will end up with something like this.]]
 +
Altium's default preferences are quite workable, but a couple of settings relating to the default locations of files need to be configured on each new computer. To change Altium preferences, from the top bar, click "DXP → Preferences..."
 +
 
 +
====Templates Location====
 +
[[File:DataManagementTemplates.png|thumb|200px|right|You will end up with something like this, unless you're attempting to steal my identity, in which case you will end up with ''exactly'' this.]]
 +
<s>An unjustifiable length of time was spent creating formatting templates for SSI circuit schematics, which make for a clean, professional project and add a bit of information to each schematic. To use, in Preferences, go to "Data Management &rarr; Templates," and set the "Template location" field to point to the "libraries\templates" folder in your Altium SVN. See the image at right for an example of the result.</s> '''TODO: Update the templates and these instructions.'''
 +
 
 +
===Install the SSI PCB Logos Font===
 +
Adding logos to PCBs is an important aspect of professionalism, part of SSI's agreements with its sponsors, and a nice way to add some creativity to a technical process. For logos that SSI commonly uses, we've created a font with scalable versions of each. Download the font from [https://ssi-svn.stanford.edu/svn/altium-core/libraries/logos/SSI/SSI_Logos.ttf the SVN], and install it to your computer.
 +
 
 +
===Remap Delete Key===
 +
[[File:DeleteKeyRemapping18.png|thumb|200px|right|You should end up with this.]]
 +
''This step is only required of computers which do not have distinct "backspace" and "delete" keys. Desktops and most non-Apple laptops can skip this step. '''Apple laptops which have a "delete" key that functions as a backspace key may need to complete this step.'''''
 +
 
 +
If you do not have a schematic open already, open one by clicking "File &rarr; New &rarr; Schematic." Next, open up the Customize panel by either clicking on a blank space of the toolbar (the space to the right of the "Help" drop-down menu works) or by right-clicking in that same spot and selecting "Customize..." In the window that comes up (see right), click "Edit" from the "Categories" column on the left, then double click on "Delete" in the "Commands" column on the right. This is the command used to delete components from a schematic, which is by default mapped to the delete key, which, if you're completing this step, you do not have. Click the "Primary" field, and then hit your backspace key to remap the command to that key. This only changes the delete key for schematics, so repeat this process with a PCB document open.
  
/////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
+
'''You're done!''' Welcome to Altium!
  
==Installing SSI Libraries==
+
==Next Steps==
This assumes you have set up Altium & the SSI SVN already.
 
  
*Open --> libraries --> intlib --> SSI.LibPkg
+
;A First Project :[[Your First Altium Project|This (currently in-development) guide]] offers you a walkthrough of a fun introductory Altium project, which ends with making a circuit board that allows you to play StrEEt Fighter with your fellow SSI members.
*Right click on package in the workspace area --> Compile Integrated Library
+
;Creating Parts for Altium Libraries : [[Making Parts for PCB Libraries|This guide]] walks you through the process of adding new parts to the SSI Altium library, teaching both the process involved and quality standards for the library that we and the Stanford Solar Car Project have long worked to maintain.
*Go to the right toolbar and click on 'Libraries' and then the 'Libraries...' button.
 
*Go under the second tab titled 'Installed' and click 'Install From File'.
 
*Navigate to your SVN folder --> libraries --> intlib --> [possibly inside a folder titled 'Project Output for SSI'] --> SSI.IntLib
 
*DONE!
 
  
If there are changes to the library package, you will need to recompile (right click --> recompile).
+
==Addendum: SVN==
When you commit in SVN, do not add the SSI.IntLib file (it should already be in the ignore list)
+
If you need a single file from the SSI SVN, you can download it from the [https://ssi-svn.stanford.edu/ web interface]. If you want to download many files, or make changes, you will need to [[SVN|check out the SVN repo]].
  
 
[[Category: Altium]]
 
[[Category: Altium]]

Latest revision as of 06:30, 23 August 2022

Journey.jpg

This is a guide

Welcome! This article is intended to guide you through an SSI process. While its authors have made efforts to make it useful, if you have questions, please ask the authors on Slack. They will be able to both help you and improve this resource for future SSI-ers.

This article was written by (SlackLogo.png@Sasha Maldonado ) and updated by (SlackLogo.png@Tim Vrakas ).

Background

Altium Designer is SSI's preferred circuit board design program. The program runs exclusively on Windows; Mac and Linux users have successfully run Altium through both dedicated Windows partitions and Windows virtual machines. Though debated amongst SSI members, a USB mouse is also a useful tool when designing circuit boards.

Altium Ltd. sponsors SSI with a number of shared licenses to use their software. These licenses are managed over the internet - after signing in for the first time, your computer will automatically download a license file every time you open Altium and release your license when you close the program.

Altium allows users to draw circuit schematics and then design the physical layout of the components represented in the schematic. This requires libraries of symbols to represent components, the physical dimensions of those components in real life, and links so that they can be purchased from suppliers. SSI and Stanford Solar Car Project members have designed parts for these libraries over the course of several years, and as an Altium user, you will almost certainly add parts to the SSI PCB libraries.

Where do things live?

There are three places Altium data lives:

  • All new projects are stored on Github. An example of this is ThunderGuppy-EE. All SSI projects should be public on the SSI Github, but in order to commit changes, you're going to need to create a Github Account and have someone add you as a member of the SSI Github organization. Ask in SlackLogo.png#git  to be added.
  • All components and parts live on the Altium 365 workspace. To access this you will need an Altium account connected to your Stanford email, and you will need to be added to the workspace. You should ask for these things in SlackLogo.png#altium , and tag the SlackLogo.png@altium-admin .
  • Templates, Logos, Fonts, and oddball SSI-wide data lives in the Altium SVN. SVN (Subversion) is the grandfather to Git and Google Drive. To access the SVN you need credentials which you can get from https://ssi-svn.stanford.edu/ and an SVN client, like TortoiseSVN.

A Brief Motivational Note

At the time of this guide's original writing, only two people in SSI had used Altium for more than a year (neither of whom wrote this article - I began using Altium 8 months prior to originally writing it). As with any worthwhile skill, Altium takes time to gain familiarity with, and doing projects in Altium - though initially somewhat tedious and frustrating at times - is the best way of learning to use it.

Furthermore, as with all good technical software, Altium has many features, with many buttons and options. This is understandably anxiety-inducing. This guide (and the SSI wiki at large) is written to try and point you to the buttons you will need to complete setup and common tasks, which are a small subset of all of the buttons available to you. People who have worked in Altium for 20 years have commented that they still have never used most of the features of the program. In reality, doing a couple of projects is enough for you to learn what the core functions are and how to use them, and SSI has a robust community of able and willing engineers eager to help you get started.

With that in mind, let's get underway!

Installation and Setup

Account Setup

A screenshot showing all of the SVN functions available when right-clicking after installing TortoiseSVN. You will never use most of these.

Within the SlackLogo.png#altium  channel, request an account for Altium itself, and the Altium 365 workspace. Messaging SlackLogo.png@altium-admin  will summon the relevant person. Once they give you an account, you should receive an email allowing you to log in to your account and access the Altium 365 Workspace. From the online workspace you can browse some recent projects without having to install any software.

But I don't have a Windows computer!

Never fear, many cool projects were designed without Windows computers! You have a few options:

  • Install Windows in a dual-boot configuration with your current OS (only for x86 computers, you'll need a bit of storage)
  • Run Windows in a local Virtual Machine (VM). VirtualBox works well on many systems, and Stanford offers VMWare for free, but for Apple Silicon (ARM) machines, only Parallels supports DirectX, without which things will be very slow.
  • Connect to an SSI hosted Virtual Machine (VM). This works best when you're connected directly to a campus network.
  • Use an SSI desktop, in ESIII. This works well, but can be inconvenient.

Installing Altium

Once you have an Altium account, Altium Designer can be downloaded here after logging in on the Altium website. Be aware that the software will only install on Windows operating systems. After downloading, install with the default settings.

Connecting Altium to the License System

Protip: Don't publish sensitive information on the internet.

After Altium finishes installing, open it. Under "My Account," click "Sign in" and log in with your Altium account. Check "Sign me in when I open Altium Designer," as this will automatically grant you license access when you start the program. Next, under "Available Licenses," select Altium Designer from the list of products (you may or may not have other options listed; you can safely ignore all other ones) and click "Use" underneath (see right). This will now happen automatically every time you open the program.

Configuring Altium Preferences

You will end up with something like this.

Altium's default preferences are quite workable, but a couple of settings relating to the default locations of files need to be configured on each new computer. To change Altium preferences, from the top bar, click "DXP → Preferences..."

Templates Location

You will end up with something like this, unless you're attempting to steal my identity, in which case you will end up with exactly this.

An unjustifiable length of time was spent creating formatting templates for SSI circuit schematics, which make for a clean, professional project and add a bit of information to each schematic. To use, in Preferences, go to "Data Management → Templates," and set the "Template location" field to point to the "libraries\templates" folder in your Altium SVN. See the image at right for an example of the result. TODO: Update the templates and these instructions.

Install the SSI PCB Logos Font

Adding logos to PCBs is an important aspect of professionalism, part of SSI's agreements with its sponsors, and a nice way to add some creativity to a technical process. For logos that SSI commonly uses, we've created a font with scalable versions of each. Download the font from the SVN, and install it to your computer.

Remap Delete Key

You should end up with this.

This step is only required of computers which do not have distinct "backspace" and "delete" keys. Desktops and most non-Apple laptops can skip this step. Apple laptops which have a "delete" key that functions as a backspace key may need to complete this step.

If you do not have a schematic open already, open one by clicking "File → New → Schematic." Next, open up the Customize panel by either clicking on a blank space of the toolbar (the space to the right of the "Help" drop-down menu works) or by right-clicking in that same spot and selecting "Customize..." In the window that comes up (see right), click "Edit" from the "Categories" column on the left, then double click on "Delete" in the "Commands" column on the right. This is the command used to delete components from a schematic, which is by default mapped to the delete key, which, if you're completing this step, you do not have. Click the "Primary" field, and then hit your backspace key to remap the command to that key. This only changes the delete key for schematics, so repeat this process with a PCB document open.

You're done! Welcome to Altium!

Next Steps

A First Project
This (currently in-development) guide offers you a walkthrough of a fun introductory Altium project, which ends with making a circuit board that allows you to play StrEEt Fighter with your fellow SSI members.
Creating Parts for Altium Libraries
This guide walks you through the process of adding new parts to the SSI Altium library, teaching both the process involved and quality standards for the library that we and the Stanford Solar Car Project have long worked to maintain.

Addendum: SVN

If you need a single file from the SSI SVN, you can download it from the web interface. If you want to download many files, or make changes, you will need to check out the SVN repo.