Autoplacer

From IBF-Wiki

Contents 1 General 2 The Autoplacer dialog 3 Contents of the dialog 4 The order of placement 5 Additional space between the components 6 Placement of SMD device 7 Please Note:

General

In respect to automized placement there are two assistants which can be activated in Layout Menu Actions:

• The Alignment Assistant which arranges a bunch of identical components according to certain geometrical figures eg 20 LEDs in a half circle (see the linked article).
• The Autoplacer which automatically places the package proposals of the components to the layout.

The Autoplacer calculates immediately the shortest distance of signal tracks between the packages during the placement. A PCB-outline must be defined before launching the autoplacer. The latest versions of TARGET 3001! open the layout view already showing a default outline. The autoplacer places those packages, which have been predefined within the schematic symbols as their corresponding package proposal. If you want to autoplace a different package, you have to change the entry in the property list of the schematic symbol.

The Autoplacer dialog

You can activate it alternatively:

• by the tool under the icon , after you have finished the schematic and the definition of the PCB outline.
• by menu option "Launch Autoplacer" in Menu Actions
• after pressing tick the box in Dialog:

Contents of the dialog

Autoplacement can happen out of the PCB outline or within the PCB outline. An autoplacement out of the PCB outline needs an active dragging of the components (M1H)into the outlined canvas later. When autoplacing within the outline a nearby placement of the components is optimized.

You can autoplace certain classes of components e.g. only those of schematic page 1 or only those which belong to a certain module.

The order of placement

Ticking the box defines the order of autoplacement...

Additional space between the components

Entering a Zero means narrow optimized placement. Any higher digit gives additional space in entered grid units.

Placement of SMD device

Normally any component (wired or SMD) comes in from the library for mounting upon the populating side of the PCB (layer 16, Copper top, respectively layer 21, Position top). When autoplacing SMD device, you can define their destination here.

Please Note:

• Before launching the placer, you must define a board outline (normally an open rectangle on layer 23).
• The placer uses the library and package that is proposed in the component properties in the schematic. For using different packages, please change this value first.
• Place connectors and the biggest ICs first manually and spread them over the PCB before launching the autoplacer.
• Also blocking capacitors should be placed manually near the power pins of the corresponding ICs.
• TARGET 3001! tries to rotate the packages in 90° steps. You can restrict the rotation to "No rotation" or "180° only". Enter the following line into the component properties: "AUTOPLACER_ROTATION=360" this equals "no rotation". Or choose "AUTOPLACER_ROTATION=180". This equals a rotation in 180° steps.