Transitioning from PADS to Altium Designer: Enhancing Efficiency and Accuracy at Impact ES

By Nicholas Amore, Electrical Engineer

Impact ES has recently shifted from using PADS PCB Design software to Altium Designer for schematic and layout design. While we still support both tools, Altium has become our preferred choice due to its seamless integration of schematic capture and layout design, as well as its overall ease of use. This change has allowed us to streamline the design process, focusing more on implementation rather than overcoming tool limitations. Our team has developed a robust methodology for migrating designs from PADS to Altium, ensuring accuracy and efficiency throughout the process.

The Migration Process: Ensuring Accuracy and Consistency

The migration process is broken down into carefully reviewed steps to ensure no errors are introduced.

Here’s a detailed look at each phase:

1. BOM Audit and Database Preparation:

? Audit the Bill of Materials (BOM) to identify components requiring new entries, symbols, or footprints in the database.

2. Schematic Import and Update:

? Import the schematic from PADS.

? Update components in the design to their Altium equivalents created during the BOM audit.

? Update net names to match the original file set and generate a new netlist.

? Compare the generated netlist rigorously against the original to ensure there are no discrepancies.

3. Layout Import and Integration:

? Import the layout from PADS and merge it with the schematic updates from the previous step.

? Execute design rules and promptly address any residual errors.

4. Output File Generation and Verification:

? Generate necessary output files and compare them against the original PADS source files.

? Overlay Gerber files from both tools to ensure a 1:1 match.

? Evaluate and correct any differences identified in the Gerber file sets as necessary.

Benefits of Migrating to Altium Designer

By migrating to Altium, Impact ES has enhanced its ability to update designs efficiently. The unified environment of Altium reduces the complexity of design updates, allowing engineers to focus on innovation and implementation rather than troubleshooting tool-related issues. While this migration example specifically addresses PADS, the outlined process is adaptable to any schematic/layout tool, demonstrating our commitment to flexibility and precision in design management.

Conclusion

The switch to Altium Designer has significantly improved the design workflow at Impact ES. Our comprehensive migration process ensures that designs are accurately transferred, maintaining integrity and allowing for seamless updates. This transition underscores our dedication to leveraging advanced tools to deliver high-quality engineering solutions.