The latest version of CADSTAR meets industry requirements for high-speed design, as well as containing across-the-board performance enhancements and ease-of-use features. CADSTAR 2018 challenges the view that PCB Desktop software has to be complicated.

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What’s New in CADSTAR 2018
Selected Highlights
Jeroen Leinders
CADSTAR Distribution Manager

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Summary
1. Real-life View for PCBs
2. Support for Figure Variants
3. Automated Curved Trunk Routing
4. Extend an Existing Bus in Schematics
5. Automated Project File Naming
6. Pushing Stacked Microvias
7. Virtual Prototyping
8. Improved SI Analysis Results View
9. Improved Automatic Measurements for SI Analysis

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1. Real-life View for PCBs
 Feature: Board Shape Visualizer
– Board shape is automatically
filled to resemble the
manufactured PCB.
 Benefits:
– More realistic working
environment.
– Improved visualization and
realistic view aids
communication of the design to
other team members.

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2. Support for Figure Variants
– Not-fitted figures will not be output to
printed or manufacturing outputs unless the
user chooses to with the 'Output Not-Fitted
Items' check.
 Benefits:
– Especially useful for manufacturers wanting
to add company logos or drawing borders
for different customers.
– Reduce design turnaround time.
 Feature: Create variants of figures in both schematic and PCB designs
– Documentation symbols can be made as variants. The user can add annotation shapes to areas of the
design and make them variant to appear in variant colours, for example to identify an area of variant
components.
– Figures can be marked as not-fitted in selected variants. This allows similar behaviour to not-fitted
components, where their appearance can be restricted from manufacturing outputs by choosing to display
fitted items only.

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3. Automated Curved Trunk Routing (Available in Patch 1)
 Feature: Automated curved trunk routing in P.R.Editor
– Previously: To convert an angled route into a curved route, pick an individual route, convert it manually
then push the curve to route manually. Repeat for all routes.
– Now: Select a component e.g. bus, change the setting to ‘curve’ and all associated routes are
automatically converted to curves at once together, allowing the user to simply carry on routing. Curves
can be dragged interactively.
Benefits:
Significant time saving allowing engineers to be more productive
while improving quality of designs.

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4. Extend an Existing Bus in Schematics
 Feature: Add a new bus shape where the first point starts on an existing bus shape
– When the new bus shape is finished, it is merged onto the shape of the existing bus instance.
– The single bus instance retains all the properties of the existing bus.
– The existing bus shape is highlighted to notify the user of changes.
 Benefits:
– Avoid time-consuming manual tasks.
– Reduce errors during complex, multi-step tasks.

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 Feature: Prefix Jobname in Batch Process
– Output files can be grouped by the job
name, so batch processes can be run
repeatedly for different designs, without
overwriting the output files.
– Automatically use project name as file
prefix.
 Benefits:
– Allows all manufacturing output data to
be stored in a central manufacturers
repository/location.
– Improved traceability and data security.
– Easier to manage manufacturing data.
5. Automated Project File Naming
MyDesign_Gerber-Cu-Componentside.ger
MyDesign_Gerber-Cu-Inner1.ger
MyDesign_Gerber-Cu-Inner2.ger

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6. Pushing Stacked Microvias
 Feature: Stacked microvia is pushed aside as one in P.R.Editor
– When performing an Activ-45 move segment operation and push into a stacked microvia, the whole
stacked microvia is pushed aside as one.
 Benefits:
– Time savings for advanced designs.

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7. Virtual Prototyping
 Feature: Virtual prototyping for PI/Decoupling analysis
– Virtual decaps can be inserted within the supply system's power planes.
 Benefits:
– Reduced design costs and iterations through virtual prototypes of design with decoupling capacitors.
– Improved product quality through efficient power/ground spike suppression.
– Improved product quality through suitable capacitor selection (value and type) and location of the
decoupling capacitors relative to the appropriate components.

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8. Improved SI Analysis Results View
 Feature: S-Parameter and Impedance
calculation results are now separated and
are available from the toolbar (Z,S).
 Benefits:
– Complete S-Parameters support.
– Single-ended and Mixed-Mode S-
Parameters.
– Removal of existing restrictions in the
supported topologies (n-ports, multiple
drivers, Diff.-Pairs, etc.).
– Improved GUI.
S-Parameter tree view with Ports
All elements of the S-Parameter
matrix can be viewed/selected
Frequency Domain View
Impedance

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9. Improved Automatic Measurements for SI Analysis
 Feature: Improved automatic measurements for SI Analysis
– Using the new Measurement tab in the Simulator Options dialog, SI timing
measurements such as Flight Time, Compensated Flight Time, Slope, Slew Rate
can be configured in detail in order to support the design of e.g. memory
interfaces, according to the JEDEC standard or chip vendors recommendations.
 Benefits: Increased productivity and quality.

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Try CADSTAR for yourself now!
Download CADSTAR Express:
www.zuken.com/cadstar-express