Monday January 7, 2019 at 5:55pm
Within SOLIDWORKS PCB, you can define route length rules on nets. This is achieved through the Accordion function. Accordion adds to the net route, thus extending its length to match an associated rule.
A length rule on a net is assigned through the Accordion
function, by defining a Design Rule. The design rule is managed through
Accordion.
The controls to engage Accordion are:
- ‘Shift-A’ to switch on the Accordion function
during routing
- ‘Tab’ will show the rules dialog for that net
whilst in the Accordion function
The rule can be set to define a minimum as well as a maximum
length, thus ensuring the finished length is between those lengths.
To see the routing lengths whilst routing, the PCB Panel can
be shown and length columns included. The following video shows net
‘NetD3_2’ and the length columns being
added to the panel. The net routing is started using ‘Shift-A’ which then
allows the rule dialog to be presented using ‘Tab’.
This has set the target length to 50mm, however we may also
need a minimum length set. This video shows a rule being created that also
includes a minimum length, in this case a minimum length of 40mm and a maximum
length of 50mm, on the same net. The yellow background to the column cells on
the PCB Panel, indicates a rule to be met, where a red background indicates a
broken rule. The route can be adjusted to ensure the length rule is met.