1n-Circuit Design specializes in high speed multilayer PCB Design including design for Signal Integrity and EMC.Differential Impedance Calculator, Transmission Line Impedance Calculator                                               www.icd.com.au

NEW - Stackup Planner for Altium Designer* 

          At last, Designers can route to impedance in Altium Designer Altium Designer Stackup Planner interface supports Altium Designer S09. The Altium Designer Stackup Planner interface can be used to import the ICD Stackup Planner substrate directly into Altium Designer. Also the stackup can be modified in Altium Designer and exported back to the ICD Stackup Planner

* Altium Designer is a registered trademark of Altium Limited.

The Stackup Planner - Altium Designer Bi-directional Interface imports the substrate configuration from the ICD Stackup Planner and automatically creates the corresponding Layers in Altium Designer configuring the Layer Stackup Manager. Also, Design Rules for Trace Width, Clearance and Differential Pairs are automatically created in Altium Designer enabling the user to route each layer and differential pair to the calculated single ended or differential impedance.  

The interface can also export the Altium Designer Layers from the Layer Stack Manager and Trace Width/Clearances into the ICD Stackup Planner for the calculation of impedance and trace current. The stackup can then be modified to obtain the desired impedances and imported back into Altium Designer.

Please read the instructions for further information on the operation of the interface.

The Stackup Planner - Altium Designer Bi-directional Interface was jointly developed by Desktop EDA and In-Circuit Design. The interface currently supports Altium Designer S09.

Altium Designer Stackup Planner interface supports Altium Designer S09. The Altium Designer Stackup Planner interface can be used to import the ICD Stackup Planner substrate directly into Altium Designer. Also the stackup can be modified in Altium Designer and exported back to the ICD Stackup Plan

Multiple Differential Pair Definitions per Layer

 

Differential Impedance Calculator, Transmission Line Impedance Calculator, embedded Stripline, Microstrip, Impedance Calculator

 

 

 

The HDI Designer Edition of the ICD Stackup Planner now includes Multiple Differential Pair definitions per layer. This is the first Impedance Calculator / Stackup Planner that allows the user to setup as many different impedances as you like on the one layer or every layer of the stackup.

These days it is quite common to have say differential DDR2 clocks, USB pairs, PCI express pairs etc sharing the same layers on HDI boards. Until now, the user had to calculate each impedance separately and somehow display the results meaningfully to fellow designers and the PCB Fabricator.

The HDI Designer Edition addresses these issues. Simply select the desired number of layers 2 to 16 (or create your own unlimited layer stackup) and start adding Differential Pairs. As you insert a new Differential Pair, the Stackup Planner automatically calculates both the single ended (characteristic) and differential impedance of each layer.

For example, USB differential pairs have to be 90 ohms impedance so the user can adjust the trace thickness and clearance to achieve the desired 90 ohms. And, the DDR2 clocks have to be routed to 100 ohms differential impedance so the user selects the DDR2 TAB and again adjusts the variables to get the desired 100 ohms. But the basic structure of the substrate remains the same - the dielectric thickness, copper thickness etc. The user can keep inserting pairs, renaming and defining values. All of these values can then be exported to CVS to include in an Excel Spreadsheet detailing all differential pairs on all layers of the PCB.

 

With the 2011 release of the ICD Stackup Planner, we have focused on ease of use, improved accuracy and we have added new features for both PCB Designers and PCB Fabricators. Impedance, differential impedance, broadside coupled differential impedance, microstrip,stripline, mulitlayer pcb stackup design, stripline, Signal Integrity, Crosstalk and EMC  Impedance, differential impedance, broadside coupled differential impedance, microstrip, stripline, Signal Integrity, Crosstalk and EMC

 

    Designer Edition

1.   Trace Current Calculations

2.   Undo/Redo

3.   Save/Save As – Imperial (MIL) or Metric (um)

4.   Temperature Compensation – Ambient (local) temperature, Rise above ambient, Celsius/Fahrenheit

5.   Date Format – English or US format

6.   Copy to Clipboard – now contains the Units and Total Board Thickness

7.   Improvements to the accuracy

8.   Supplier Notes, Hyperlink to URL’s and Datasheet link added to Dielectric Materials Library Editor

9.   Export to Zmetrix TDR - Impedance Test System

10. Improved Licensing System

   

    HDI Designer Edition

 

    All of the above features of the Designer Edition plus Multiple Differential Pair definitions per layer. This is the first Impedance Calculator / Stackup Planner that allows the user to setup as many different impedances as you like on the one layer or every layer of the stackup.

 

     Fabricator Edition

 

    All of the above features of the Designer Edition plus Compensation for Prepreg Resin Flow – Signal and Plane percentage copper compensation.

Until now, Multilayer PCB Fabrication Shops have had to use established methods  to achieve specific dielectric thickness and total board thickness, from their fabrication process whilst keeping impedance within an acceptable range. The 2011 release of the ICD Stackup Planner - Fabricator Edition, allows the process to be  compensated for the above variations.

Add and delete an unlimited number of signal, plane and dielectric layers, drag and drop multiple layers, to rearrange the stackup, and instantly re-calculate the entire multilayer stackup simultaneously to solve parameters for the desired impedance.

 

 

Calculates mutually coupled impedance of parallel routed stripline transmission lines on adjacent signal layers The Dielectric Materials Library Editor now incorporates Supplier Notes, Hyperlinks to websites plus Links to Material Datasheets The Dielectric Materials Library Editor now incorporates Supplier Notes, Hyperlinks to websites plus Links to Material Datasheets Calculates mutually coupled impedance of parallel routed transmission lines on the same signal layer Calculates the characteristic impedance of a single transmission line Trace current is the constant current that the trace can carry given the temperature rise above ambient The units can be either Metric (um) or Imperial (MIL). Also, the stackups may be Saved As Metric or Imperial Date Format can be English style (DD/MM/YY) or US style (MM/DD/YY) The Undo/ Redo feature promotes 'what-if analysis' by allowing the user to go backward and forward through previous steps in the design process PCB Fabricators can adjust the copper percentage of both signal and plane layers. The resin volume required to fill the adjacent copper layers is then calculated and derates the thickness of prepreg to compensate. The impedance is then re-calculated Temperature can be entered in degrees Celsius or Fahrenheit. The temperature rise above ambient affects the current carrying capability of the individual traces The Total Board Thickness is the thickness of the substrate from copper to copper on the outer layers. The value is copied to the Windows clipboard ready to insert into the PCB Documentation The easiest to use, flexible, Impedance Calculator and Stackup Planner. Interactively calculates Microstrip and Stripline values of Impedance including Differential Impedance               

A user defined Dielectric Materials Library is incorporated to further improve the accuracy by allowing the creation of realistic multilayer stackups using the same core, prepreg and soldermask materials stocked by the PCB Fabricator so, what you calculate is what you get. The Dielectric Library Editor comes with a sample library of commonly used core, prepreg and soldermask materials.

Supplier Notes, Hyperlink to URL’s and Datasheet link added to Dielectric Materials Library Editor.   

Real time Design Rule Checking error prompts (in RED) guide the user through the stackup building process to ensure the stackup is manufactureable.  Impedance, differential impedance, broadside coupled differential impedance, microstrip, stripline, Signal Integrity, Crosstalk and EMC

The ICD Stackup Planner supports: 

 Please see the Comparison Chart for a full list of features for each Edition.                     

  • Microstrip

  • Embedded Microstrip (Soldermask coating)

  • Symmetric Stripline

  • Asymmetric Stripline

  • Characteristic Impedance

  • Edge Coupled Differential Impedance

  • Broadside Coupled Differential Impedance

  • Trace Current

  • User Defined Dielectric Materials Library with hyperlinks to web sites and Datasheets

  • Unlimited Layers

  • Eight default stackup configurations

  • Undo/ Redo

  • Drag & Drop multiple layers to re-order and instantly re-calculate

  • Swap Rows

  • Change all values in one column

  • Imperial/Metric conversion

  • Save As Imperial or Metric

  • Total board thickness calculation (copper to copper)

  • Export CSV & Zmetrix TDR - Impedance Test System

  • Real time Design Rule Checking

  • Copy to Clipboard - manufacturing documentation of core, prepreg and foil construction

  • Multiple Differential Pair Definitions per layer

  • Altium Designer S09 Bi-directional Interface

 What our customers say:

 

Just a word of thanks for a great PCB design tool. I did a video board with DDR2 memory a while ago on Altium. Thank you for your routing tips for DDR2, which I got off the internet. They helped a lot and the board now works like a dream. I will continue to follow your articles in the PCB magazine. It’s people like yourself that make life so much easier for the rest of us. Thanks once again for your insightful articles in The PCB Magazine.

Steve Knobel, Senior CAD Designer, CID+, Advanced Technologies & Engineering
December, 2011 

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Never got such enormous support like you did. Thank you very, very much.

 

Erwin Ebner

Addiande GmbH

December 2011

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The ICD Stackup Planner has proven very useful especially for highlighting the affects of builds and other amendments on the calculated impedance to the customers. It is both flexible and concise with only a very short learning curve required to use confidently.

 

Pete Saunders

GSPK Circuits Ltd UK - Global supplier and manufacturer of printed circuit boards

April 2011

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I purchased the ICD Stackup Planner and just love it. I learned the value of preplanning my layer stack for Zo and Zdiff by using the evaluation software. Thanks again for a super product.

 

John Osiek

DCA - Digital Media Solutions

October 2010

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The design of reliable multilayer PCB’s becomes more critical as signal edge rates increase in speed. Traces interconnecting digital devices form transmission lines that are a vital part of the circuit design. Determining the trace impedance allows for the correct termination of the transmission lines. Boards designed with this in mind will demonstrate superior signal integrity and lower electromagnetic emissions.

 

The ICD Stackup Planner is an easy to use, affordable tool that provides a clear representation of the PCB stackup and interactively calculates characteristic and differential impedance with adequate precision.

 

When the impedance is critical, the accuracy becomes limited by the PCB fabricator’s process tolerances and the material characteristics.  However, the ICD Stackup Planner provides a ready reference to a wide range of PCB materials, used by most fabricators, and allows the user to add their own material library entries.

 

This tool is essential for both engineering design teams and PCB fabricators and I highly recommend it.

 

R. D. Jeffery PhD

June 2010

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The ICD Stackup Planner is affordable value from just USD475.00

 

Purchase the software online.

 

Evaluation Registration Form  

Thank you for your interest in In-Circuit Design's new Stackup Planner. Please register by filling out the survey form below then "Submit".  A link to download the 14 day evaluation software will be provided. Please ensure that all fields are completed.

Please Note: If you use European Units - decimal comma instead of the SI style decimal point in your data please go to www.icd.com.au/European_Units_v2011.pdf for instructions on how to convert the default stackups and libraries. Please see the following for configuration of Windows 7, 64 bit OS.

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