Getting Started with Cadence PCB Editor

By ESD Faculty

What is a printed circuit board (PCB)?

See the What is a Printed Circuit Board? page for more information about PCBs and the general design flow for creating a PCB.

What is Cadence PCB Editor?

Cadence PCB Editor is an electronic CAD (ECAD) program that takes a netlist created by Cadence Schematic Capture and provides you a software environment to design a PCB. A netlist is a file that describes interconnections among components in a circuit. Read the short Cadence (Allegro) PCB Designer Datasheet for an overview of the software and its features.

Video Walkthrough (Cadence 16.6)

How do I launch Cadence to create a PCB?

In Windows, launch “PCB Editor”.

This program is also called “Allegro PCB Designer (was Performance L)” and “Allegro PCB Design L (legacy)”. These programs are all equivalent.

How do I transfer a design from Design Entry CIS to PCB Editor?

See the Transferring a Cadence Schematic to PCB Editor page.

How do I create a PCB layout in PCB Editor?

  1. Create a board outline
  2. Change the library search path to point to the footprints folder
  3. Place the components into the design
  4. Route traces on the PCB
  5. Follow the ASU PCB Fabrication Process

Misc

Globally changing trace widths: <altering-trace-widths.html>

Globally changing vias: TBD

Additional Resources