4PCB
Advanced Circuits, Inc. (ACI)

PCB Artist Online Library Guide

Revision 1
Access the PCB Artist™ Online Library by clicking here. More help is available in the PCB Artist™ User Tip Guide and via email at layouthelp@4pcb.com.

PCB Artist Version:

  • To determine your current version, go to Help>About PCB Artist™. Version 1.2.2 is required at the minimum to use the online library.
  • To download the latest patch, go to Help>Check For Updates and push the Check For Updates Now at the bottom of that dialog.
    • It is also good practice to make sure that the "When To Check" toggle is set to "Once A Day" or "Every time I Start".
    • A web page will launch to the update page. There will be a link to the latest full installation and the latest Patch. If your revision is older than both, you must install both. First the full installation, then the patch.
    • Exit PCB Artist™ before installing either.
  • If your version of PCB Artist does not show the Check For Updates option under the Help menu, the version pre-dates that patch system. It is best to download the latest complete install from www.pcbartist.com.

Searching the Online Library:

  • All parts in the database are referenced by Part Number and Manufacture primarily.
  • Digi-Key part numbers are available for a large percentage of parts, but manufacturer part number on every part in the library.
  • Searches with Attributes can help in filtering, but attributes are not available for all parts.
  • For a comprehensive search by attribute, it is recommended to search on the manufacturer or distributor's search engine. This will result in a list of part numbers of suitable parts that can be used to search the Online Library.
  • Be aware that new designers can be deceived by common names that do not indicate similar packages. For example many packages are called SOIC-16 and they are usually not compatible with other SOIC-16 footprints.
  • Search Filters can be set to Starts With, Contains and Is Exactly. For the best results, it is often advisable to use Contains.
  • The Reset button clears all fields back to default.
  • The Clear Text Button will clear entered text, but not filter and Attribute settings.
  • The Attributes fields require that an attribute is chosen on the left and also that search text be entered on the right text blank. If not, the search will not proceed. Here is an example of a valid search:
  • Searches will display a maximum of 15 parts per page. Links are available at the bottom of the page to continue to other pages of the search.
  • Click on a part in the list to see its available details.
  • In the details page, there is a Download and Email To button for retrieving the part.
    • The Download button will immediately download the part. It can be saved to any directory or to your desktop.
    • The Email To button requires that an email address is entered in the text box to the right. Enter your email button in that box first and then push the Email To button. When the email arrives, the part will be an attachment to that email. Save it to any directory or to your desktop.

If The Part is Not Found:

  • Makes sure the search was made from the manufacture's part number from the Part Number search field with the filter set to Contains.
  • There are over a quarter million parts in the online library, but there are tens of millions of parts/packages in circulation.
  • It takes less than 5 minutes to make most parts in PCB Artist. It is not efficient to spend much more time than that searching for parts; the part could have been made already.
  • For a tutorial in making a part, go to Help>Tutorials>Part Creation Tutorial in the PCB Artist main menu.
  • The Frequently Asked Questions document on the PCB Artist Tips & Tools web page contains an over view of each of the symbol wizards. The first section of the hyperlinked index contains the links to each over those overviews.
    • Typically, a part such as a microcontroller is very easy to create because the wizards can be used to make all three parts. The PCB Symbol for a microcontroller can be created in the wizard in about 30 seconds once you have experienced creating 2 or 3 of them.
  • The Frequently Asked Questions document also has a topic link in that section that details how to manually create parts that cannot be created in the wizard (such as switches and connectors, which have no common form factor for the wizards). Manual part creation is covered in the "How Do I Create A Connector" Or "Other Manually Created Parts" topic link, just under the walkthroughs of the three symbol wizards.

Importing the Part to PCB Artist:

  • From this point the part has been downloaded from the Online Library to a directory or to your desktop.
  • The file will have the .palib extension. That file is a medium for transporting, in one package, the schematic symbol(s), PCB symbol(s) and the component itself that defines the relationship and pins of the symbols.
  • To bring the part into PCB Artist, simply select the .palib file and drag it into PCB Artist.
  • When the file is dropped onto PCB Artist, the application will take from that file the symbols for the part and put them into the schematic, PCB symbol and component libraries.
  • The contents of the .palib file will be imported to the following directories:
    • The schematic symbol(s) will go to the library $Download.ssl.
    • The PCB symbol(s) will go to the library $Download.psl.
    • The Component will go to the library $Download.cml.
    • This is the import dialog:
  • If the part is to be immediately used, the application may not immediately recognize the new symbols in the library. To have the application rescan the libraries to find the new parts, change the current working library to [All Libraries]. This will cause the application to scan and re-index all libraries and find the new parts. This only needs to done once in any of these three locations:
    • From the Library Manager, change this drop down menu to [All Libraries]:

 

  • From the Interaction Bar (which is brought up with F9), change this drop down menu to [All Libraries]:
    • From the Add Component dialog, change this drop down menu to [All Libraries]:

  • From any of the three dialogs, change your library to $Downloaded.psl to use the newly downloaded part.

  • Once the part is imported, the .palib file can be discarded or filed in a folder.

Verify the Part:

  • It is recommended to verify all parts before use, regardless of the source the part came from.
  • Finding the Names of the Symbols in the Component.
    • Bring up the Library Manager, click on the Component Tab at the top of that dialog and change the Library drop down menu at the top of the dialog to $Downloaded.psl.
    • In the left of the dialog there will be a list of the components in that library. Select the part you downloaded.
    • In the right-hand side of the dialog, the name of the symbols the component uses are listed. Note those symbol names for later reference, they must also be verified.

  • Verifying the Component.
    • Bring up the Library Manager, click on the Component Tab at the top of that dialog and change the library to $Downloaded.psl.
    • In the left of the dialog there will be a list of the components in that library. Select the part you downloaded.
    • Click the Edit button in the central column of buttons.
    • This is the Component Editor. In this screen you can verify the pins mapping, the logic names and any implied nets assigned to pins. Multiple gate pin mapping is also done on this screen.
  • The Gate Name is used to identify individual schematic symbols on parts that have multiple schematic symbols (referred to as gates). Most symbols will not have multiple gates.
  • The Sch Symbol Name column identifies the schematic symbol for that gate.
  • The Sch Symbol Terminal Name column is where logic names can be entered for the part. If none are assigned, they can be entered here and saved with the part.
  • The Sch Terminal Number, PCB Symbol Pad Number and the Component Pin Name/Number columns map the relationships of the pins between the symbols. This should be confirmed.
  • The Net (Class) Name can provide an automatic implied net for a particular pin. In this column a pin can be added to the GND net, for example. Be aware there are sometimes implications with specific implied nets that can affect future designs. For example, if a net is assigned to GND, and is later added to a design where the ground net is named AGND. In that case the GND net will be a new net and not connected to AGND.
  • For more information on the Net (Class) column and it options for creating implied nets and also implied net classes, go to Help>Contents in the application. In the upper left, click on the Index tab and search for the term Library Components.

  • Verifying the Schematic Symbol.
  • Click on the Schematic Symbols tab in the upper left of the Library Manager.
  • Change the Library drop-down at the top of the dialog to $Downloads.
  • Click on the symbol for the part you downloaded (determining that symbol name is described above in Finding The Names Of The Symbols In The Component bullet at the top of this section).
  • The part will preview on the right if the Preview checkbox is clicked on.
  • To edit the part, click the Edit button.
  • Go to File>Save to keep any changes made.

 

  • Verifying the PCB Symbol.
  • Click on the PCB Symbols tab in the upper left of the Library Manager.
  • Change the Library drop-down at the top of the dialog to $Downloads.
  • Click on the symbol for the part you downloaded (determining that symbol name is described above in Finding The Names Of The Symbols In The Component bullet at the top of this section).
  • The part will preview on the right if the Preview checkbox is clicked on.
  • To measure features or edit the part, click the Edit button.
  • The Measure tool is located under Tools in the main menu.
  • For through-hole parts, the pad Width dimension must be .014" over the hole size to pass annular ring checks. This is best determined from Settings>Styles in the Pads tab.
  • Verify all dimension of the part.
  • The footprint can be printed from File>Print, set the scale to 100. It is a good practice to put a sample on the print out to verify the footprint.
  • Dimensions and diagrams on the part will not appear on the PCB and do not have to be deleted from the part.
  • Go to File>Save to keep any changes made.

If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact Layouthelp@4pcb.com