|
Data formats used in test development include circuit board data transfer formats, drawing formats, Gerber formats, a variety of tabulated data formats for objects like probes, and a variety of Bill of Materials (BOM) formats.
Circuit board data transfer formats imported by TestSight products include:
GenCAM
GenCAD
Mentor Graphics Neutral
Cadence Allegro® "Extract"
PADS PowerPCB
Mentor Graphics Integra
IPC 356
as well as Board, Board_XY and Fixture files.
More are being added all the time -- contact us for further information.
For tabulated data formats, a variety of Wizard import tools are available, including BOM Wizard, Probe Wizard and others.
TestSight technology supports HPGL and Autodesk DXF graphics formats.
In some cases, it may be necessary to import lower level data because the CAD data may no longer exist or is not available. In this case, you may need to import data from your Gerber and associated files. Since most circuit boards are fabricated using a Gerber file, these files are nearly always available.
In creating a TestSight project from Gerber data, the Gerber files are used to create the graphics display, while other files are merged to the Gerber to provide the netlist and parts list information.
Using Gerber is inherently complex because of the very wide variety of data used in the manufacturing process. DeMille Research provides a translation service to create TestSight project files from virtually any data.
++++++++++
GenCAM
TestSight® has built-in import of the industry standard GenCAM™ format directly into the TestSight object model.
GenCAM is a format for electronic data interchange. The primary focus of the GenCAM standard is Printed Circuit Board (PCB) fabrication and testing.
The GenCAM file includes all information about a PCB, including route (trace) information, part information, net information, etc. As the GenCAM file is loaded, TestSight builds system objects.
When TestSight loads GenCAM components or routes (Parts and Nets), the parts and nets are sorted alpha-numerically. This is useful when iterating through a parts or nets collection to build a listing, such as a tree view.
GenCAM supports some higher level object definitions, such as fixture design. When these higher level objects are incorporated in the GenCAM file, TestSight automatically builds structures to support the GenCAM objects. For example, a fixture is essentially a product, containing one or more circuit boards. When TestSight encounters a fixture object in GenCAM, it builds a TestSight Product object.
TestSight does not currently write the GenCAM standard. Future releases will have full read and write capability.
++++++++++
GenCAD
TestSight® has built-in import of the GenCAD™ Version 1.4 format directly into the TestSight object model.
GenCAD is a format for electronic data interchange. The primary focus of the GenCAD standard is Printed Circuit Board (PCB) fabrication and testing.
The GenCAD file includes all information about a PCB, including route (trace) information, part information, net information, etc. As the GenCAD file is loaded, TestSight builds system objects.
When TestSight loads GenCAD components or routes (Parts and Nets), the parts and nets are sorted alpha-numerically. This is useful when iterating through a parts or nets collection to build a listing, such as a tree view.
GenCAD supports some higher level object definitions, such as fixture design. When these higher level objects are incorporated in the GenCAD file, TestSight automatically builds structures to support the GenCAD objects.
++++++++++
Cadence Allegro
Cadence Allegro uses a utility called "Extract" to output ASCII data from its binary (.brd) file.
"Extract" in conjunction with a script file generates 4 ASCII files:
brd
pad
sym
rte
The "Extract" files are formatted for electronic data interchange.
The "Extract" files include all information about a PCB, including route (trace) information, part information, net information, etc. As the "Extract" files are loaded, TestSight builds system objects.
When TestSight loads "Extract" components or routes (parts and nets), the parts and nets are sorted alpha-numerically. This is useful when iterating through a parts or nets collection to build a listing, such as a tree view.
++++++++++
Gerber
The Gerber format is a standard for printed circuit board (PCB) fabrication, and is usually one of the last steps in the fabrication process. For this reason, it is sometimes necessary or desirable to import the circuit board information directly from a Gerber file (RS-274D & RS274X) rather than a higher level CAD file such as GenCAM, GenCAD, Cadence Allegro, or Mentor Neutral. This may be because it is impossible to obtain the CAD data.
DeMille Research Inc. provides an inexpensive translation service for importing data from Gerber type files.
Also available is a high level Gerber Editing tool. Contact Us for information on this tool.
|
