Altium questions

[temperance]

AD prefers to select the component on the current active layer. (active layer is the active layer tab. See bottom of the PCB screen)

In general, this applies to anything you want to select. Traces, planes,... You first have select the layer.

[Faringdon]

Lost contact with PCBLIB
Hi, Yesterday, i sucessfully linked in the PCBLIB, and was happily putting footprints into my schem sybols....today, i cant find the PCBLIB library....i know which folder its in...but i cant make Altium see it...do you know how to do this?
eg this vid is useless, as Altium cant see the library..

...Now seem to have done it....i opened the PCBLIB by "Add existing to project"...then somehow, a dialog box opened, and i searched for that PCBLIB, and somehow linked it in......i dont think i  know where that dialog box came from, so i hope i remember for next time...........the "search paths" TAB thing, which was working great yesterday, suddenly was useless today.

[thm_w]

Why a special topic for Altium questions?  Plus it means we can see if it's a question of interest if there is not a unique subject line.

We don't need hundreds of threads for this, I explained before. Its just a general tips and questions thread.

Cant select resistor or its designator in pcb editor
Hi, Altium keeps selecting the chip on the bottom layer whenever i try to select the res on the top, or its designator......Eagle has a "next" button for this....does Altium?

No but you can switch to single layer mode (shift+s) and then choose either the top or bottom layer, that might help.

Hi, PCB routing
Just routing up a PCB now…plenty of google/manual  searches not revealing the following…
How to pick the via size when you change layer
How to actually properly change layer
How to set the clearances for the various net class’s

Press tab when placing a via/trace then you can edit the default values, like width or hole size, etc. Then this should be saved as default for your next placement.
Change layers: https://resources.altium.com/p/my-favorite-altium-designer-keyboard-shortcuts-and-viewing-features 
Clearance: https://designhelp.fedevel.com/forum/main-forum/altium/2093-how-to-set-clreance-design-rule-between-two-net-classes

[temperance]

That video about those footprints you provided is utter rubbish. Did you read the manual? Did you follow the video courses I provided. No you didn't...

So here is an other one:


Try this, it works...

Altium itself provides a step by step video guide on YT. It get's you from discovering how things work to creating manufacturing data in no time. Just a couple of hours.

[Faringdon]

Polygon pour with no thermal reliefs
Hi, I wish a certain polygon pour to have no thermal relief to a component pad and a via. Do you know how?

[jc101]

->

Done in the design rules.

[Faringdon]

EDIT..pse see below..
Hi, Do you knwo how to download footprints to Altium from Ultra Librarian
I have done the following
https://youtu.be/r1tv_wz_uY0?list=PLkqC31nn-k7mujTz7vwejPDVVnKrZG4A4
..many times, but it just crashes Altium every time....and you cant even close Altium ...it says its "stuck on a breakpoint"
You have to close Altium via Task Manager and re-open Altium.
Using Altium 22.10.1
EDIT.....Ultra librarian now works....it looks like it logged me out of the licence, but still carried on working , but in a "strange mode"...END OF EDIT

It always seems to say i am using a licence...but how do you really know you are?

[jc101]

Have you tried to run it as a script?

https://app.ultralibrarian.com/content/help/?altium_designer.htm

Not used Ultra Librarian, but for PCB Libraries, this is how things get generated into their own library.  I can then copy and paste them into my own libraries.

Edit to add that the PCB Libraries generation does all the 3D models automatically, which is quite handy.  Not free, though.

[PlainName]

Do you knwo how to download footprints to Altium from Ultra Librarian

I found it simpler and more consistent to not bother, and just create my own. The datasheet for the component will have the info you need, and you will use your in-house standardised layers (as opposed to someone elses preference which is different to yours). As an additional check, applying a 3D model shows whether the pads line up (not foolproof, but two or more people making the same mistake isn't that common).

[Faringdon]

Gerber and drill files:
Thanks, Do you know which files in  the attached are the drill files to send off with the gerbers...the Altium "camtastic " files seem to be gerbers?

[PlainName]

Send off the one named 'BOTTOM PCB'.

[thm_w]

Gerber and drill files:
Thanks, Do you know which files in  the attached are the drill files to send off with the gerbers...the Altium "camtastic " files seem to be gerbers?

You need to generate the NC drill file, if you want to do it manually: https://www.altium.com/documentation/altium-designer/workspacemanager-dlg-drillsetup-formnc-drill-setup-ad?version=17.1
You can see the list of files it would generate.

edit: might help if you turn on file name extension in windows so you can see the .extension

[Faringdon]

Thanks, when you do it in Eagle, there is only one drill file to send for manufac...why not with Altium too?

[jc101]

You have configured an OutJob?  There you can generate all the files needed for manufacture, my drill files come out as .txt

https://www.altium.com/documentation/altium-designer/streamlining-generation-of-manufacturing-data-with-output-jobs

[Faringdon]

Thanks..
Schematic shuffling
When i try to compress/tidy my schematic, it doesnt let me do it well..in Eagle it just allows you to select and stretch and move the wires and components...and when theyve been moved, it knows exactly how to leave them connected...but Altium leaves you with a tangle to untangle......how do you best do it?
Highlight net in schem
In Eagle, you can select any net in the schem, and go right click, and click "show", and it highlights that whole net, wheresoever it may go..... how do you do this in Altium?

[thm_w]

Drag: https://www.altium.com/documentation/altium-designer/sch-cmd-dragdrag-ad?version=18.1
Look at the tips at the bottom.
If you can, try to group things into functional blocks. Then you can drag those blocks around and not have to constantly re-wire.
I use a huge sheet as I don't care about printing out the schematic, but won't work for everyone.

Highlight: alt click https://www.eevblog.com/forum/altium/highlight-the-same-net-in-a-schematic-altium-17/

[Faringdon]

View configuration panel:
Hi, How do i get the "view configuration" panel back as a panel, rather than stuck to the bottom of the window as attached?

[Faringdon]

Import to Eagle
Hi, Does anyone know how i can import a PCB and schem into eagle, so i can design rule check it and gerber it up?....in Altium, i have lost the "view configuration panel"....and i cant check the layers properly.
The  layers are stuck to the bottom of the display, and not in their usual popup panel.

[jc101]

Did you not setup the design rules in Altium? Correctly set should be exceedingly hard to generate a design that breaks the rules. It’s all done in real time as you lay out the PCB.

The panels you can drag from memory from their header bar. The layers have always been on the bottom for me. Shift-S goes into single layer mode and again to go back to all layers.

[Faringdon]

Thanks, its the "view configuration" popup.....its just gone...i click "Panels", then "view configuration"...and nothing shows up...every other time it was there...now gone...do you know why?

I actually think what I have here is a  bug in Altium….because the “view configurations” popup has simply vanished…….whereas I have been getting it for the last few weeks….without problems.
I have had multiple other issues with other features in Altium…eg the “direct pour” feature has been undoing itself sporadically…..i think when you are a beginner in Altium, you have irregular click sequences within it, and that this sparks off bugs…like what I am seeing now……the “view configurations” panel actually opened first thing this morning…but when I (admittedly roughly) tried  multiple times, to dock it to the side bar…it then  just disappeared…and I haven’t been able to get it back since. This surely is a bug, IMHO.

[jc101]

System-> Preferences-> System > View, hit reset under Desktop on the right.  Should reset the positions of the panels etc.

[Faringdon]

Hi, The Layer views at 15:50 if this  video


...can you get them with an assigned shortcut key?...eg  " ALT, L", whatever?
Otherwise constantly having to go off and left click on the thingy, then left click on the selection thingy, is going to get a bit long winded

[jc101]

Help -> shortcut keys, have a look in there. 

I hardly go into that menu post initial PCB setup, Shift-S goes into single-layer mode, and the + - on the numeric keypad skips between the layers.

Or here for the list of PCB editing shortcuts... https://www.altium.com/documentation/altium-designer/shortcut-keys-pcb-editors
For the layer menu, press L

You can also right-click a layer and choose to show or hide it.

[Faringdon]

Hi, Please could anyone help with the following..or know of video links for it?

1…How can you be sure your design rule setting don’t get wiped?....can you save it as a file?
2…Just pushed my components to PCB, and many f them are coated in green crosses, and appear totally green when I “scroll out”. Do you know what this is?
3….I added a  Mech Layer 22,  which I used as a component courtyard in the PCB  component editor, but now mech layer 22 has mysteriously disappeared from the “view configurations” panel…do you know why or how?
4…In schem editor, I routed a track over another one, and it joined to it, but that wasn’t wanted…how avoid this.?
5…In PCB component editor, I am trying to move a SMD pad by just 0.1mm…but it wont let me, even though the grid is set for 0.1mm…..it instead snaps the pad to the nearest line….how to avoid this?
6…How do you add a designator to the component footprint?
7…If you want to place a keepout in the gap between the pads of an 0805, is it just a case of drawing a rectangle in the gap, made of “keepout” net?
8…I wish to make a SOIC 8 footprint by setting the grid to  1.27mm, then just move the pads by one “jot”, to get the line of 4 pads…..but it wont do it..it woves the copied pad to the nerest gris mark, rather than just moving 1.27mm in the Y direction. How to solve?

[thm_w]

1 - Design rules are part of the PCB file, and you should be doing proper version control or at least a regular backup of that file.
2 - Do design rule check and it should tell you in the messages, maybe height is too high, outside of the room, etc. its some violation. Tools -> reset error marker also might help temporarily
4 - Undo and reroute somewhere else
5 - Change snap settings or move the component via the X-Y numbers in the component properties box  https://my.altium.com/altium-designer/getting-started/snap-options-pcb
6 - Look at an existing component that has one, its in the designator field, U? or whatever
7 - You can do polygon cutout if its specific to a pour, or change the design rules, keepout might work as well https://www.altium.com/documentation/altium-designer/pcb-region-keepout?version=21
8 - see above