Multipart symbol footprint issues

[xCite]

Hello everyone,

my name is Dennis and I'm new here. I'm quite new to PCB design. I already did some smaller mixed signal boards for custom multichannel impedance measurements. Now I'm starting to build a new modular design with 256 channels and for that I want to use a big 300 pin connector.

I hope I don't repeat an existing question, but I couldn't find something like that in the forum search.

I'm also new to Altium Designer (previously I used KiCad) and I have an issue with the 300 pin connector from Samtec:

https://www.samtec.com/de/products/bth-150-01-f-d-a

If I download and import the symbol and footprint, the symbol is devided in 6 parts (A to F) with 50 pins each. When I place these and switch to PCB layout there are 6 footprints (for every symbol part one) instead of just one for all symbol parts.

Maybe I'm missing some very basic thing? Can someone help me with that?


Best regards

Dennis

[ajawamnet]

When you annotate the schematic, each of the connector sub parts should be the same Designator - say J5 - with the subpart suffix.  So on one sheet you'd have J5A, then J5B on the next sheet or instance, thru to J5F.   That way it uses a single footprint for J5 inthe PCB.

 Now there is a funky bug that they introduced with multipart annotation but they kinda fixed it in later versions.  You need to set "Legacy" in the option "Replace Sub Parts" for multipart annotation in the Annotation dialog box.

In this vid:


NOTE - you'll need to watch the video in fullscreen to read the text. If you watch it on Youtube itself it will usually go to Hi Res...

So in that vid you'll see a sample that I sent to Altium back in the early days of AD20, where it'd F'up on completing multiparts across sheets. Other users came across this and bitched too.

At first I use the "Off" option in the multipart "Replace Sub Parts". Note how it screws up.  This would lead to me getting 4 footprints in the PCB where all I wanted was 2 footprints - 4 parts per footprint; thus two footprints= K1 and K2. But no I get K1 thru K4 because it screws up not combining the multiple parts into two packages/footprints.

So instead I get four footprints in the PCB.

I then use 'CNTL - Z" on each sheet to reset the designators BACK to K? to try again.

So this time, I use "On(Legacy). Then it correctly completes the subparts across sheets.   When I update the PCB, I get just the two footprints - K1 and K2 - as I should.

Hope this helps...

[xCite]

Hey,

thank you so much for your fast response! This was the solution for my problem!

Have a nice day,

Dennis

[rpiloverbd]

Hi,

Good to know that you have found a solution to your problem. Since, you're beginning with Altium, you may find this video helpful: https://www.pcbway.com/blog/PCB_Design_Tutorial/Beginners_guide_to_PCB_design_with_Altium_Designer.html