Welcome to the CADSTARguys Blog - Information, hints, tips and my waffle on the CADSTAR Printed Circuit Board design suite.

Please note that all names used are completely fictitious and any thing written is my own personal opinion or knowledge and not related in any way to either my employers or their customers (or Zuken).
Also this is not a replacement for proper Maintenence/support and you should read the help files before asking anything techy:).

Thursday 30 January 2014

Library version control.

Would you like to be able to keep records of what changes are made to your library symbols/components and parts? Who created them, when were they made, why they were changed, what their change history is etc?

Well you can, it does not need any external programs, OLE or version control software - you can do it all within CADSTAR using various attributes in the libraries.

Tuesday 28 January 2014

CADSTAR Touch - how to use it.

In 2013 Zuken released the free CADSTAR Touch, the first PCB program related app which can be used on both IOS and Android.

However, like most free apps support is very limited -even if you have paid support for the main CADSTAR programs. Mind you - its a very simple app that once working should be very easy to use.

Tuesday 14 January 2014

Adding teardrops to PTH pads in P.R.Editor.



Pad with broken track
Pad with broken track
When you have a component such as a terminal block with PTH pads that are likely to move during use (i.e. when tightening the terminals) the pad can rock and if that pad has a thin track exiting it there is a potential for the track to break at the junction with the pad as shown
(slightly exaggerated) on the right.

This problem is prevented by exiting the pad with a thicker and slowly reducing to the width of the track piece of copper, this copper item is referred to as a teardrop (due to its shape).