So you are looking for an 8k2 0603 resistor and cannot find one in the library,or you want a transistor that's not in the library either...

When working on a network where others may have access to your designs it is commonplace to be able to lock the design files and libraries t...

As a library evolves user attributes are added which can be seen within the parts library on the Definitions tab, however as you add th...

There are some features that are applied to all components however we the user want to be able to control which ones we see and which we do ...

This is something that I see and get asked about often, eyes light up when I tell them how to fix this. What happens is that a user will p...

Looking at the stats, I don't really have a large audience, perhaps I need to advertise it more on other sites - perhaps I could do wit...

If you have file locking enabled (set in the Options) and for one reason or another you have a power cut or a software crash, CADSTAR cannot...

I have been using CADSTAR for 20+ years, I am familiar with most of it however even though I use it daily, show others how to use it and fi...

When routing within P.R.Editor we route using Necked, Optimal and Typed track widths. How would you like a variable track width th...

Why are we still making component footprints by hand, making mistakes with them and getting them wrong when there is no need to? Time ...

A message from support teams all over the world. Here is a picture of a car, it does not work - what is wrong with it? Can you fix it f...

There often seems to be discussions about which unit of measurement to work in, they pop up on the web several times throughout the year. Qu...

This April saw the release of CADSTAR 15.0 with a major change to the Design Editors GUI - the toolbars have been replaced with a ribbon men...

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...

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 ...

Adding teardrops to PTH pads in P.R.Editor. Pad with broken track When you have a component such as a terminal block with PTH pads t...

Introducing the new whizzbang application that all engineers that still have their own teeth must get, yes you guessed it - a CADSTAR ap...

How the inner layers are defined is often a cause for confusion amongst new users of CADSTAR when it comes to power planes. Why is this so...

Generally when creating a part and I am adding a hyperlink to a datasheet, I want to add the full path including file name into my parts lib...

I was recently asked how to make a component footprint for the inductor  here  and this applies to any component with a similar component fo...

Many designers still produce drill drawings along with their Gerber files as Manufacturing Notes for various reasons and this is a how to fo...

Do you work in several locations? Having problems using the network library and one used on a laptop at home etc and keeping them in sync?

Someone asked for the names of the nets that testpoints were connected to, to be placed on the legend layer instead of the testpoint names. ...

Over recent years an issue has arisen where a user has problems installing the Sentinel drivers for the security key (dongle). The installat...

Just a little something that occasionally affects those that have Windows Vista/Windows 7  onwards. During the CADSTAR installation you ar...

Did you know that along with the free CADSTAR Express demo version you can also get a sample of the online library that maintenance custom...

Have you got a schematic and PCB created in CADSTAR 11 onwards but no libraries to enable you to modify them? If so then you can easily rec...

Recently a colleague has been spending his time reverse engineering an old design that someone only has Gerber's, schematic diagram as P...

Just a note to say - I noticed that in the blog setup there was an option for a mobile theme, so I have enabled it to allow the blog to be r...

Hey folks, I thought I would share a warning with you about danglers. The dangler is that little blob that gets left dangling when making ...

Wow, has it been that long since I last posted anything on here? It's been a tad hectic at work & home, however as no one has post...

With current environmental legislation preventing a lot of simple throwing away of old electronic components and equipment it can often be c...

Now that you are using signal references and the zone links - are you finding yourself restricted because they do not appear on other items ...

Someone asked on one of the web forums how to import his sheet borders in from another piece of software where they have been saved as a DXF...

If you have followed the posts on setting up a schematic template to use documentation symbols and zone links there are a few other things t...

Now that you have a schematic template prepared, we can start creating a massive schematic over many sheets with oodles of links in them, wh...

Now that we have documentation symbols (See here ) we can start to use them, however in order to not have to setup the symbols & the zon...

When adding a border to your designs, in order to not be redrawing it every design it should be created as a document symbol. This can be ad...

One of the little known features to come into CADSTAR in recent versions is the ability to identify from a pair of signal reference symbols ...

I have been a bit busy of late, things I wanted to blog about I have held off because of a few technical issues I did not feel I should post...

Depending upon what external applications you use with CADSTAR, your heights may end up being all setup wrongly.

A question I often get asked when I mention drill drawings is "why bother when the drill sizes are in the NC data" they say.

Sorry folks - its been a busy time recently with the run up to Christmas and I have not had time to put anything together.

OK I have had a little play with what default templates are available, hopefully this looks a little better now. Wish I had some pictures ...

Oops - I was looking at the templates to try and find one to make the posts wider. Now it looks awful  -I'll play with the settings so...

Are you having trouble figuring out how to prevent your components that have a heatsink pad with thermal vias in causing errors when you run...

Just a little something that I noticed in a CADSTAR library I was browsing through. How do you draw your diodes? Although there is an obvi...

So what are the "Assignments" in CADSTAR for? Basically assignments is the term given to they settings for all the route, line, p...

Hey folks - if your going to post comments could you please leave a name? Otherwise all posts come from  "Anonymous"  and it gets...

As requested - some information on setting up your layers in CADSTAR. (Pull up a chair and make a coffee - its a long one). What is all thi...

Recently I have seen comments on the web recently from people asking "how do I do mounting holes in CADSTAR?". There are a few me...

What are Spacing Classes and why use them? A spacing class is a way of identifying that a net should be treated different to other nets w...

Something that really puzzles me is why so many designers are still using a single monitor to design with. A 2nd monitor will cost about £...

.... If ayone is actually looking at this blog? Does anyone know it exists? Suggestions on how to get more reading it would be most welc...

Here is a simple report that can be run from the report generator that will list your test points as added in the design editor using "...

Hey folks, if anyone is reading this blog and has any comments or questions - or anything that you want to know about in particular that may...

CADSTAR is part of a printed circuit board design suite that provides a solution to the needs of anyone that needs a printed circuit board ...

OK, enough of the waffle, what the heck am I going to say about CADSTAR? How about starting with what CADSTAR is, who makes it, who sells it...

Although it's not hard to guess, I think I will remain anonymous for now, but in my past employment I was tasked to specialise in taking...

You know.... It's actually been over 18 months since I actually completed a PCB design, and I'm pretty sure that I do not miss it ...