What's New In Cadence OrCAD 15.7

OrCAD^® 15.7 introduces new technology and feature enhancements aimed at solving today's design challenges and increasing productivity. This upgrade will be provided without charge to all current OrCAD customers with active maintenance contracts. If you have not received your updated license file and CD by September 5, 2006, or if you have additional questions, please visit http://support.ema-eda.com/update

OrCAD Capture

Set part reference ranges for hierarchical blocks
The earlier releases of OrCAD Capture allowed you to perform only incremental or unconditional annotation on a design or a schematic page. Now, OrCAD Capture 15.7 allows you to control the way part references are assigned in your design or a schematic page. You can specify a range of part reference values that Capture will use to annotate a schematic page or a hierarchical block in your design.

The new enhancement allows you to perform:

• Schematic page-wise annotation (recommended for flat design): set a part reference range for each schematic page that exists in the root schematic folder of your design.

• Hierarchical block-wise annotation (recommended for hierarchical design): set a part reference range for each hierarchical block that exists in the root schematic folder of your design.

Zoom and pan the design with the mouse wheel
In OrCAD Capture 15.7 you can use the mouse wheel to scroll through vertically and horizontally in the Schematic Page editor and Property editor.

Also, you can

• Click the mouse wheel button and drag the mouse wheel:
     - To the right or left in the Property editor and Schematic Page editor to scroll horizontally.
     - Up or down in the Property editor and Schematic Page editor to scroll vertically.
• Hold down the CTRL key and roll the mouse wheel to zoom in and zoom out in the Schematic Page editor and Property editor.
• Hold down the SHIFT key and roll the mouse wheel up and down to scroll through horizontally in the Property editor.

Improved ground support and design template for use with PSpice^®
OrCAD Capture 15.7 now includes the PSpice ground (0) symbol in the capysm.olb, which is the default library in OrCAD Capture. The PSpice ground (0) symbol is required for running the PSpice analog simulation. Also, a new PSpice project template, AnalogGNDSymbol.opj is included, which by default has the PSpice ground (0) symbol needed for your analog designs.

Drag and drop with better accuracy
Currently, if you drag an object to another location and if that change affects connectivity, OrCAD Capture flags a warning with a changed cursor ( ) and temporary markers () on your schematic and allows you to complete the operation. Visible and off-screen connectivity changes are saved in the session log.

Now in OrCAD Capture 15.7 you can control the drag behavior using the following UI options:

• A check box named Allow Component Move With Connectivity Changes in the Miscellaneous tab of the Preferences dialog box.
• A toolbar button

OrCAD Capture CIS Option

Save and reuse custom part queries
In earlier releases of OrCAD Capture CIS, you were only able to use the Query feature in the CIS Explorer window to locate parts in the database that fit a set of criteria.

Now in OrCAD Capture CIS 15.7, you will be able to:

• Save your queries
• Retrieve your saved queries
• Modify your saved queries
• Delete your saved queries

Scroll through large part lists with the mouse wheel
In OrCAD Capture CIS 15.7 you can:

• Roll the mouse wheel up and down to scroll through vertically in the Database Parts window.
• Hold down the SHIFT key and roll the mouse wheel up and down to scroll through horizontally in the Database Parts window.
• Click the mouse wheel button and drag it to the right or left in the Database Parts window to scroll horizontally.
• Click the mouse wheel button and drag it up or down in the Database Parts window to scroll vertically.

Create customized reports with Crystal Reports 11.0
Now, OrCAD Capture CIS provides the redistributable runtime of Crystal Reports 11.0 for Bill of Materials.

PSpice A/D

Encrypt proprietary models
Now PSpice Model Editor has the capability to encrypt PSpice libraries. Model details from these encrypted libraries cannot be viewed by the users. However, any user working with PSpice 15.7 release can simulate circuits with these encrypted models. This will protect the Intellectual Property (IP) right of the library designers. You can encrypt a complete model library or a selected set of models from the library. You can also access the encryption capability from the Command prompt by using the PSpiceEnc command, available in the
<install_dir>/tools/pspice directory.

Over 1000 vendor models added
PSpice15.7 has three new vendor libraries: IRF, Vishay Siliconix, and Coilcraft.

These three new libraries are included in the following LIB files:

• irf.lib: Contains International Rectifier, PSpice Model for Diode, IGBT, Mosfet and Mosfet Array. This library has 710 parts.
• siliconix.lib: Contains PSpice Model for Mosfet and Mosfet Array. This library has 754 parts.
• coilcraft.lib: Contains inductors and has 484 parts.

OrCAD Layout

Improved quality and performance
You can configure the default license feature string on a computer for faster invocation of tools in OrCAD Layout 15.7. The File menu now has the Change Product command (keyboard shortcut ALT, F, C) that allows you to select a product suite from which to open OrCAD Layout without having to exit the tool. Also, you can set as default a product suite from which OrCAD Layout should check out a license each time you start the tool. Setting the default option will not display the Suite Selection dialog box the next time you start the tool. However, if you want this dialog box to be displayed again then clear the Use As Default check box in the Suite Selection dialog box.

OrCAD PCB Editor / SPECCTRA For OrCAD

New DRCs to check for exposed copper / soldermask opening
The impact of exposed copper on a PCB can result in the decay of outer layer traces due to contamination buildup or acid cleaning. Exposed copper can also be the root cause of shorts on a design. OrCAD PCB Editor currently checks for soldermask alignment and clearance. In version 15.7, a new class of soldermask DRCs are introduced that focus on the detection of exposed copper. Outer layer copper objects, which can be clines, pads or shapes, are compared to geometries on system defined soldermask subclasses. The soldermask suite of checks is located in the Setup - Constraints - Design Constraints menu.

Enhancements to floorplanning Room capabilities
OrCAD PCB Editor currently provides two Room_Type properties; hard and soft.

Summarizing the existing behavior:

• SOFT: The Room is only used in an advisory fashion (e.g. place manual or quickplace). No DRC for this option.
• HARD: Components with the Room property must be placed in a Room with the same name. If placed outside the Room a DRC is generated. Also a DRC is generated if Room on component doesn’t match the Room name. The limitations associated with this model do not allow non-room based components (e.g. filter caps) into specific rooms nor do they allow components to overlap or straddle Room outlines.

Rooms in 15.7 are more flexible allowing the user options of:

• inclusive
• inclusive-straddle
• hard straddle

The additional Room options will reduce the amount of false DRCs reported in OrCAD PCB Editor as well as lift the burden from the logic engineer in applying Room properties to general purpose components like caps. Apply at Design Level.

Improved quality and performance
• Support for converting OrCAD Layout designs to OrCAD PCB Editor designs
• Optimization of OrCAD PCB Editor/SPECCTRA^® integration
• Directory and Filename Space Support on Windows^® Platforms

OrCAD Signal Explorer

New via model generator for Signal vias
Via model generator for Signal vias has been added to the OrCAD Signal Explorer 15.7 version. The via model is based on the narrow band analytical solution and is derived from the Target Frequency.