Altium is a printed circuit board (PCB) design software. This is the software of choice used for the electronics projects in STARR. It is closed source, but it generally has a much better UX than KiCad, and we have a student team license so the cost is no problem to us.
The workflow of an Altium project starts with the workspace. STARR has a shared project workspace which has the digital properties and footprints of every component we use on our electronics. This is perpetually updated as new components are added, and so if any of our boards has ever used a part, then it’s as easy as searching for the part to be able to use it in your design as well. The workspace allows for shared default design rules, parts, standard PCB layouts, and much more. Its very important to familizarize yourself with the workspace.
Past the workspace, the next step is putting all your components together in the Schematic. An altium schematic is a very high level overview of how all the components connect. The important parts of the schematic are defining what nets a board has and what components connect to those nets. This high level overview is also where you can define any rules for certain nets, such as impedance values.
Finally, the last two sections of an Altium project are the PCB and the BOM files. The PCB file is where the high level Schematic turns into a real life board with accurate dimensions and real electrical considerations. Everything defined abstractly is physically placed in its location in the PCB file, and this is when its important to use your engineering skills to develop a system that can function successfully. Board geometry, trace design, board layers, and conductive holes are all made in the PCB file. The BOM is the final stage, where every component is rigorously defined instead of just using default values. This is where any generic components (such as a general ‘resistor’ with value 100 Ohms) is changed into a real component part number which is manufactured by a real company. Considerations for components ratings, such as current rating and general impedance, are to be considered in the PCB and BOM.
These are all the steps to an altium design, and mastering this software and flow will allow the electronics engineer stand out from their peers, and most importantly contribute to STARR 😋.
The STARR workspace is a shared compendium of all the components and presets we use. It contains every sort of part, from resistors to IC’s, as well as all our previous projects and board presets. Each part has embedded in it it’s properties, footprint, and schematic symbol. This means instead of having to go look for an available part in one of our distributors, you can just search for it in Altium and if it’s common or has been used before we will have it.
If you have used our workspace before, or if we have added you recently, you should see this when you press the tab in the top right.
If this is not present you are most likely not invited to our workspace, please message one of us on Slack and check your email.
After confirming you are in the workspace, you should have access to all our parts in the components tab.
To fully confirm you are in the workspace you should see the Americas- STARR tab in the top left in the Projects folder. On the right most panel you now have access to the Components tab, which when pressed allows for searching all parts we currently have in our library. This should be the first place you look for parts when needing to add any.
Should any of this not be visible for you, its most likely just hidden away temporarily. No worries, all panels are located in the Panels tab in the bottom right corner.
