Activity 2: Create the 2D PC board

In this activity, you create a 2D PCB based on the circuit board schematic and the 3D PCB you created in Activity 1. When done, the 3D PCB is updated with the components and wires defined on the 2D PCB.

2D PCB and 3D PCB created

Prerequisites

• Activity 1 is completed.

Steps

1. Create an electronics design with the name LED Blinker and import a reference schematic called LED Blinker from Basic Training > 13 - PCB and save both in the folder you created for this tutorial.

   1. In Fusion, click File > New Electronics Design to start a blank electronics document.

   2. Click Save and save the electronics design in the Mech to Ecad Tutorial project or folder you just created with the name LED Blinker Design.

   3. In the Data Panel, navigate to the Home view to show the list of projects.

   4. Navigate to Samples > Basic Training > 13 - PCB and open the LED Blinker PCB Schematic.

   5. Click File > Save as and save the schematic with the name LED Blinker in the Mech to Ecad Tutorial project or folder you created.

   6. Click the LED Blinker Design document tab to switch to the empty electronics design you created in step 1a.

   7. Click Create > Reference to a Schematic document and select the LED Blinker schematic in the Mech to Ecad Tutorial project or folder you created earlier.

   Recall there are three parts to an electronics design, the schematic, the 2D PC board layout, and the 3D board. You created the 3D board in activity 1. You started an electronics design and linked an existing schematic. Now, a 2D PCB must be created linking the existing schematic and 3D PCB.

2. Link the 3D PCB to a 2D PCB document.

   1. Click the LED Blinker 3D PCB design tab so it is active.

   2. In the 3D PCB workspace, click Modify > Push to 2D PCB.

   3. You may be prompted that there is not a linked PCB 2D document. Click Yes to continue. This creates a 2D PCB in the Electronics design workspace.

   4. Click Save to save the document as LED Blinker 2D PCB.

   5. Click Yes for the message box indicating the 2D and 3D PCB documents are out of sync.

3. Link the 2D PCB and and schematic documents.

   1. Open the LED Blinker Design electronics document. At this point, only the schematic is associated with the document.

      

   2. Click Create > Reference to a PCB document, in the Electronics Document.

   3. Select the LED Blinker 2D PCB in the Reference to dialog and click Select. Notice that the 2D PCB document is opened. The board size is determined by the 3D PCB created and the components defined by the schematic are off to the side of the board.

      

      Save the LED Blinker 2D PCB document.

4. Add the components to the 2D PCB and create the routes between the components. You can either manually add the components and routes or you can import a finished 2D PCB board.

   1. Manually add the components using the same procedures used in the a PCB Layout tutorial, Activity 2: Place Components and Activity 3: Route Wires.

      1. Ensure the power source, and LEDs are on the top side of the board.

      2. Ensure the timer, resistors, and capacitors are on the bottom side of the board.

      3. The exact position of the components, relative to one another is not critical.

      4. Use QUICK ROUTE > Autorouter to route the wires.

         

   2. Alternatively, import a finished 2D PCB.

      1. In the Data Panel and navigate to the Home view to show the list of projects.

      2. Navigate to Samples > Basic Training > 13 - PCB and open LED Blinker 2D PCB Completed.

      3. Save the LED Blinker 2D PCB Completed design to the project you are using.

      4. Activate the LED Blinker Design document.

      5. In the browser, right-click the LED Blinker 2D PCB, and select Remove PCB Link.

         

      6. Click Create > Reference to a PCB document.

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      7. In the LED Blinker 2D PCB document, click Switch > Push to 3D PCB. This links the 3D and 2D PCB's together.

      8. Save the 3D PCB with the name LED Blinker 3D PCB Finished.

5. Review the addition of components and wires to the 2D PCB. The 3D PCB is updated because the 2D PCB and 3D PCB are linked.

   

Activity 2 summary

In this activity, you created a 2D PCB based on the 3D PCB you created in the Design Workspace. To create the 2D PCB, you used an existing schematic. You used one of two methods to add components and wires to the 2D PCB, you manually placed the components and wires, or you imported a completed 2D PCB design. In both methods, the 3D PCB was updated to reflect the components and wires added to the 2D PCB.