Hobart Content Team - Microchip's PIC families (PIC24F, PIC24H & PIC32)

Announcement: Microchip PIC update released to the vault

the release of Microchip’s PIC24E family to the Hobart Vault.  In this release we’ve also made updates and added new components to the PIC24F, PIC24H and PIC32 families.

PIC24E

Microchip’s PIC24E general purpose microcontroller family features the highest speed 60 MIPS core with excellent performance and code density.  It offers superior ADC performance, enhanced CAN communication, easier graphic display interface through 8-bit parallel master port and up to 15 DMA channels for extensive data movement.

Updates to PIC24F/H include the addition of component URLs, pin names in schematic symbols updated to the latest datasheet spec, and 173 new components.

PIC32 has also had pin names updated according to the current datasheet along with another 346 new components.

These Microchip components can be found in the Hobart Vault under Components\Microchip\

AltiumLive Subscribers can use these components by connecting to the Vault directly from Altium Designer 10 using their AltiumLive credentials, or by browsing to the AltiumLive Design Content area and selecting the Altium Hobart Vault.

 

Hobart Vault Update - Silicon Labs

The Hobart Content Team is very pleased to announce the release of components from Silicon Labs to the Hobart Vault.

 Silicon Labs is an industry leader in the innovation of high-performance, analog-intensive, mixed-signal ICs. The first of several families of components we plan to cover, today we’ve released the following:

MCU Analog-Intensive

This microcontroller family combines the industry’s highest speed 8-bit 8051 MCU core with the highest precision analog peripherals, making them ideal for analog and computation-intensive applications.

MCU Automotive and Industrial

These microcontrollers are auto-grade products qualified and tested to the AEC-Q100 specification with high temperature operation up to 125 °C.  They each include a CAN 2.0B interface, LIN 2.1 interface, an integrated precision oscillator, 1.8 to 5.25 V supply voltage and a 12-bit ADC.

Sensors

The QuickSense Si11xx family is the industry's most sensitive active infrared proximity sensors, enabling innovative touchless human interface applications with ultra-low power advantages.

These Silicon Labs components can be found in the Hobart Vault in Components\Silicon Labs\

AltiumLive Subscribers can use these components by connecting to the Vault directly from Altium Designer 10 using their AltiumLive credentials, or by browsing to the AltiumLive Design Content area and selecting the Altium Hobart Vault.

 

Update 11 for Altium Designer 10 available

This update addresses further issues that have been raised in BugCrunch, including:

1. Creating a PDF in the OutJob from a 3D Print job no longer keeps the board flipped in the PCB editor
2. ODB++ output no longer generates incorrect image and EDA package data for offset rounded pads.

Along with these issues, there are also further updates for the PADS and Allegro importers, generating of ODB++, as well as localizations. For detailed information on what is delivered with this update, read the release notes.

The delivery of this update affects the following 9 modules:

1. System Components category: Altium Designer Base, Altium Designer Localization, Altium Designer Installation System, PCB Support
2. Output Generators category: Output - AdvPcb3DPrint, Output - ODB, Output - Gerber
3. Importers and Exporters category: Importer - Allegro, Importer - PADS

Installation of these updated modules will bring their revision up to 10.651.22821. The Platform Build number will also update to 10.651.22821 as the Altium Designer Base module is updated.

To update your Altium Designer 10 installation, go to the Plug-in page (DXP >> Plug-ins and Updates) and select “Update All”. If you don’t see the update, use the “Refresh” link in top right hand corner of the Plugins page.

For those who installed directly from DVD, you can access the updates by changing a setting in preferences: System >> Installation Manager, change the Remote Repository Location to http://installation.altium.com

If you are wanting to install a new build containing this update, please download the latest Installer/Uninstaller to support this build.

 

Creating and importing Step files into Altium for free

This post was brought about by another of our customers needing the ability to create detailed STEP files for their components. Usualy this would entail buying solidworks or something similar.

We knew that we could do it cheAper, and with 3D PCB Design becoming ever more important, we thought we’d share this with the PCB Design community.

Altiums built in 3D extrusion tools are great (and getting better all the time). We expect to see some pretty big jumps in what you can do within Altium in the future. Until that time, try the steps below.

 Step 1

Download and install blender:

Blender

Blender is not a point and click program, so you will need to spend a bit of time getting used to the user interface.  However it is free (open source) and worth the effort of learning, as it’s extremely powerful.

Step 2

Once you have the hang of blender and have created your model (or alternatively you can add one of the standard meshes to try it out).

Now export your model from blender as a .obj or .stl.  We have found .obj gives better results.

 

You now have your model ready for converting to a STEP file.

 Step 3

Download and install STLtoSTEP:

STLtoSTEP

 This programe allows you to convert 3D models from STL (or OBJ) to STEP. This little gem is the key to getting your models into Altium.

Allthough this is a free programe, the developers request that if you use it commercialy then they would appreciate a donation (which is fair).

 

Step 4

From STLtoSTEP select File>Open OBJ

Browse to and select your recently exported obj model (This may take a while depending on the complexity of your model).

Now select File>Save STEP (FACETS).

Your Step file is now ready to import into Altium.

 

Step 5

Read your models into Altium.

Your done!

 

Hobart Vault Update - Generic SMD Chip Resistors

Today, basic surface mount chip resistors have been released to the Hobart Vault. These cover all E96 resistance values in case sizes from 0201 (0603 Metric) to 2512 (6432 Metric).

A total of over 8,500 resistor parts are now in the vault with supply chain representation from six key manufacturers - Bourns, Panasonic, Rohm, Stackpole, Vishay and Yageo. All part choices for a given design item have been matched according to case size, resistance value, power rating and tolerance.

These first generic components can be found in in the Hobart vault under:

Components - Generic \ Resistors \ Basic Surface Mount.

AltiumLive Subscribers can use these components by connecting to the Vault directly from Altium Designer 10 using their AltiumLive credentials (the best way to see the supply chain information), or by browsing to the AltiumLive Design Content area and selecting the Altium Hobart Vault.