Samtec Announces Expanded PCB Libraries and Footprint Capabilities
Samtec, Inc. continues its industry leading customer support with a greatly expanded offering of pre-generated, downloadable PCB CAD footprint files.
Samtec PCB libraries and footprints save designers hours of tedious, yet critical effort. In many applications, Samtec generated libraries allow true cut and paste application of package outline, text, and recommended solder pad data. At a minimum, they provide the designer with a significant head start in library generation by providing critical component information in an easily customizable format.
Full library parts contain schematic symbol data associated with the package footprint information. Such information speeds schematic capture based design flow and is critical for schematic circuit checking, bill of material generation, and automated board test and simulation. Dynamic linking of footprint and schematic data allows changes in either to be made and compared on the fly. Full parts allow gate and pin mapping and swapping making complex parts such as array connectors much easier to use.
In addition to saving hours of design effort, Samtec's libraries add an extra measure of protection in assuring accurate connector pad, hole, and mounting feature dimensions and locations.
For optimal mechanical and electrical performance, connector pad designs often deviate from standard IPC designs. Typically, these critical dimensions are communicated to the PCB designer through traditional print drawings and data sheets. The designer must manually transfer this information from the data sheet into the footprint he is creating. The slightest error in this process can lead to major headaches when boards are fabbed and components are placed. With Samtec library parts, this critical translation is already completed, with the resulting footprint files checked against a known-good connector print.
Samtec's full connector PCB libraries feature a complete part file incorporating footprint, schematic symbol, attributes, pin mapping/swapping, gate mapping/swapping, and alpha numeric pin names in a PADs format.
Additionally, Samtec has joined forces with PCB Libraries, Inc., a rapidly growing CAD library management solutions provider, to offer IPC-compliant PCB footprints in 18 file types:
o Allegro V15.2
o Allegro V15.7
o Altium Designer V6
o ASCII
o Board Station
o CAD Design Software
o CADSTAR
o Eagle
o Expedition
o NI Ultiboard
o OrCAD Layout
o OrCAD PCB Editor V15.7
o P-CAD
o PADs
o Pantheon
o Protel 99SE
o Pulsonix
o Zuken CR5000
Samtec complete connector PCB and footprint libraries are available for almost any standard product in our catalog and are provided free-of-charge at www.samtec.com/CADLibrary.
The entire footprint library will be available for download free-of-charge by anyone who registers with PCB Libraries at PCBLibraries.com/SAMTEC.
For more information on Samtec's PCB libraries and footprint capabilities, contact: Samtec, Inc. PO Box 1147, New Albany, IN 47151-1147; Phone: 1-800-726-8329 or 812-944-6733; Fax: 812-948-5047. E-mail: info@samtec.com; Web: www.samtec.com
