What's Good About SCM and Packageable Schematics? The Secret's in the SPB16.3 Release!

Many customers want to use System Connectivity Manager (SCM) known as Allegro System Architect (ASA) for quick prototyping and then start using the traditional schematic based PCB design flow. Now with the Export Schematic feature available in the SPB16.3 release, you can use System Connectivity Manager to quickly capture design logic, especially for high pin-count devices and its associated connectivity, and then generate a schematic that works in Allegro Design Entry HDL .

You can then open the exported schematic using Design Entry HDL (DEHDL) and continue with the traditional design process – the Front-to-Back (F2B) and Back-to-Front (B2F) flows. On exporting the design as a schematic, a new Design Entry HDL project is generated with schematic pages, associated libraries, and other required files.

NOTE: The export schematic is a one way process; you cannot sync back any changes in the schematic back to your System Connectivity Manager design.

Read on for more details …

When you run Export Schematic, it will first run Generate schematics and then the Export Schematic dialog box appears:


 

• In the Project Location field, specify the directory to create the schematic project. By default the exported project is located in the exportsch directory located one level above the project folder.
• The Project Name, Library, Cell, and View names are displayed just for reference.
• Run the process and check the progress in the dialog box:

In the defined Project Location, the new DE HDL design is generated:

 
You can now run the Export Physical, BOMHDL, CreferHDL, etc. programs on this standalone design. For capturing constraints, run the Constraint Manager and add the required constraints. Constraint data defined in the SCM design is not copied to the exported schematic.

As always, please share your interest in this new feature.

Jerry "GenPart" Grzenia