National Instruments Ultiboard - Manual

Contents © National Instruments Corporation xvii NI Ultiboard User Manual Tools»View 3D Position ................................................................................. A-19Tools»Show or Hide Height ............................................................................ A-19 Options M...

© National Instruments Corporation 1-1 NI Ultiboard User Manual 1 User Interface The following sections explain the basic components of the Ultiboard Graphical User Interface (GUI) and show how to set up user preferences and PCB properties. Some of the described features may not be available in your...

Chapter 1 User Interface © National Instruments Corporation 1-3 NI Ultiboard User Manual View Toolbar The View toolbar contains buttons for modifying the way the screen is displayed, and appears by default when you run Ultiboard. The View toolbar buttons are explained in the table below. Button Desc...

Chapter 1 User Interface NI Ultiboard User Manual 1-4 ni.com Main Toolbar The Main toolbar contains buttons for common board design functions. Its buttons are described in the table below. Button Description Select button. De-activates any selected mode (for example, for placing traces) and allows y...

Chapter 1 User Interface © National Instruments Corporation 1-5 NI Ultiboard User Manual Select Toolbar The Select toolbar contains the functions used to control selection filters, and appears by default when you run Ultiboard. Please note that all filters are not available in all versions of Ultibo...

Chapter 1 User Interface NI Ultiboard User Manual 1-6 ni.com Draw Settings Toolbar The Draw Settings toolbar lets you select the layer, thickness and unit of measure of a line or object that is being drawn. It also contains buttons for functions that control the appearance of lines and shapes drawn ...

Chapter 1 User Interface © National Instruments Corporation 1-7 NI Ultiboard User Manual Edit Toolbar The Edit toolbar contains the functions used for editing specific elements, including in-place editing and orientation. The Edit toolbar buttons are explained in the table below. Fill Style button. ...

Chapter 1 User Interface NI Ultiboard User Manual 1-8 ni.com Align Toolbar The Align toolbar contains the functions used to align and space design elements. Refer to the Aligning Shapes and Parts and Spacing Shapes and Parts sections of Chapter 4, Working with Parts , for more information. The Align...

Chapter 1 User Interface © National Instruments Corporation 1-9 NI Ultiboard User Manual Place Toolbar The Place toolbar contains the functions used to place elements such as traces, lines and polygons on the design. The Place toolbar buttons are explained in the table below. Space Down Plus button....

Chapter 1 User Interface NI Ultiboard User Manual 1-12 ni.com Wizard Toolbar The Wizard toolbar contains the wizard functions supported by Ultiboard. The Wizard toolbar buttons are explained in the table below. Autoroute Toolbar The Autoroute toolbar contains the autorouting and placement functions ...

Chapter 1 User Interface © National Instruments Corporation 1-13 NI Ultiboard User Manual Setting Preferences This section explains general procedures for setting preferences. The following sections describe details of setting specific options. Complete the following steps to set your user preferenc...

Chapter 1 User Interface NI Ultiboard User Manual 1-14 ni.com • Line width cache size —The number of recently used line widths Ultiboard keeps in memory. Minimum cache size is 5. • Undo buffer size —The number of undo actions allowed. • Load last file on startup —Enable if you would like to continue...

Chapter 1 User Interface © National Instruments Corporation 1-15 NI Ultiboard User Manual Colors Tab Ultiboard allows you to set up color schemes for the workspace background and other displayed elements. Complete the following steps to set up color schemes: 1. Choose Options»Global Preferences . Th...

Chapter 1 User Interface NI Ultiboard User Manual 1-18 ni.com 14. To apply your changes but leave the Preferences dialog box open, click Apply . To apply your changes and close the Preferences dialog box, click OK . Dimensions Tab Use the Dimensions tab of the Preferences dialog box to define the ch...

Chapter 1 User Interface © National Instruments Corporation 1-19 NI Ultiboard User Manual • Displayed Unit —Select the unit of measure to be displayed with the dimension. If you select Use Design Settings , the unit of measure selected in the Design Units field of the Grids & Units tab of the PC...

Chapter 1 User Interface NI Ultiboard User Manual 1-20 ni.com Setting PCB Properties Many characteristics of your PCB design are controlled through the PCB Properties dialog box including the number of layers, design rules and grid settings. These settings are saved with the design and will be in ef...

Chapter 1 User Interface © National Instruments Corporation 1-21 NI Ultiboard User Manual • Degree Step —This field becomes active when Polar Grid is selected in the Grid Type field. Enter the desired distance between the grid’s elements (dots, lines or crosses). Select the unit of measure in the dr...

Chapter 1 User Interface © National Instruments Corporation 1-23 NI Ultiboard User Manual Through Hole Pad Annular Ring Footprints in the database have been designed with pad sizes in accordance with the manufacturers’ recommendations. To change these settings you can edit the footprint in the datab...

Chapter 1 User Interface NI Ultiboard User Manual 1-24 ni.com The Capture Land Diameter field determines the land diameter where the microvia starts, while Target Land Diameter determines the diameter where the microvia ends. These terms are in accordance with the IPC and JPCA joint standard IPC/JPC...

Chapter 1 User Interface © National Instruments Corporation 1-25 NI Ultiboard User Manual Complete the following steps to rename layers: 1. Click Rename in the Layer Names area. The Select Layer for Renaming dialog box appears. 2. Select the layer that you wish to rename and click OK . The Layer dia...

Chapter 1 User Interface NI Ultiboard User Manual 1-26 ni.com Setting Favorite Layers You can assign shortcuts for up to ten layers using the Favorite layers tab. These shortcuts can then be used to make a layer active. The active layer is the layer where any new elements will be placed, or where an...

Chapter 1 User Interface NI Ultiboard User Manual 1-28 ni.com Birds Eye View The Birds Eye View shows you the design at a glance and lets you easily navigate around the workspace. To magnify a specific area on the design, drag a rectangle around the desired area on the Birds Eye View . The rectangle...

Chapter 1 User Interface © National Instruments Corporation 1-29 NI Ultiboard User Manual Spreadsheet View The Spreadsheet View allows fast advanced viewing and editing of parameters including part details such as footprints, Reference Designators, attributes and design constraints. By default, the ...

Chapter 1 User Interface NI Ultiboard User Manual 1-30 ni.com Note You can also access the above commands from a pop-up menu by right-clicking in the Spreadsheet View . Spreadsheet View: DRC Tab The DRC tab displays errors (for example, Design Rule Errors ) and warnings as they occur while you work....

Chapter 1 User Interface © National Instruments Corporation 1-31 NI Ultiboard User Manual When you right-click on an item in the DRC tab, a pop-up menu displays with the following available selections: • Copy —Copies all items in the DRC tab and places them on the clipboard. • Go to Error/Tag —Click...

Chapter 1 User Interface NI Ultiboard User Manual 1-32 ni.com 3. Select the error type(s) to add to the filter. You can use the Ctrl and Shift keys to select multiple items. 4. Click OK to close the Add Filter(s) dialog box and add the selected items to the Filter Manager . 5. Click Close to close t...

Chapter 1 User Interface © National Instruments Corporation 1-33 NI Ultiboard User Manual You can also right-click an item to display a popup that contains Copy ; Clear Results ; Go to . Spreadsheet View: Parts Tab Use the Parts tab to work with the parts in your design. Refer to the Using the Parts...

Chapter 1 User Interface NI Ultiboard User Manual 1-34 ni.com Spreadsheet View: Part Groups Tab Use the Part Groups tab to work with part groups as described in the table below. Pin Swap If enabled, allows like-pins to be swapped during the routing process. You can choose either No (not enabled), Ye...

Chapter 1 User Interface © National Instruments Corporation 1-35 NI Ultiboard User Manual Spreadsheet View: Nets Tab Use the Nets tab to work with the net lists in your design. Refer to the Using the Nets Tab section for more information. Pin Swap If enabled, allows pins for like-parts to be swapped...

Chapter 1 User Interface NI Ultiboard User Manual 1-38 ni.com Spreadsheet View: Nets Groups Tab Use the Net Groups tab to work with net groups. Column Description Net Group This is the group in which the net is contained. You can either enter the group name here, or use the Group Editor. Refer to th...

Chapter 1 User Interface © National Instruments Corporation 1-39 NI Ultiboard User Manual Spreadsheet View: SMT Pads Tab Use the SMT Pads tab to work with pad information for surface-mount devices. Routing Priority The routing priority for the selected net group. 1 is the highest priority, 2 the sec...

Chapter 1 User Interface NI Ultiboard User Manual 1-40 ni.com Spreadsheet View: THT Pads Tab Use the THT Pads tab to work with pad information for through-hole technology devices. Trace Clearance The clearance of the trace to parts. You can use net settings, or as set in the SMT Pin Properties dialo...

Chapter 1 User Interface NI Ultiboard User Manual 1-42 ni.com Spreadsheet View: Vias Tab Use the Vias tab to work with via information. Column Description Assume Net The unique identifier for the net to which the via is connected. Can be changed by using the drop-down list. Lamination Double-click t...

Chapter 1 User Interface © National Instruments Corporation 1-43 NI Ultiboard User Manual Spreadsheet View: Copper Areas Tab Use the Copper Areas tab to work with information for copper areas. Column Description Layer The layer on which the copper area is found, as set in the Copper Area Properties ...

Chapter 1 User Interface © National Instruments Corporation 1-45 NI Ultiboard User Manual Spreadsheet View: PCB Layers Tab Use the PCB Layers tab to work with layer information. Spreadsheet View: Parts Position Tab Use the Parts Position tab to view and export part position information. Part Group D...

Chapter 1 User Interface NI Ultiboard User Manual 1-46 ni.com Spreadsheet View: Statistics Tab This tab displays the following statistics: • Total number of pins. • Pins in a net. • Not connected pins. • Test pins. • Jumpers. • Total number of vias. • Total number of connections. • Unrouted connecti...

Chapter 1 User Interface © National Instruments Corporation 1-47 NI Ultiboard User Manual Commands Tab The Commands tab in the Customize dialog box is used to add commands to menus and toolbar. Complete the following steps to add a command to a menu or toolbar: 1. Drag the desired command from the C...

Chapter 1 User Interface NI Ultiboard User Manual 1-48 ni.com 3. The buttons in this tab function as follows: • Reset All —Displays the Reset Toolbars dialog box, where you select whether to reset the currently selected toolbars, or all toolbars. You are prompted to select the configuration file you...

Chapter 1 User Interface © National Instruments Corporation 1-49 NI Ultiboard User Manual Options Tab Use the Options tab in the Customize dialog box to set up the appear of Ultiboard’s toolbars—switch the checkboxes on or off as desired. Customization of Pop-up Menus To customize the appearance of ...

© National Instruments Corporation 2-1 NI Ultiboard User Manual 2 Beginning a Design The following sections explain how to start a design in Ultiboard. Some of the described features may not be available in your edition of Ultiboard. Refer to the NI Circuit Design Suite Release Notes for a list of t...

Chapter 2 Beginning a Design NI Ultiboard User Manual 2-2 ni.com Creating a Design A design is created automatically when you create a project file. You can also create a design and assign it to an existing project file. Remember that a design must always be associated with a project. Complete the f...

Chapter 2 Beginning a Design NI Ultiboard User Manual 2-4 ni.com Complete the following steps to import a netlist file: 1. Select File»Import»UB Netlist , navigate to the desired file (for example, Getting Started 2.EWNET ) and click Open . The Default Trace Width and Clearance dialog box appears. 2...

Chapter 2 Beginning a Design © National Instruments Corporation 2-5 NI Ultiboard User Manual Opening an Existing File Complete the following steps to open an existing file: 1. Choose File»Open . A standard file section dialog box appears, with the Files of Type list defaulted to Ultiboard files. 2. ...

Chapter 2 Beginning a Design © National Instruments Corporation 2-7 NI Ultiboard User Manual Selecting and Unselecting Elements You can select and unselect single and multiple elements in a design such as parts, holes, and traces. To select a single element on a board, click the element. A dotted li...

Chapter 2 Beginning a Design NI Ultiboard User Manual 2-8 ni.com Place and Select Modes Ultiboard assumes that placing shapes, parts, or traces on a board are actions you are likely to repeat. As a result, when you place items on the board, you remain in “place mode” (the cursor has a small icon att...

Chapter 2 Beginning a Design © National Instruments Corporation 2-9 NI Ultiboard User Manual 3. To constrain your search to only certain attributes, choose from the Find special drop-down list. For example, if you enter “test” in the Find what field, you will find all elements with the string “test”...

Chapter 2 Beginning a Design © National Instruments Corporation 2-11 NI Ultiboard User Manual Refreshing the Design After adding and changing elements, the design can begin to look a little confusing, with bits and pieces of elements looking like they have been left behind on the design after being ...

© National Instruments Corporation 3-1 NI Ultiboard User Manual 3 Setting Up a Design The following sections explain the basic functions you must perform to get your board set up. These tasks should be performed before you begin placing parts and/or traces. Some of the described features may not be ...

Chapter 3 Setting Up a Design © National Instruments Corporation 3-3 NI Ultiboard User Manual Accessing Layers The Layers tab of the Design Toolbox allows you to move through the layers of your PCB design, and control their appearance. To display the Layers tab, click the Layers tab in the Design To...

Chapter 3 Setting Up a Design © National Instruments Corporation 3-5 NI Ultiboard User Manual Tip You can show or hide individual ratsnests from the Show Ratsnest column in the Nets tab of the Spreadsheet View , and also from the Net Edit dialog box. Refer to the Using the Netlist Editor section of ...

Chapter 3 Setting Up a Design NI Ultiboard User Manual 3-6 ni.com To edit the properties of the placed board outline, select the outline and select Edit»Properties . (You must be on the Board Outline layer). Importing a DXF File Complete the following steps to import a DXF board outline from a CAD p...

Chapter 3 Setting Up a Design © National Instruments Corporation 3-7 NI Ultiboard User Manual Using the Board Wizard Complete the following steps to use the Board Wizard : 1. Choose Tools»Board Wizard . The Board Wizard... Board Technology dialog box appears. 2. Enable the Change the layer technolog...

Chapter 3 Setting Up a Design NI Ultiboard User Manual 3-8 ni.com 4. If you chose Single Sided or Double Sided , or upon clicking Next after defining the lamination settings for a multi-layer board: • Define the default Units of measurement for the design. • Define the board Reference Point . This c...

Chapter 3 Setting Up a Design © National Instruments Corporation 3-9 NI Ultiboard User Manual Enter coordinate dialog box Complete the following steps to set the reference point at precise X, Y coordinates: 1. Press the asterisk key (*) or <Shift-8> to display the Enter coordinate dialog box. ...

Chapter 3 Setting Up a Design NI Ultiboard User Manual 3-10 ni.com Design Rule Errors Design rule errors appear in the DRC tab of the Spreadsheet View as they occur, and disappear as they are corrected. Double-click on an error in the DRC tab to zoom in on the affected area on the design, which will...

Chapter 3 Setting Up a Design © National Instruments Corporation 3-11 NI Ultiboard User Manual • Pin “[Pin number]” from Part “[refdes]”(value) in Net “[Net name]” is missing from shape “[shape name]” — A pin belonging to the specified part was given in the netlist but does not exist in the shape th...

Chapter 3 Setting Up a Design NI Ultiboard User Manual 3-12 ni.com Working with Net Groups Complete the following steps to create a net group: 1. Select Tools»Group Editor to display the Edit Groups dialog box. 2. Click the Net Groups tab. 3. Click Add . The Add group dialog box appears. 4. Enter th...

Chapter 3 Setting Up a Design © National Instruments Corporation 3-13 NI Ultiboard User Manual 8. Click checkboxes beside the desired nets in the Assign Nets list and click Apply to add them to the group. Note You cannot assign a net to more than one group. Therefore, nets that are already assigned ...

Chapter 3 Setting Up a Design © National Instruments Corporation 3-15 NI Ultiboard User Manual Complete the following steps to edit a part group: 1. Select Tools»Group Editor to display the Edit Groups dialog box. 2. Select the Part Groups tab. 3. Highlight the desired group in the Groups list. 4. C...

Chapter 3 Setting Up a Design © National Instruments Corporation 3-17 NI Ultiboard User Manual Working with Differential Pairs Complete the following steps to create a differential pair: 1. Select Tools»Group Editor to display the Edit Groups dialog box. 2. Click the Differential Pairs tab. 3. Click...

Chapter 3 Setting Up a Design NI Ultiboard User Manual 3-18 ni.com 8. Click two checkboxes beside the desired nets in the Assign Nets list and click Apply to add them to the group. Note You cannot assign a net to more than one differential pair. Therefore, nets that are already assigned to another d...

Chapter 3 Setting Up a Design © National Instruments Corporation 3-19 NI Ultiboard User Manual Net Group Settings For net groups, the following Group Settings are available: • Group Name • Clearance Settings • Trace Width Settings • Trace Length Settings • Routing Layers • Routing Priority • Locked ...

Chapter 3 Setting Up a Design NI Ultiboard User Manual 3-20 ni.com For information on any setting, select it in the Group Settings list. A description appears in the field at the bottom of the dialog. You may need to make the dialog box larger to view some of the descriptions. Do this by dragging th...

© National Instruments Corporation 4-1 NI Ultiboard User Manual 4 Working with Parts The following sections explain how to work with parts as you create and edit designs. It covers the ways that you can place parts on the board, as well as the tools included to help you with part location and placem...

Chapter 4 Working with Parts NI Ultiboard User Manual 4-2 ni.com Complete the following steps to drag a part from outside the board outline: 1. Click on the part and drag it to the appropriate location. The placed part remains highlighted. 2. Click anywhere on the workspace, or right-click, to de-se...

Chapter 4 Working with Parts © National Instruments Corporation 4-3 NI Ultiboard User Manual The selected part (4) appears in the preview area (5). Deselect the Show or Hide Preview button (6) if you do not wish to see the preview. Use the Start Placing the Unpositioned Parts button (7) to place unp...

Chapter 4 Working with Parts NI Ultiboard User Manual 4-4 ni.com Using the Parts Tab for Other Functions The Parts tab of the Spreadsheet View can also be used to select a part, lock parts in their current position, find and select a part, or preview a part. To select a part using the Parts tab, dou...

Chapter 4 Working with Parts NI Ultiboard User Manual 4-6 ni.com Working with Force Vectors Force vectors are powerful aids that help you place parts on the PCB. When you place a part manually on the board, you should pay careful attention to the force vectors coming from that part. They allow you t...

Chapter 4 Working with Parts © National Instruments Corporation 4-7 NI Ultiboard User Manual Dragging Parts To drag a part, click and drag it to the location where you want it placed, and release the mouse button. To specify the x/y coordinates to which the part is to move, press the * key on the nu...

Chapter 4 Working with Parts NI Ultiboard User Manual 4-10 ni.com Using Ruler Bars and Guides Use the ruler bars to place guides on the design, or to measure distances. Elements on the design will snap to the dotted lines representing the guides on the design. To toggle the ruler bars off or on, cho...

Chapter 4 Working with Parts © National Instruments Corporation 4-11 NI Ultiboard User Manual Orienting Parts Parts are placed on the board in a certain orientation, which may not be the orientation in which you need them. You can, however, orient them by rotating them, or by swapping them to anothe...

Chapter 4 Working with Parts NI Ultiboard User Manual 4-12 ni.com Spacing Shapes and Parts Shapes and parts can be spaced relative to each other on the board. Complete the following steps to space shapes and/or parts: 1. Select the elements to be spaced. 2. Choose the following commands from the Edi...

Chapter 4 Working with Parts NI Ultiboard User Manual 4-14 ni.com Replicating a Group The Group Replica Place function allows you to automatically apply the relative placement of parts in one group to another group. This is especially useful when duplicating the layout of channels in multi-channel P...

Chapter 4 Working with Parts © National Instruments Corporation 4-15 NI Ultiboard User Manual 5. Drag your mouse to the desired location and click to place the group. Unplacing Parts Complete the following steps to unplace all non-locked parts: 1. Select Place»Unplace Parts . A dialog displays askin...

Chapter 4 Working with Parts © National Instruments Corporation 4-17 NI Ultiboard User Manual Viewing and Editing Part Properties Complete the following steps to view and edit the properties of a part: 1. Select the part. 2. Choose Edit»Properties . The part’s Part Properties dialog box appears, con...

Chapter 4 Working with Parts © National Instruments Corporation 4-19 NI Ultiboard User Manual 3. To place a band to indicate polarization (for example, for a diode), enable the Polarization marking option and choose the pin to mark. 4. To set an offset for the cylinder, enable Use custom cylinder of...

Chapter 4 Working with Parts NI Ultiboard User Manual 4-20 ni.com Viewing and Editing Shape/Graphics Properties As with parts and traces, the properties of shapes can be viewed and edited. Complete the following steps to edit the properties of a shape that you have placed on the design: 1. Select th...

Chapter 4 Working with Parts © National Instruments Corporation 4-21 NI Ultiboard User Manual Placing Mounting Holes and Connectors Mounting holes and connectors are placed from the database. Refer to the Placing Parts from the Database section for more information. Placing Holes You can also place ...

Chapter 4 Working with Parts © National Instruments Corporation 4-23 NI Ultiboard User Manual Working with Jumpers Placing Jumpers Default jumper pin settings are defined in the PCB Design tab of the Preferences dialog box. The default pad settings are based on the settings defined in the Pads/Vias ...

Chapter 4 Working with Parts NI Ultiboard User Manual 4-24 ni.com To control the coordinates for the jumper’s starting and ending points, use the following from the Line tab: • X1 —The X coordinate of the jumper’s starting point. • X2 —The X coordinate of the jumper’s ending point. • Y1 —The Y coord...

Chapter 4 Working with Parts © National Instruments Corporation 4-25 NI Ultiboard User Manual Viewing and Editing Test Point Properties Complete the following steps to edit a test point’s properties: 1. Select the test point and select Edit»Properties . The Testpoint Properties dialog appears. 2. Se...

Chapter 4 Working with Parts NI Ultiboard User Manual 4-26 ni.com 5. Click to indicate the end point. Ultiboard stops measuring the length, and draws an arrow between your start and end points. 6. Move the pointer to position the stub line, and click when you’re done. In the example shown below, the...

Chapter 4 Working with Parts © National Instruments Corporation 4-29 NI Ultiboard User Manual Editing Parts and Shapes Editing a Placed Part (In-Place Edit) In-place part editing lets you add, delete, or change a part and the items that make it up. You can add, delete, or move pads, change or move t...

Chapter 4 Working with Parts NI Ultiboard User Manual 4-30 ni.com 4. Indicate the pad type (THT or SMD) and its dimensions and spacing. Changes appear in the Preview panel. When you have made the necessary settings, click OK . The pad is attached to the pointer. Click on the part to place it. 5. Whe...

Chapter 4 Working with Parts © National Instruments Corporation 4-31 NI Ultiboard User Manual Complete the following steps to add a vertex to any line segment of a polygon: 1. Select the line (a selected line segment will have filled selection boxes while the other selection boxes in the polygon wil...

Chapter 4 Working with Parts © National Instruments Corporation 4-33 NI Ultiboard User Manual Use the Thermal Relief tab to choose what type of thermal relief the pin will use when connecting to a copper area or power plane. 1. Select the desired thermal relief in the Type box. 2. Select the desired...

Chapter 4 Working with Parts NI Ultiboard User Manual 4-34 ni.com Searching For and Replacing Parts Ultiboard allows you to search for parts in two ways: • Searching for parts in open designs. This method tells you if a specific part exists in all of the designs that are currently open. • Locating a...

Chapter 4 Working with Parts © National Instruments Corporation 4-35 NI Ultiboard User Manual Replacing Parts Complete the following steps to replace a part on the design with a part from the database: 1. Select the part. 2. Choose Tools»Change Shape . The Get a Part from the Database dialog box ope...

Chapter 4 Working with Parts NI Ultiboard User Manual 4-36 ni.com 3. Select the type of part you want to create: a net bridge, custom pad shape, PCB part or CAD part and click OK . The Edit mode window opens. 4. Design your part using the Place and Draw tools. Refer to the Toolbars section of Chapte...

Chapter 4 Working with Parts © National Instruments Corporation 4-41 NI Ultiboard User Manual Managing the Database The Database Manager is where you add, organize, view, create, and manage the parts that Ultiboard stores in its database. To open the Database Manager , choose Tools»Database»Database...

Chapter 4 Working with Parts NI Ultiboard User Manual 4-44 ni.com 3. Select the category or sub-category where the category is to be copied. The copied category will go under the item you select. 4. Click OK . The category is copied to the location you specified, and the Select destination in databa...

Chapter 4 Working with Parts © National Instruments Corporation 4-45 NI Ultiboard User Manual Adding Parts using the Database Manager Complete the following steps to add parts from the design to the database using the Database Manager : 1. In the Database panel, select the category (within the User ...

Chapter 4 Working with Parts NI Ultiboard User Manual 4-46 ni.com Note If you selected multiple parts, you can save them to the database as one item. When a part that has been saved to the database in this manner is placed on the workspace, it will become separate items again, including any parts an...

Chapter 4 Working with Parts © National Instruments Corporation 4-47 NI Ultiboard User Manual 6. Click Start . A dialog box displays with the following options: • Auto-Rename —Parts will be saved with modified names in the new database. • Overwrite —Parts will overwrite new parts with the same name....

© National Instruments Corporation 5-1 NI Ultiboard User Manual 5 Working with Traces and Copper The following sections describe how to work with traces and other copper elements in Ultiboard. Some of the described features may not be available in your edition of Ultiboard. Refer to the NI Circuit D...

Chapter 5 Working with Traces and Copper NI Ultiboard User Manual 5-2 ni.com operations on traces, be sure to select either the appropriate segment or, if you wish, the whole trace. Clearance is the distance from the edge of the board and around pads and traces that is to be kept free of any other e...

Chapter 5 Working with Traces and Copper NI Ultiboard User Manual 5-4 ni.com 4. Move the mouse pointer to the next pad in the net. The trace follows the pointer, routing itself around most obstacles. 5. When you place the final trace in the net, cancel trace placement by either pressing <E SC >...

Chapter 5 Working with Traces and Copper © National Instruments Corporation 5-5 NI Ultiboard User Manual Tip Use <Ctrl-Shift-W/N> to widen/narrow the trace. You can also change the trace width during routing by typing the desired value in the Draw Settings toolbar. Otherwise, trace size is det...

Chapter 5 Working with Traces and Copper NI Ultiboard User Manual 5-6 ni.com 3. Move the cursor toward the bus’s destination pins and double-click to complete copper placement. Working with Density Bars Density bars use color to indicate the density of pins and pads at cross-sections of your board. ...

Chapter 5 Working with Traces and Copper © National Instruments Corporation 5-9 NI Ultiboard User Manual Equi-Spacing Traces This option lets you set the spacing between traces to be equal. Complete the following steps to equi-space traces: 1. Select two traces that surround at least one other trace...

Chapter 5 Working with Traces and Copper NI Ultiboard User Manual 5-10 ni.com To delete a trace that you have just placed, choose Edit»Undo Place Trace Segment . Complete the following steps to delete an existing trace: 1. Select the trace. 2. Choose Edit»Delete . Or 1. Select the trace. 2. Press th...

Chapter 5 Working with Traces and Copper © National Instruments Corporation 5-11 NI Ultiboard User Manual Placing Powerplanes Powerplanes are copper areas that cover the entire plane. Complete the following steps to place a powerplane: 1. In the Layers tab, select the layer to be used as a powerplan...

Chapter 5 Working with Traces and Copper NI Ultiboard User Manual 5-12 ni.com Converting a Copper Shape to an Area Use to convert a copper shape to a polygon that supports voiding around unconnected nets. Complete the following steps to shape a copper shape to an area: 1. Select a copper shape in yo...

Chapter 5 Working with Traces and Copper © National Instruments Corporation 5-13 NI Ultiboard User Manual Adding and Removing Teardrops A teardrop is a flair that you can add to a trace where the trace connects to a pad. This is typically used with very small sized traces, to prevent possible breaka...

Chapter 5 Working with Traces and Copper © National Instruments Corporation 5-15 NI Ultiboard User Manual 2. In the Remove Islands box, set the parameters to remove islands using the following (an island is a section of copper within the copper area that is not connected to any other copper): • Smal...

Chapter 5 Working with Traces and Copper NI Ultiboard User Manual 5-16 ni.com Note Depending on your setting in the PCB Design tab of the Preferences dialog box, vias associated with a trace may be deleted when the trace is deleted. Viewing and Editing Via Properties Via properties consist of five t...

Chapter 5 Working with Traces and Copper NI Ultiboard User Manual 5-18 ni.com Placing SMD Fanouts The Fanout SMD command attaches vias to each pin of either a selected surface mount device (SMD) or all SMDs on the board. Complete the following steps to place SMD fanouts: 1. Optionally, select the pa...

Chapter 5 Working with Traces and Copper © National Instruments Corporation 5-19 NI Ultiboard User Manual 5. Click Start Fanout . The Fanout Options dialog box disappears and the fanout vias are placed on the design, as circled in the figure below. Working with Nets This section contains the followi...

Chapter 5 Working with Traces and Copper NI Ultiboard User Manual 5-20 ni.com Complete the following steps to find a net in the design: 1. Click the net in the list to select it. 2. Click the Find the selected net button. The view zooms in on the net and selects it. Complete the following steps to h...

Chapter 5 Working with Traces and Copper © National Instruments Corporation 5-21 NI Ultiboard User Manual Complete the following steps to add new pins to a locked net: 1. Select the desired net in the Net drop-down list. 2. Click the Lock Net button to unlock the net. 3. Add the necessary pins and c...

Chapter 5 Working with Traces and Copper © National Instruments Corporation 5-25 NI Ultiboard User Manual net, then the pin below the reference point will become the source. Refer to the figure below for an example. Renaming a Net Complete the following steps to rename a net: 1. Select Tools»Netlist...

Chapter 5 Working with Traces and Copper NI Ultiboard User Manual 5-26 ni.com Deleting a Pin from a Net Complete the following steps to delete a pin from a net: 1. Select Tools»Netlist Editor , click the Pins tab and select the desired net from the Net drop-down list in the Net edit dialog box. 2. H...

Chapter 5 Working with Traces and Copper © National Instruments Corporation 5-27 NI Ultiboard User Manual Setting Miscellaneous Net Parameters Complete the following steps to set miscellaneous parameters for a net: 1. Select Tools»Netlist Editor and select the desired net from the Net drop-down list...

Chapter 5 Working with Traces and Copper NI Ultiboard User Manual 5-28 ni.com Setting Via Parameters Complete the following steps to edit via information for a net: 1. Select Tools»Netlist Editor and select the desired net from the Net drop-down list in the Net edit dialog box. 2. Click on the Via t...

Chapter 5 Working with Traces and Copper NI Ultiboard User Manual 5-30 ni.com Net Bridges The net bridge functionality permits connections between different nets (for example, digital and analog grounds) without losing the properties of either net. Creating a Net Bridge Complete the following steps ...

Chapter 5 Working with Traces and Copper NI Ultiboard User Manual 5-32 ni.com Placing a Net Bridge This example connects two traces - one is on net “DGND” and the other is on net “GND”. Complete the following steps to place a net bridge: 1. Select Place»Net Bridge . The Place Net Bridge dialog box a...

Chapter 5 Working with Traces and Copper © National Instruments Corporation 5-33 NI Ultiboard User Manual Copying a Copper Route You can copy the routing of traces between two identical parts groups that have been set up using the Group Replica command. Complete the following steps to copy copper ro...

Chapter 5 Working with Traces and Copper NI Ultiboard User Manual 5-34 ni.com 3. Select Design»Copy Route . The Copy route dialog box appears. 4. Select the group you have already routed in the Source group field, and the group you wish to have the same routing in the Destination group field and cli...

Chapter 5 Working with Traces and Copper © National Instruments Corporation 5-35 NI Ultiboard User Manual 3. Click on the second pin to complete the action. Note Error messages will display if the selected pins cannot be swapped, or if there is no PINGROUP information for a pin. Swapping Gates This ...

Chapter 5 Working with Traces and Copper NI Ultiboard User Manual 5-38 ni.com Automatic Pin/Gate Swapping This feature lets you swap pins and/or gates after moving part(s) on the workspace. Note For this feature to function, you must allow pin/gate swapping in the Spreadsheet View , and in the Desig...

© National Instruments Corporation 6-1 NI Ultiboard User Manual 6 PCB Calculators The following sections explain how to use Ultiboard’s PCB Calculators . Some of the described features may not be available in your edition of Ultiboard. Refer to the NI Circuit Design Suite Release Notes for a list of...

Chapter 6 PCB Calculators NI Ultiboard User Manual 6-2 ni.com The PCB Transmission Line Calculator supports: • Microstrip Trace Calculations . • Embedded Microstrip Trace Calculations . • Centered Stripline Trace Calculations . • Asymmetric Stripline Trace Calculations . • Dual Stripline Trace Calcu...

Chapter 6 PCB Calculators © National Instruments Corporation 6-3 NI Ultiboard User Manual Microstrip Equations The equations used to perform the microstrip calculations are: Z0 = 87/(sqrt(Er + 1.41)) * ln(5.98*H/(0.8*W+T)) Tpd = 58.35247*sqrt(Er+1.41) C0 = Tpd/Z0 L0 = C0*Z0*Z0 Embedded Microstrip Tr...

Chapter 6 PCB Calculators NI Ultiboard User Manual 6-4 ni.com Embedded Microstrip Equations The equations used to perform the embedded microstrip calculations are: Z0 = 56*ln(5.98*H/(0.8*W+T))/sqrt(Er*(1-exp(-1.55*H1/H))) Tpd = 84.66667*sqrt(Er*(1-exp(-1.55*H1/H))) C0 = Tpd/Z0 L0 = C0*Z0*Z0 Centered...

Chapter 6 PCB Calculators © National Instruments Corporation 6-5 NI Ultiboard User Manual Centered Stripline Equations The equations used to perform the centered stripline calculations are: Z0 = 60*ln(4*(2*H+T)/(0.67*3.1415926*(0.8*W+T)))/sqrt(Er) Tpd = 84.66667*sqrt(Er) C0 = Tpd/Z0 L0 = C0*Z0*Z0 As...

Chapter 6 PCB Calculators NI Ultiboard User Manual 6-6 ni.com Assymetric Stripline Equations The equations used to perform the asymmetric stripline calculations are: Z0 = (1-H/(4*H1))*80*ln(4*(2*H+T)/(0.67*3.1415926*(0.8*W+T)))/sqrt(Er) Tpd = 84.66667*sqrt(Er) C0 = Tpd/Z0 L0 = C0*Z0*Z0 Dual Striplin...

Chapter 6 PCB Calculators © National Instruments Corporation 6-7 NI Ultiboard User Manual Dual Stripline Equations The equations used to perform the dual stripline calculations are: Z0 = 30*( ln(8*H/(0.67*3.1415926*(0.8*W+T)))+ ln(8*(H+C)/(0.67*3.1415926*(0.8*W+T))))/sqrt(Er) Tpd = 84.66667*sqrt(Er)...

Chapter 6 PCB Calculators NI Ultiboard User Manual 6-8 ni.com You can use the PCB Differential Impedance Calculator to calculate the following parameters for differential pairs: • Characteristic Impedance (Zo). • Per unit length Capacitance (Co). • Per unit length Inductance (Lo). • Propogation Dela...

Chapter 6 PCB Calculators © National Instruments Corporation 6-9 NI Ultiboard User Manual 4. Click Calculate . Results of the calculation appear in the Calculation Results area. They also appear in the Results tab of the Spreadsheet View . Note If you chose User Defined Zo in the previous step, the ...

Chapter 6 PCB Calculators © National Instruments Corporation 6-11 NI Ultiboard User Manual Embedded Microstrip Differential Impedance Equations The equations used to perform the embedded microstrip differential impedance calculations are: Z0 = 56*ln(5.98*H/(0.8*W+T))/sqrt(Er*(1-exp(-1.55*H1/H))) Tpd...

Chapter 6 PCB Calculators NI Ultiboard User Manual 6-12 ni.com 4. Click Calculate . Results of the calculation appear in the Calculation Results area. They also appear in the Results tab of the Spreadsheet View . Note If you chose User Defined Zo in the previous step, the Per Length Unit and the Dif...

Chapter 6 PCB Calculators NI Ultiboard User Manual 6-14 ni.com Asymmetric Stripline Differential Impedance Equations The equations used to perform the asymmetric stripline differential impedance calculations are: Z0 = (1-H/(4*H1))*80*ln(4*(2*H+T)/(0.67*3.1415926*(0.8*W+T)))/sqrt(Er) Tpd = 84.66667*s...

© National Instruments Corporation 7-1 NI Ultiboard User Manual 7 Autorouting and Autoplacement There are a number of autorouting and autoplacement tools that vary depending on your edition of Ultiboard. These tools offer advanced autoplacement with state-of-the-art autorouting for optimal layout of...

Chapter 7 Autorouting and Autoplacement NI Ultiboard User Manual 7-2 ni.com Note This is only active when an unconnected pad corresponding to that net is selected. Autoroute»Autoroute Selected Buses Use to autoroute selected buses. Refer to the Autorouting buses section for more information. Autorou...

Chapter 7 Autorouting and Autoplacement © National Instruments Corporation 7-3 NI Ultiboard User Manual The autoplacer places parts as clusters. These clusters are generated by grouping a multi-pin part with a series of connected parts, each of which has fewer than four pins. Each cluster is then as...

Chapter 7 Autorouting and Autoplacement © National Instruments Corporation 7-5 NI Ultiboard User Manual • SMD Rotation Mode —Used to set amount by which surface-mount parts can be rotated during autoplacement. Select one of None , for no rotation; 90 Deg , for 90 clockwise rotation of all autoplaced...

Chapter 7 Autorouting and Autoplacement NI Ultiboard User Manual 7-6 ni.com • Use smaller Keep-out or Keep-in areas. Often, a PCB with Keep-in areas can be designed with an equivalent set of Keep-out areas, or vice-versa. Whenever possible, choose a design strategy that minimizes the total area of t...

Chapter 7 Autorouting and Autoplacement © National Instruments Corporation 7-7 NI Ultiboard User Manual Understanding the Four Fundamental Routing Functions The following sections describe the four fundamental routing functions used by Ultiboard. Router Preprocessing Before routing begins, Ultiboard...

Chapter 7 Autorouting and Autoplacement NI Ultiboard User Manual 7-8 ni.com unless you achieve poorer routing results than you expect. When changing cost factors, even slight adjustments can have large effects on routing success, either improving or worsening the results. Optimization The optimizer ...

Chapter 7 Autorouting and Autoplacement © National Instruments Corporation 7-9 NI Ultiboard User Manual To perform a full autoroute, choose Autoroute»Start/Resume Autorouter . Ultiboard begins routing your board and displays its progress in the status line. When the process is complete the results a...

Chapter 7 Autorouting and Autoplacement NI Ultiboard User Manual 7-10 ni.com Complete the following steps to autoroute selected bus(es): 1. Select Autoroute»Autoroute Selected Buses . The Bus autorouting dialog box displays. 2. Select the desired buses to route in the Defined bus groups area and cli...

Chapter 7 Autorouting and Autoplacement © National Instruments Corporation 7-11 NI Ultiboard User Manual 4. The Automatic Testpoint Placement Setup dialog box disappears and one test point is placed on or near each net on your board. If placed near an existing net, the test point will be automatical...

Chapter 7 Autorouting and Autoplacement NI Ultiboard User Manual 7-12 ni.com • Pin Contact Mode —Select Allow Pin Corners to allow traces to connect to pins diagonally. • Place Vias Under SMD Pads —Select Yes or No as desired. • Auto Adjust Trace Width checkbox—Enable to allow the router to narrow t...

Chapter 7 Autorouting and Autoplacement © National Instruments Corporation 7-15 NI Ultiboard User Manual • Distance-2 (2 Grid) Cost Factor —Controls the use of channels left by ripped-up traces in the far distance (2 or more grid points, trace-to-trace). A high value results in infrequent use of the...

Chapter 7 Autorouting and Autoplacement NI Ultiboard User Manual 7-16 ni.com Routing Options: Bus Autorouting Tab To autoroute buses, the topology for the nets, as set in the Net edit dialog box, or the Spreadsheet View , must be set to either Daisy chain or Star and the nets must be part of a Bus G...

Chapter 7 Autorouting and Autoplacement © National Instruments Corporation 7-17 NI Ultiboard User Manual Strategies to Achieve Better Routing Results Speed and completion may be trade-offs. Many of the suggestions for routing completion will greatly increase the time needed to complete routing. Whil...

© National Instruments Corporation 8-1 NI Ultiboard User Manual 8 Preparing for Manufacturing/Assembly The following sections explain the basic functions you need to perform to prepare your board for manufacturing. Some of the described features may not be available in your edition of Ultiboard. Ref...

Chapter 8 Preparing for Manufacturing/Assembly NI Ultiboard User Manual 8-2 ni.com 4. Optionally, in the Next Label area: • Increment —Enable to increase a number that you placed at the end of the text with each successive placement of that text. You must also enter a value in Step Size . For exampl...

Chapter 8 Preparing for Manufacturing/Assembly © National Instruments Corporation 8-3 NI Ultiboard User Manual 3. Optionally, to re-size the selection frame: • Move the cursor to one of the sizing handles. • Drag the cursor to re-size the selection frame. 4. Click on the copy button at the top left ...

Chapter 8 Preparing for Manufacturing/Assembly © National Instruments Corporation 8-5 NI Ultiboard User Manual 6. In the Size area: • Auto-Resize checkbox—Enable to have the size of the displayed comment automatically resized to fit the text. Disable if you wish to set the size of the displayed comm...

Chapter 8 Preparing for Manufacturing/Assembly NI Ultiboard User Manual 8-6 ni.com 4. If you only want to renumber parts you selected prior to opening this dialog box, select the Change selected parts only option. 5. To apply your changes and keep the dialog box open, click Apply . To apply your cha...

Chapter 8 Preparing for Manufacturing/Assembly NI Ultiboard User Manual 8-8 ni.com Manually Re-Running the Design Rules and Netlist Check The design rules and netlist check normally runs automatically, but you may want to force a final check of the board's integrity prior to saving or exporting the ...

Chapter 8 Preparing for Manufacturing/Assembly © National Instruments Corporation 8-9 NI Ultiboard User Manual It is important to talk to your production house and identify all the files and formatting information they need to support their manufacturing process. You can export a file in the followi...

Chapter 8 Preparing for Manufacturing/Assembly NI Ultiboard User Manual 8-10 ni.com The new setting uses the same properties as the Default setting, or the setting that was last loaded. Refer to the Viewing and Editing Export Properties section for information about changing the properties stored in...

Chapter 8 Preparing for Manufacturing/Assembly © National Instruments Corporation 8-11 NI Ultiboard User Manual • Oversize box—Define the parameters for solder mask and solder paste. • Options box—Select the desired options. Setting DXF Properties The DXF export settings dialog box allows you to sel...

Chapter 8 Preparing for Manufacturing/Assembly NI Ultiboard User Manual 8-12 ni.com Complete the following steps to change the SVG export properties: 1. Select Scalable Vector Graphics in the Export dialog box and click Properties . 2. In the SVG File Format box, select one of: • Compressed svg —The...

Chapter 8 Preparing for Manufacturing/Assembly © National Instruments Corporation 8-13 NI Ultiboard User Manual Working with Parts Centroids Properties The Parts Centroids dialog box provides a list of all parts on the boards and their coordinates, and includes facilities for sorting the information...

Chapter 8 Preparing for Manufacturing/Assembly NI Ultiboard User Manual 8-14 ni.com Working with Layer Stackup Properties A Layer Stackup Report shows you a board’s layers, the layer type (ground, power, signal or unassigned) and the types of vias that are between layers. The Layer Stackup Report di...

Chapter 8 Preparing for Manufacturing/Assembly © National Instruments Corporation 8-15 NI Ultiboard User Manual Once you have more than one layer selected, you can choose to print layers on separate sheets. You can also choose to print a header at the top of each page, containing the design name, da...

© National Instruments Corporation 9-1 NI Ultiboard User Manual 9 Viewing Designs in 3D Ultiboard allows you to see what the board looks like in three dimensions (3D) at any time during the design. The following sections explain how to set up the options for 3D viewing, how to view the board in 3D, ...

Chapter 9 Viewing Designs in 3D NI Ultiboard User Manual 9-2 ni.com To close the 3D view, right-click on the 3D view in the Projects tab and choose Close Window from the context menu. Note If you loaded a file from Ultiboard 2001, before you can use the 3D view you must use Tools»Update Shapes . The...

Chapter 9 Viewing Designs in 3D © National Instruments Corporation 9-3 NI Ultiboard User Manual 3. Continue holding the button and move the pointer as follows: • to the bottom of the screen to view more of the top of the board. • to the top of the screen to view the edge and then the underside of th...

Chapter 9 Viewing Designs in 3D NI Ultiboard User Manual 9-4 ni.com Showing an Object’s Height While in the 3D view, you can show an object’s height, as shown in the figure below. Complete the following steps to show an object’s height: 1. Select Tools»Show or Hide Height . 2. Click the cursor on a ...

Chapter 9 Viewing Designs in 3D NI Ultiboard User Manual 9-6 ni.com Exporting to 3D IGES 3D IGES (Initial Graphics Exchange Specification) is a file format for the exchange of CAD information (both 2D and 3D). A 3D IGES file contains surface information and details of a part. Complete the following ...

© National Instruments Corporation 10-1 NI Ultiboard User Manual 10 Using Mechanical CAD Ultiboard’s mechanical CAD function can be used to design enclosure boxes, front panels, or any other mechanical part associated with your PCB design. Mechanical CAD functionality in Ultiboard takes two forms: •...

Chapter 10 Using Mechanical CAD NI Ultiboard User Manual 10-2 ni.com Creating Mechanical CAD Design Files To create a new mechanical CAD design, you can either use the new design that appears when you create a mechanical CAD file, or you can create a new design and assign it to an existing file. To ...

Chapter 10 Using Mechanical CAD © National Instruments Corporation 10-3 NI Ultiboard User Manual Importing a DXF File Complete the following steps to import a DXF file into a mechanical CAD design: 1. Choose File»Import»DXF . A standard file selector appears. 2. Navigate to the correct location for ...

Chapter 10 Using Mechanical CAD NI Ultiboard User Manual 10-4 ni.com Controlling Workspace Elements for Mechanical CAD The General tab allows you to control whether or not invisible attributes or cross hairs are shown in normal view, and options for full screen view. This tab also allows you to have...

Chapter 10 Using Mechanical CAD © National Instruments Corporation 10-5 NI Ultiboard User Manual 9. In the Auto save settings box: • Enable auto save —Activates the autosave function. When activated, you can also change the time between autosaves in the Time interval (minutes) field. 10. Edit the fo...

© National Instruments Corporation A-1 NI Ultiboard User Manual A Menus and Commands The following sections contain brief descriptions for the commands in the Ultiboard menus. Some of the described menu items may not be available in your edition of Ultiboard. Refer to the NI Circuit Design Suite Rel...

Appendix A Menus and Commands © National Instruments Corporation A-3 NI Ultiboard User Manual File»Print Setup Sets up the printing paramaters required to print the Ultiboard design file. Refer to the Printing your Design section of Chapter 8, Preparing for Manufacturing/Assembly , for more informat...

Appendix A Menus and Commands NI Ultiboard User Manual A-6 ni.com Edit»Selection Filter Use these commands to prevent accidentally selecting a particular type of element, for example, selecting a part when you meant to select a trace: • Enable Selecting Parts —When enabled, allows parts to be select...

Appendix A Menus and Commands © National Instruments Corporation A-7 NI Ultiboard User Manual • Align Top —Aligns the top edges of the selected elements. • Align Bottom —Aligns the bottom edges of the selected elements. • Align Center Horizontal —Shifts the selected elements horizontally so their ce...

Appendix A Menus and Commands NI Ultiboard User Manual A-8 ni.com View Menu The subjects in this section describe the commands found in the View menu. View»Full Screen Use to fill the screen with the design only (hide menus, toolbars, other windows). Click the Close Full Screen button to return to n...

Appendix A Menus and Commands NI Ultiboard User Manual A-10 ni.com • Draw Settings —Use to toggle the Draw Settings toolbar on and off. Refer to the Draw Settings Toolbar section of Chapter 1, User Interface , for more information. • Edit —Use to toggle the Edit toolbar on and off. Refer to the Edit...

Appendix A Menus and Commands © National Instruments Corporation A-11 NI Ultiboard User Manual Place»Follow-me Use to place a trace between two selected points. Refer to the Placing a Trace: Follow-me Method section of Chapter 5, Working with Traces and Copper , for more information. Place»Connectio...

Appendix A Menus and Commands NI Ultiboard User Manual A-14 ni.com Place»Automatic Test Points Use to automatically place a test point on each net on your design. Refer to the Placing Automatic Test Points section of Chapter 7, Autorouting and Autoplacement , for more information. Place»Unplace Part...

Appendix A Menus and Commands © National Instruments Corporation A-17 NI Ultiboard User Manual Tools Menu The subjects in this section describe the commands found in the Tools menu. Tools»Board Wizard Assists you in creating a board outline. Refer to the Working with the Board Outline section of Cha...

Appendix A Menus and Commands NI Ultiboard User Manual A-20 ni.com Options Menu The subjects in this section describe the commands found in the Options menu. Options»Global Preferences Displays the Preferences dialog box. Refer to the Setting Preferences section of Chapter 1, User Interface , for mo...

Appendix A Menus and Commands © National Instruments Corporation A-21 NI Ultiboard User Manual Window»Close All Use to close all open windows. Window»Cascade Use to cascade the open windows, so they are arranged one on top of the next while remaining separately selectable. Window»Tile Horizontal Use...

Appendix A Menus and Commands NI Ultiboard User Manual A-22 ni.com Help»About Ultiboard Use to display the version numbers of your copy of Ultiboard. Context Menus Depending on the action, the following context sensitive menus display when the right mouse button is clicked: • Select Menu • Right-dra...

Appendix A Menus and Commands NI Ultiboard User Manual A-24 ni.com Right-drag Menu When you select an area by dragging and releasing the right mouse button, a context menu appears with the following selections. Select all in rectangle Selects all objects in the rectangle that you “drew” by dragging ...

© National Instruments Corporation B-1 NI Ultiboard User Manual B Archiving Data National Instruments recommends that you regularly back up the files created within the Multisim and Ultiboard components of NI Circuit Design Suite. Additionally, you should back up internal files that store user-creat...

Appendix B Archiving Data NI Ultiboard User Manual B-2 ni.com The ProgramData folder is a system folder and thus may be hidden. Complete the following steps to view this folder: 1. Open a standard Windows explorer window. 2. Select Organize»Folder & Search Options . 3. Select the View tab, Show ...

© National Instruments Corporation I-1 NI Ultiboard User Manual Index Numerics 3D view controlling elements in, 9-3manipulating, 9-2using, 9-1Viewer options, 1-19 A Add groups dialog box, 3-11Add Net dialog, 5-21Adding teardrops, 5-13Advanced Net Shielding Options dialog, 5-28Align command, A-6Align...