OrCAD Introduction 1.5 2003/11/03 14:47:58 US/Central 2004/01/29 14:20:00.979 US/Central Patrick Frantz jpfrantz@rice.edu Patrick Frantz jpfrantz@rice.edu Deania M. Fernandez deaniafe@rice.edu OrCAD Cadence An introduction to OrCAD Cadence software tool and the circuit that will be designed in this tutorial. The Connexions version of the OrCAD tutorial is still in development. Please click here for the original and complete tutorial. You may also browse this complete tutorial within Connexions by using the Mozilla browser and accessing the main Connexions page at http://cnx.rice.edu. Click on the 'Contents' tab and select Rice University ELEC 424/427 under the 'Courses' tab.

Introduction OrCAD is a suite of tools from Cadence for the design and layout of printed circuit boards (PCBs). This tutorial covers version 9.2 of the OrCAD suite. This document will give you a crash course in designing an entire circuit board from start to finish. This will be a very small and simple circuit, but it will demonstrate the major concepts and introduce the tools behind completing a PCB design. After you have completed this tutorial, you will know all the steps needed to make PCBs using OrCAD. This is not, however, a guide to the inner workings of the OrCAD interface. You should use this document in conjunction with the online OrCAD help and tutorials.

The circuit you will design is shown in the figure below. The main component is a programmable logic device (PLD) from Xilinx. PLDs, as the name implies, are programmable devices that can be used for a variety of useful tasks, and it is useful to be familiar with using them. In this circuit, we will use the PLD to light up a 7-segment LED display that will be used as a counter. Also in the circuit: a power connector for a 9-volt battery, a header for general purpose IO, a pushbutton switch, a programming interface for the PLD, and some miscellaneous resistors and capacitors.

The ciruit you will design in this tutorial.

OrCAD really consists of two tools. Capture is used for design entry in schematic form. You will probably be already familiar with looking at circuits in this form from working with other tools in your university courses. Layout is a tool for designing the physical layout of components and circuits on a PCB. During the design process, you will move back and forth between these two tools. Save your work frequently while working on this tutorial. You will not be reminded to do so.