Electronic design engineers (EDEs) must go through a variety of
complex processes to prepare a design for production; whether as a
completely new project or a legacy product. Identifying components,
verifying parameters and confirming availability for production
usually requires information from several sources.
This can be time consuming and laborious, and requires engineers to
cease technical and creative thought to check information on
components from many manufacturers.
The answer, of course, cannot be to neglect such “non-design”
activities; they are vitally important if the product is to be
buildable, deliverable, saleable and supportable.
Failing to deal with these issues risks seeing even the most
brilliantly conceived products under-perform commercially. A late
launch date, for example, is a well known cause of market failure
and can be the result of design delays such as discovering that an
important component is about to become obsolete.
A better approach is to make the information more easily and
quickly accessible. The Internet has greatly reduced the amount of
time engineers spend looking for components and data. It has all
but replaced hard-copy datasheets.
However, breaking away from a CAD workstation to browse supplier
websites can still divert attention excessively. On the other hand,
the Internet has increased the number of candidate devices found.
This, too, slows down completing a design.
Also, data must often be transferred manually from the web into the
customer’s own systems, either by re-keying or pasting. This is
particularly time consuming and vulnerable to errors.
Another way is now emerging. Dedicated search capabilities are
embedding into engineers’ CAD tools, to provide direct access to
suppliers’ own databases containing technical data as well as
information such as price and availability.
This promises more convenient and direct access to the information
EDEs need throughout the product design flow.
Altium is among the first to
announce this capability, having embedded Premier Farnell’s
DesignLink search tool into its Designer CAD package. EMA Design
Automation has also embedded it into its Component Information
Portal (CIP), which is an interface to OrCAD Capture CIS combining
the features of a schematic design application and a component
information system (CIS).
Accelerated Designs has also incorporated this new type of search
capability in its Ultra Librarian parts manager application, which
provides a common parts library accessible to a variety of
schematic capture and PCB layout tools. Other CAD vendors are
expected to make similar announcements.
This approach can succeed because searching a broadline
distributor database provides access to a meaningful diversity of
components from a cross section of manufacturers. Also, because the
core data comes from the distributor’s own library, there is a
strong motivation to keep the data accurate.
The new generation of tools allows EDEs to import component
parametric data directly into the local database of the CAD
package, and to access availability, pricing and component status
in the local language and currency.
This is all done from within the CAD environment. The user can also
determine the type of information imported and the way it is
presented.
Emerging search tools allow designers to perform component
engineering without leaving the CAD environment.
As each component is selected, the BOM is populated
automatically. Building the BOM this way embeds the component
information in the schematic, where it is always available having
been fed by the distributor.
See:
Q5 Interview - Kevin Yapp, Premier Farnell
Later in the project, any necessary component changes or
substitutions can be completed in real-time, without ceasing actual
design work, by querying the distributor’s database directly. This
may be necessary, for example, if a preferred component is
withdrawn, if availability becomes difficult, or if the price has
increased.
Associating all of this information directly with the design
files for the project can save the overheads of manual data entry
and can also free EDEs to focus on creating innovative features
that will add value and differentiate the end product in its target
market.
By effectively automating the process of shopping for components,
this approach also allows EDEs to control the bill of materials and
make important procurement decisions.
The benefits of having immediate access to live product
information can also help with legacy design support. Upon opening
an existing design, availability information for all components can
be assessed immediately. Looking for trends such as increasing
price or lower availability can help to anticipate impending
obsolescence.
Positive responses from early tests show that the CAD
environment is the right place for this type of tool, connecting
designers directly with their suppliers’ databases.
This could provide the “missing link” that will enable companies to
converge their product-realisation processes for greater
competitive advantage. It could certainly replace web browsing as
the fastest and most convenient interface for EDEs to get the
information they need to bring their ideas to fruition.
Author is Randall Restle, director of technical marketing at
Premier Farnell