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How can I customise the PCB Editor View?

This tutorial requires:

DesignSpark PCB V11.0.0

When working on your PCB layout the view can be configured to optimise it to the task being performed.

Selecting what layers are visible allows you to get a clear view of the required layers that you are working on, turning off the solder mask layer for example allows the copper gaps/spacing to be visualised.

The "Colours" and "Design Technology" options also provide further customisations to enhance your design experience as you require.

The features available vary by tier, here we describe the core features available to all tiers. Explorer and Creator are limited to these, Engineer has many extras for professional use which will be described separately.

Selecting displayed layers.

From the "Layers" bar, layers to be displayed can be selected (or disabled) via the check box against each layer.

There are further options available, right-click on the whitespace below the layers and a pop-up window is displayed with the following options:

"All Layers Off", which can then be used with layer checkboxes to display only the layers you require.

"All Layers On", which quickly displays the all-layers view.

Plus options to toggle the display of Top and Bottom layers.

The above is useful for quickly displaying the required PCB view without having to keep using the layer checkboxes.

There is also a link to the Colours tools (also accessible by the shortcut "C").

Using the Colours option.

Selecting the Colours menu brings up the following window.

From here you can see the current settings for the PCB Editor view.

For the "Displayed" column you will observe the current layers that are displayed.

All the PCB Editor colours can be changed here if required by clicking on the grid and selecting a new colour.

There is also a column "Selectable", use this with caution, if a layer is set as not selectable you may find unexpected behaviour in the PCB Editor! However, this option is useful when editing the PCB with a high-density of components or multiple copper layers allowing you to select the required item.

An example of where changing a colour may helpful.

New users may initially find the copper pour boundary confusing as it is the same colour as the copper layer it is applied to. Several points on the copper pour boundary are indicated below which could be confused at first with tracks.

This can easily be changed in the Colours options if required as illustrated below.

Double-click on the grid box at the intersection of the "Pour Areas" column and the "Top Copper" row and change this to another colour as shown. It is worth keeping the selected colour related to the actual copper layer colour to indicate it is related to that layer.

Using the above will produce the following view in the PCB Editor which you may prefer.

Changing the PCB background colour.

The default black background is often the preferred colour for contrast with the layer colours, but this can be changed on the "Colours" options on the "Settings and Highlights" tab.

Use the pull-down arrow next to "Background" to select a colour.

With the above colour selected the PCB Editor now displays:

How to view the solder paste.

Depending on how you started your PCB layout using the Wizard, you may not actually have Solder Paste and Solder Resist layers in your list. Do not be concerned as these layers will still be present in the Manufacturing Plots as they are automatically generated from the pads and their type.

You only require these layers if you wish to add further openings for example remove the solder resist under a component tab to allow direct thermal and electrical contact with the copper.

Assuming you set up the PCB to have these layers you can perform the following:

Attempting to display the solder paste mask you may initially be surprised it does not display with the other layers also enabled. DSPCB is essentially a top-down view of the PCB with the layers higher up the list being displayed on top of those below.

In the case of the past mask openings, these are smaller than the copper pads and are therefore hidden. To view the paste openings you need to change the order in the Design Technology such that the Paste Mask Layer is above the Copper Layer.

Launch the Design Technology which is under "Settings" on the menubar or use the shortcut <Shift> + <T> 

Select the Top Paste Mask layer and use the <Up> button to move it above the Top Copper layer.

Use <Apply> to see the change in the PCB editor view and <OK> to accept and close the window.

The PCB will now appear as below showing the paste area above the copper pads.

Note that the solder mask i.e. the resist (green) is shown as a negative, so actually shows the gaps in the solder mask. The mask is filled, i.e. it will not be applied over the copper pads! If you wish to confirm this simply toggle off the top copper and top paste layers.

Finally for additional help, with any window open press <F1> for help on that topic or use the index or search the Help file.

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