My components have disintegrated into pieces!! [SOLVED]
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Ford Prefect
- Posts: 39
- Joined: 17 Mar 2017, 15:32
My components have disintegrated into pieces!! [SOLVED]
PCB Layout
I'm not exactly sure what I have done but I was just playing around and put some components onto a new PCB layout as in photo1.
[attachment=0]DP1.jpg[/attachment]
I then grouped them together by selecting them all and selecting Edit Group (or Ctrl+G).
Then I cannot remember what I done next but now I have noticed that all my components have now disintegrated and broken into pieces. For example, if I select a component (photo2),
[attachment=1]DP2.jpg[/attachment]
...it is not the component that is selected but only part of it and when I move it only the outline that is selected moves as in photo3 so in this case the ring (yellow arrow) moves but the pads remain (shown by the red arrow)
[attachment=2]DP3.jpg[/attachment]
And this is the case with ALL the components.
How do I get the components together again?
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Last edited by Ford Prefect on 04 Feb 2023, 09:47, edited 1 time in total.
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Ford Prefect
- Posts: 39
- Joined: 17 Mar 2017, 15:32
Re: My components have disintegrated into pieces!!
In answer to my question above... I have discovered an option in the right-click menu.
If you select all the bits within the broken component (lines, pads etc.) and right-click and select 'Group into Component' it creates a component and gives it a ResDes of 'Ux' where x is a number.
If you then select a component and right-click and select 'Ungroup Component' it breaks it up again.
So my final question is ...Why do these commands exist in the right-click menus and what is the reason to break up a component on a PCB Layout?
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If you select all the bits within the broken component (lines, pads etc.) and right-click and select 'Group into Component' it creates a component and gives it a ResDes of 'Ux' where x is a number.
If you then select a component and right-click and select 'Ungroup Component' it breaks it up again.
So my final question is ...Why do these commands exist in the right-click menus and what is the reason to break up a component on a PCB Layout?
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Re: My components have disintegrated into pieces!!
I'm guessing the "Ungroup/Regroup Component" tools are generally intended for those creating a PCB without a schematic, therefore one would assume the reasoning behind being able to break up a component on the PCB is to allow a local modification of its elements (e.g. trimming the silkscreen to eliminate interference with another nearby component, or changing a pad within the pattern, etc).
If the layout is driven by a schematic this process will "unsync" the PCB's modified component from the schematic's (hidden IDs no longer match), so the user needs to remember this when changing anything on the schematic. When the PCB component's RefDes does not match its counterpart in the schematic, "re-syncing" the two (PCB main menu > File > Update Layout from Schematic > By RefDes...) should cause the update process to skip over the PCB component's pattern (if it is locked), leaving the two formerly-related components "unsynced". Otherwise, an unlocked and modified component will be deleted. Conversely, when the PCB component's RefDes is returned to its original name before the update begins, "re-syncing" will change the PCB component's pattern to match whatever pattern is attached to the schematic's component; and this will defeat the purpose of the initial PCB component modification. There is also the possibility that the newly-imported pattern might be rotated/moved.
I don't happen to be a user of the "Ungroup/Regroup Component" tools, but instead prefer modifying patterns at the Pattern Editor stage and then implementing the manual forward propagation process.
If the layout is driven by a schematic this process will "unsync" the PCB's modified component from the schematic's (hidden IDs no longer match), so the user needs to remember this when changing anything on the schematic. When the PCB component's RefDes does not match its counterpart in the schematic, "re-syncing" the two (PCB main menu > File > Update Layout from Schematic > By RefDes...) should cause the update process to skip over the PCB component's pattern (if it is locked), leaving the two formerly-related components "unsynced". Otherwise, an unlocked and modified component will be deleted. Conversely, when the PCB component's RefDes is returned to its original name before the update begins, "re-syncing" will change the PCB component's pattern to match whatever pattern is attached to the schematic's component; and this will defeat the purpose of the initial PCB component modification. There is also the possibility that the newly-imported pattern might be rotated/moved.
I don't happen to be a user of the "Ungroup/Regroup Component" tools, but instead prefer modifying patterns at the Pattern Editor stage and then implementing the manual forward propagation process.
Tom
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Ford Prefect
- Posts: 39
- Joined: 17 Mar 2017, 15:32
Re: My components have disintegrated into pieces!!
This is quite an interesting and possibly good and bad command.
So long as you don't spend hours or days designing a PCB layout with many components then select all of them and accidentally ungroup all the components, this would be a disaster!! You would have to recreate the PCB layout which would take hours,
However, on the good side you could slightly change the design of a component if needed very quickly.
Eg.
1. I have dragged across a 8 pin IC from the library and connected some rat lines then selected it as in <photo4> 2. I then right-clicked and selected 'Ungroup Component' as in <photo5> 3. I then rearranged the component into a new redesigned component as in <photo6> 4. I then right-clicked and selected 'Group into Component' as in <photo7> 5. This then created a new redesigned component which I gave the RefDef T1 as in <photo8> Observations:
The pin numbers remain as in the original component, but these pin numbers can be renumbered into different pin numbers by selecting the pin, right-clicking and giving the pin a new number.
So long as you don't spend hours or days designing a PCB layout with many components then select all of them and accidentally ungroup all the components, this would be a disaster!! You would have to recreate the PCB layout which would take hours,
However, on the good side you could slightly change the design of a component if needed very quickly.
Eg.
1. I have dragged across a 8 pin IC from the library and connected some rat lines then selected it as in <photo4> 2. I then right-clicked and selected 'Ungroup Component' as in <photo5> 3. I then rearranged the component into a new redesigned component as in <photo6> 4. I then right-clicked and selected 'Group into Component' as in <photo7> 5. This then created a new redesigned component which I gave the RefDef T1 as in <photo8> Observations:
The pin numbers remain as in the original component, but these pin numbers can be renumbered into different pin numbers by selecting the pin, right-clicking and giving the pin a new number.
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