Elementary Mr. Watson: Routing Hunger Games—May the Traces Be Ever in Your Favor
Target Condition: Floor Planning Without a Floor
Happy’s Tech Talk #42: Applying Density Equations to UHDI Design
ICD Releases 2015 Version of the ICD Stackup and PDN Planner
July 1, 2015 | In-Circuit Design Pty LtdEstimated reading time: 1 minute
In-Circuit Design Pty Ltd (ICD), Australia, developer of the ICD Stackup and PDN Planner software, has released the 2015 version of their popular software.
Impedance plots have been incorporated into this new release. “The impedance plots are simulated by multiple passes of the field solver (in the background) to create heads-up graphs of how to adjust the particular variables to achieve the target impedance.” said Barry Olney, CEO.
Further, with the addition of Panasonic Megtron 7 E-glass and Low Dk-glass (34MHz) the dielectric materials library has been increased to an impressive 16,700 ready-to-use materials up to 100GHz. There are also over 5,250 capacitors, derived from SPICE models, in the PDN library.
The IPC-2581B format, bi-directional interface has now been thoroughly tested by the IPC-2581 Consortium. “This new feature gives the ICD Stackup Planner the ability to import/export Cadence Allegro 16.6 and OrCAD 16.6 stackups and to import Altium Designer and Zuken CR-8000 & CR-5000 stackups” said Olney.
Existing support customers are advised to contact ICD to obtain download instructions for both the new software and the 2015 license server. Owners of a previous version may upgrade at an affordable price.
About In-Circuit Design Pty Ltd
In-Circuit Design Pty Ltd, based in Australia, developed the ICD Stackup and PDN Planner software, is a PCB Design Service Bureau and specialist in board level simulation. For further information or to download a free evaluation of the software, please go to www.icd.com.au
All trademarks are trademarks of their respective owner.
Share on:
Testimonial
"The I-Connect007 team is outstanding—kind, responsive, and a true marketing partner. Their design team created fresh, eye-catching ads, and their editorial support polished our content to let our brand shine. Thank you all! "
Sweeney Ng - CEE PCBSuggested Items
The Global Electronics Association Launches Design Village at APEX EXPO 2026
09/02/2025 | Global Electronics AssociationAPEX EXPO, the hallmark electronics tradeshow hosted by the Global Electronics Association, announced the launch of the Design Village, a new feature in the exhibit hall that will unite the world’s leading innovators and showcase next-generation solutions for the electronics industry.
Mastering PCB Floor Planning
08/28/2025 | Stephen V. Chavez, Siemens EDAPlacement of PCB components is far more than just fitting components onto a board. It’s a strategic and critical foundational step, often called “floor planning,” that profoundly impacts the board’s performance, reliability, manufacturability, and cost. Floor planning ties into the solvability perspective, with performance and manufacturability being the other two competing perspectives for addressing and achieving success in PCB design.
Elementary Mr. Watson: Routing Hunger Games—May the Traces Be Ever in Your Favor
08/26/2025 | John Watson -- Column: Elementary, Mr. WatsonI’d like to share a harsh truth, and I say this as a friend: PCB designers are often their own worst enemy. It’s rarely the complexity of the circuit, the last-minute changes from mechanical, the limited enclosure space, or the ever-expanding list of design rules that send projects to the dust heap of failed boards. More often, it's our own decisions, made too quickly and narrowly, and with too little foresight, that sabotage an otherwise good design.
Target Condition: Floor Planning Without a Floor
08/27/2025 | Kelly Dack -- Column: Target ConditionBy a show of hands, how many PCB designers have been asked to start a layout without a board outline, keep-out zones, or even height constraints? How many have had to work within a specific enclosure before the schematic was finalized? If this sounds familiar, you're not alone. Starting a PCB layout without critical constraints is like hiring an interior designer to buy furniture and carpet for a house you haven’t even purchased yet, or, even worse, trying to fit four bedrooms' worth of furniture in a one-room cabin.
I-Connect007 Editor's Choice: Five Must-Reads for the Week
08/22/2025 | Andy Shaughnessy, I-Connect007In this week’s roundup, we have a variety of articles covering design, manufacturing, sustainability, and, of course, tariff negotiations. We have a milestone anniversary to celebrate as well, with Dan Beaulieu about to publish his 1,000th column. When does Dan even sleep? Here’s to hoping that we have 1,000 more weeks of "It’s Only Common Sense."