Cadstar
Encyclopedia
CADSTAR is a Windows
based EDA
software tool for designing and creating schematic
diagrams and printed circuit board
s. It provides engineers with a competitively priced, scalable solution for designing simple or complex, multilayer PCBs. CADSTAR spans schematic capture
, spice simulation, variant management, placement, automatic and high-speed routing, signal integrity
, power integrity, EMC analysis, a 3D design tool, design rule checks and production of manufacturing data. It also features internet-accessible libraries of more than 250,000 parts. Originally developed by U.K. PCB vendor Racal-Redac, CADSTAR has been part of the Zuken
product portfolio since its acquisition in 1994 .
The first version of CADSTAR was released in 1988 running under DOS
. CADSTAR for Windows
1.0 was released in March 1994. Since then, it has seen about one major release per year. The latest version, as of August 2010, is CADSTAR version 12.1 for Windows . The software is developed at Zuken
's Technology Centre, ZTC in Bristol
, United Kingdom
.
The basic features of CADSTAR can be tested with the free download version of CADSTAR Express .
Microsoft Windows
Microsoft Windows is a series of operating systems produced by Microsoft.Microsoft introduced an operating environment named Windows on November 20, 1985 as an add-on to MS-DOS in response to the growing interest in graphical user interfaces . Microsoft Windows came to dominate the world's personal...
based EDA
Electronic design automation
Electronic design automation is a category of software tools for designing electronic systems such as printed circuit boards and integrated circuits...
software tool for designing and creating schematic
Schematic
A schematic diagram represents the elements of a system using abstract, graphic symbols rather than realistic pictures. A schematic usually omits all details that are not relevant to the information the schematic is intended to convey, and may add unrealistic elements that aid comprehension...
diagrams and printed circuit board
Printed circuit board
A printed circuit board, or PCB, is used to mechanically support and electrically connect electronic components using conductive pathways, tracks or signal traces etched from copper sheets laminated onto a non-conductive substrate. It is also referred to as printed wiring board or etched wiring...
s. It provides engineers with a competitively priced, scalable solution for designing simple or complex, multilayer PCBs. CADSTAR spans schematic capture
Schematic capture
Schematic capture or schematic entry is a step in the design cycle of electronic design automation at which the electronic diagram, or electronic schematic of the designed electronic circuit is created by a designer...
, spice simulation, variant management, placement, automatic and high-speed routing, signal integrity
Signal integrity
Signal integrity or SI is a set of measures of the quality of an electrical signal. In digital electronics, a stream of binary values is represented by a voltage waveform. However, digital signals are fundamentally analog in nature, and all signals are subject to effects such as noise,...
, power integrity, EMC analysis, a 3D design tool, design rule checks and production of manufacturing data. It also features internet-accessible libraries of more than 250,000 parts. Originally developed by U.K. PCB vendor Racal-Redac, CADSTAR has been part of the Zuken
Zuken
is a Japanese multinational corporation, specializing in software and consulting services for end-to-end electrical and electronic engineering. Zuken came into existence as a pioneer in the development of CAD systems in Japan to contribute to electronics manufacturing...
product portfolio since its acquisition in 1994 .
The first version of CADSTAR was released in 1988 running under DOS
DOS
DOS, short for "Disk Operating System", is an acronym for several closely related operating systems that dominated the IBM PC compatible market between 1981 and 1995, or until about 2000 if one includes the partially DOS-based Microsoft Windows versions 95, 98, and Millennium Edition.Related...
. CADSTAR for Windows
Microsoft Windows
Microsoft Windows is a series of operating systems produced by Microsoft.Microsoft introduced an operating environment named Windows on November 20, 1985 as an add-on to MS-DOS in response to the growing interest in graphical user interfaces . Microsoft Windows came to dominate the world's personal...
1.0 was released in March 1994. Since then, it has seen about one major release per year. The latest version, as of August 2010, is CADSTAR version 12.1 for Windows . The software is developed at Zuken
Zuken
is a Japanese multinational corporation, specializing in software and consulting services for end-to-end electrical and electronic engineering. Zuken came into existence as a pioneer in the development of CAD systems in Japan to contribute to electronics manufacturing...
's Technology Centre, ZTC in Bristol
Bristol
Bristol is a city, unitary authority area and ceremonial county in South West England, with an estimated population of 433,100 for the unitary authority in 2009, and a surrounding Larger Urban Zone with an estimated 1,070,000 residents in 2007...
, United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
.
The basic features of CADSTAR can be tested with the free download version of CADSTAR Express .
Modules
- Schematic Capture Provides a smooth and error-free transition between schematics and PCB supporting forward- and backannotation.
- E³.logic Integrated with CADSTAR, E³.logic is an alternative schematic capture solution based on Zuken’s E³.seriesE³.seriesZuken’s E³.series is a software for the creation of electrical and fluid designs, for wiring, harnesses, cable assemblies, control panels, hydraulics and pneumatics. It is ideal for designing interdependent systems in one project environment...
. - Variant Manager Supports hierarchical variants and intelligent checking of components.
- Placement Planning Enables electronic engineers to preplace components, offering a comprehensive range of component placement tools.
- CADSTAR FPGA Allows designers to easily integrate FPGAs in the PCB board.
- Library Editor Offers access to more than 250,000 parts and allows the generation of company-specific components with user-defined attributes. Supports ODBC compliant databases.
- Datasheet Publisher Generates customized datasheets for each part in the library, extracting all the part information from any component into a (configurable) HTML Datasheet.
- High-Speed P.R.Editor Allows the user to define a wide range of circuit rules and routing constraints early in the design process.
- Signal Integrity Verify Offers a complete post-layout signal integrity simulation toolset and what-if analysis.
- Power Integrity Fast analysis methodology including what-if analysis for concurrent power integrity.
- EMC Adviser Helps designers predict, analyze and control EMC design issues.
- Dragon Autorouter Revolutionary autorouter tackles your toughest designs. Enables easy set up and management of all routing tasks.
- BoardModeler Light Displays 3D electronic and mechanical information in a single environment. Supports STEP, ACIS, STL and IDF formats. Allows electrical or mechanical engineers to check for conflicts and verify spacing and fit.
- Design Migration Tool Helps you easily migrate designs and libraries from other EDA-tools into CADSTAR.
See also
- Electronic Design AutomationElectronic design automationElectronic design automation is a category of software tools for designing electronic systems such as printed circuit boards and integrated circuits...
- Printed Circuit BoardPrinted circuit boardA printed circuit board, or PCB, is used to mechanically support and electrically connect electronic components using conductive pathways, tracks or signal traces etched from copper sheets laminated onto a non-conductive substrate. It is also referred to as printed wiring board or etched wiring...
- ZukenZukenis a Japanese multinational corporation, specializing in software and consulting services for end-to-end electrical and electronic engineering. Zuken came into existence as a pioneer in the development of CAD systems in Japan to contribute to electronics manufacturing...
- CR-5000CR-5000CR-5000 is the flagship PCB design family from Zuken. It offers advanced functionality for the layout of multi-layer and high-speed printed circuit boards with integrated Signal Integrity and EMC analysis and optimization...
External links
- Zuken Official Cadstar Website
- Zuken Official Website in English
- Zuken Official Website in Japanese
- CADSTAR Express Download from the Zuken.com website