Software-supported review process shortens time to market

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ROHM Semiconductor GmbH

Version comparison of a PCB design

‘Find the error’ – Children love to play at finding the differences between two hidden objects. But identifying the difference between two printouts of a PCB layout is not quite so much fun. Version comparison is one of the unique advantages of PCB-Investigator. The more complex the electronics and the greater the number of teams working on it, the more important it is that every version be not only documented, but also compared and approved by everyone involved.

This entails both a graphical comparison and a comparison of assembly data and network connections. An electronic product is created first and foremost by skilfully connecting networks that reproduce the electrical characteristics of a device. PCB-Investigator automatically prepares all of the network information for the user in such a way as to enable him or her to obtain an overview of the design of the PCB as quickly as possible.

A printed circuit diagram is no longer absolutely necessary to obtain a comprehensive overview. One important factor in the initial and subsequent development of PCBs is network list comparison. Design changes and version supplements can be incorporated into change lists. The electronic support provided by the PCB-Investigator makes it easy for anyone to compare layers or boards, even for highly complex products. The results are presented to the user in a form that makes every modification step easy to follow and provides the user with all of the information they need to make a decision.

During the development process, changes are made to the components due to optimisation. These design changes can be identified and interpreted immediately when comparing the components on two available PCBs. PCB-Investigator standardises the lists of components and enables the purchasing department to establish an automatic connection between the bill of materials and the ERP system.

The current price of each component with a part number is determined via the interface, added and displayed in reports. The sales department is responsible for the qualification process for alternative materials or parts. Constant price negotiations and periodic evaluations of delivery capability are part of the material selection process and ultimately pave the way for an affordable, reliable product guaranteed to be available over the long term.

Until now, the usual practice was to rely on a variety of unconnected bills of materials. Every PCB-Investigator user relies on the same, basic, project-specific parts list, so that data specific to each department stays up to date and always remains consistent. A user-specific view enables employees in development, purchasing, production, logistics, sales and other departments to access a database that always represents the current product development status.

At the same time, users can see at any time what changes were made to components and when, whether due to design changes or the selection of better or cheaper parts or parts that will be available for longer.

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