Multi-Board PCB System Design

System design combines traditional PCB design and adds the complexity of maintaining connectivity in a multi-board PCB system. The system architect’s challenge is to reduce board count while balancing functionality across multiple boards to optimize cost, formfactor, and performance. The right system design software and the right system simulation and analysis software can make it easy to ensure design connectivity and eliminate unnecessary system re-spins to correct connectivity mismatches in your multi-board PCB system designs.

System Architecture Design and Definition

The first step to making your electronic system vision a reality is to draw a big- picture diagram. Then you redraw it again, each time with more and more detail. But you still keep coming back to that big-picture diagram.

Cadence^® Allegro^® System Capture is a complete diagram and schematic capture tool for system architects and electrical engineers for electronic hardware system design. Use it to create a system-level diagram that scales to infinite detail, maintaining block connectivity at every level.

Partitioning your systems is easy. You can create new schematics blocks, or use existing proven schematics and board layout to save time and better ensure functionality. System architects and hardware engineers alike can efficiently manage connectivity across the entire PCB system and probe connections to ensure integrity across multiple boards, eliminating unnecessary system re-spins to correct connectivity mismatches across boards.

Multi-Board Assembly and Layout

As board count increases, efficiency becomes exponentially more important. Allegro PCB Designer allows teams to collaborate more efficiently, design more efficient boards, and to maintain cost efficiency. When done correctly, your rewards are multiplied as more boards are included in the system.

Divide the boards among multiple designers, or collaborate on a single board in real time with the Allegro PCB Symphony Team Design Option. At any point, bring everything into a single assembly in a single environment and find opportunities to reduce board count and optimize performance.

Verify your system will fit inside the enclosure in the interactive 3D canvas, providing real-time assembly virtual prototyping.

Allegro and Sigrity^™ technologies have the advanced design tools you need to optimize the signal, power, and EMI performance for complex multi-board PCB systems.

System Simulation

The Allegro Sigrity PI and Allegro Sigrity SI solutions integrate with Allegro PCB Designer and allow your teams to optimize the performance of high-speed signals and power delivery networks (PDNs) for your whole system.