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Specctra

{{Use dmy dates|date=January 2022|cs1-dates=y}}

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{{Infobox software

| name = Specctra / Allegro PCB Router

| logo =

| screenshot =

| caption =

| author = Cooper & Chyan Technology, Inc.

| developer = Cadence Design Systems

| released = 1989

| latest release version = 17.4 – 22.1

| latest release date = 20 October 2022

| latest preview version =

| latest preview date =

| operating system = Unix, Windows

| platform =

| language =

| genre = САD

| license = Proprietary

| website = http://www.cadence.com/

}}

Specctra is a commercial PCB auto-router originally developed by John F. Cooper and David Chyan of Cooper & Chyan Technology, Inc. (CCT) in 1989. The company and product were taken over by Cadence Design Systems in May 1997. Since its integration into Cadence's Allegro PCB Editor, the name of the router is Allegro PCB Router. The latest version is 17.4 – 22.1 (20 October 2022).

Specctra routes boards by presenting graphical data using a "shape-based" technology which represents graphical objects not as a set of points-coordinates but more compact. This increases the efficiency of routing printed circuit boards with a high density of components, provides automatic routing of the same chain of tracks of different widths, and more.

Specctra uses adaptive algorithms implemented in multiple trace runs. The routing is carried out in three stages:

  1. preview routing
  2. autoroute
  3. additional processing of autoroute results

On the first pass, the connection of all conductors is performed, regardless of the presence of conflicts, which consist in crossing the conductors on one layer and breaking the gaps. On each subsequent pass, the auto-router tries to reduce the number of conflicts by breaking and re-building connections (the ripup-and-retry router method) and pushing the conductors by pushing the neighboring ones (the push-and-shove router method). Electromagnetic compatibility can be tested in Specctra through the "SPECCTRAQuest SI Expert" module.

The program is compatible with many design systems for printed circuit boards, thanks to the use of industrial-standard DSN design file format for project description and Do-files to specify routing strategies.

The results are returned to the board editor via SES session files as well as RTE files. Protocol command execution is recorded in Did-file, which after editing can be used as new Do-files.

The DSN/SES file formats are also supported by a number of other auto-routers including KONEKT ELECTRA, Eremex TopoR, Alfons Wirtz's FreeRouting and RL-based DeepPCB.

List of EDA tools supporting Specctra

See also

References

{{reflist|refs=

{{cite web |title=EDA pioneer takes startup to new routing ground |author-first=Richard |author-last=Goering |date=2005-08-22 |url=https://www.embedded.com/print/4054945 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181022033510/https://www.embedded.com/print/4054945 |archive-date=2018-10-22}}

{{cite web |title=Allegro PCB Designer - Constraint-driven PCB design |url=http://www.cadence.com/products/pcb/pcb_design/pages/default.aspx |access-date=2022-11-14 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221114154417/https://www.cadence.com/en_US/home/tools/pcb-design-and-analysis.html |archive-date=2022-11-14}}

{{cite journal |title=Specctra-practical experience system. Tracer Cadence Specctra expert // Components and Technologies |author-last=Yolshin |author-first=Y. |date=2006 |journal= |number=58}}

{{cite web |title=Spectra PLMpedia |url=http://plmpedia.ru/wiki/Spectra |access-date=2022-11-14 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200223210806/http://plmpedia.ru/wiki/Spectra |archive-date=2020-02-23}}

{{cite web |title=Cadence, Cooper & Chyan to merge |date=1996-11-21 |author=EDN staff |work=EDN |url=https://www.edn.com/electronics-news/4340410/Cadence-Cooper--Chyan-to-merge |access-date=2022-11-14 |archive-url= |archive-date=}}

{{cite web |title=KONEKT Shape Based PCB Autorouting - ELECTRA PCB AutoRouting |date=2017 |publisher=KONEKT |url=http://konekt.com/c5/index.php/resources/ |access-date=2017-09-24 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170923224640/http://konekt.com/c5/index.php |archive-date=2017-09-23}}

{{cite web |title=FreeRouting - Printed Circuit Board Routing Software from FreeRouting.net |author-first=Alfons |author-last=Wirtz |website=GitHub |date=2014-03-08 |orig-date=2004 |url=https://github.com/nikropht/FreeRouting |access-date=2017-09-24 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170923230146/https://github.com/nikropht/FreeRouting |archive-date=2017-09-23}}

{{cite web |title=TopoR Version History - What's New in TopoR version 6.2 |publisher=Eremex |date=2017-09-24 |url=http://eda.eremex.com/support/versionhistory.html |access-date=2017-09-24 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170924125515/http://eda.eremex.com/support/versionhistory.html |archive-date=2017-09-24}} (NB. Includes a list of new features since TopoR 3.0.)

{{cite web |title=DeepPCB: Pure AI-Powered Cloud Native PCB Routing |work=DeepPCB |url=https://deeppcb.ai |access-date=2022-11-14 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220827022616/https://deeppcb.ai/ |archive-date=2022-08-27}}

{{cite web |title=eagle2freerouter-8-march-2014.zip / eagle2freerouter.ulp / brd_to_dsn_v6.ulp |author=Elco |date=2014-03-08 |orig-date=2013-06-04, 2011-12-15 |department=EAGLE Support: User Language Programs (ULP) |publisher=Autodesk |url=http://eagle.autodesk.com/eagle/ulp?utf8=%E2%9C%93&q%5Btitle_or_author_or_description_cont%5D=dsn&button= |access-date=2022-01-01 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210428095319/http://eagle.autodesk.com/eagle/ulp?utf8=%E2%9C%93&q[title_or_author_or_description_cont]=dsn&button= |archive-date=2021-04-28}}

{{cite web |title=ulp_user/brd_to_dsn.ulp |author-first=Robert |author-last=Starr |website=GitHub |date=2006-02-22 |url=https://github.com/robertstarr/ulp_user/blob/master/brd_to_dsn.ulp |access-date=2022-01-01 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210422181554/https://github.com/robertstarr/ulp_user/blob/master/brd_to_dsn.ulp |archive-date=2021-04-22}}

{{cite web |title=Version 17.4 - 22.1 Released |url=https://community.cadence.com/cadence_blogs_8/b/pcb/posts/cadence-orcad-and-allegro-22-1-is-now-available |website=Cadence |access-date=9 December 2022}}

}}

Further reading

  • {{cite web |title=XNAS:CDNS Cadence Design Systems Inc Annual Report |newspaper=Morning Star |date=1997-12-28 |url=http://quote.morningstar.com/stock-filing/Annual-Report/1997/12/28/t.aspx?t=XNAS:CDNS&ft=10-K&d=0e64b5a67b2c7b4d |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181021232440/http://quote.morningstar.com/stock-filing/Annual-Report/1997/12/28/t.aspx?t=XNAS:CDNS&ft=10-K&d=0e64b5a67b2c7b4d |archive-date=2018-10-21}}
  • {{cite web |title=Cooper and Chyan Technology Inc. - -Shape-based autorouter for PCB |date=2014-05-07 |url=https://semiengineering.com/entities/cooper-and-chyan-technology-inc/ |access-date=2022-11-14 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200530060719/https://semiengineering.com/entities/cooper-and-chyan-technology-inc/ |archive-date=2020-05-30}}
  • {{cite web |title=David Chyan of Cadence Receives Gene Marsh Award for Technical Innovation at PCB Design Conference East |date=1999-10-29 |location=San Jose, California, USA |url=http://www.adapticom1.net/web/cooper-chyan-router.html |access-date=2022-11-14 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221114155657/http://www.adapticom1.net/web/cooper-chyan-router.html |archive-date=2022-11-14}}
  • {{cite web |title=Interface for SPECCTRA |work=p-cad 2002 |publisher=Altium Limited |date=2002 |url=https://www.jlab.org/accel/eecad/manuals/Interface.pdf |access-date=2022-11-14 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181023032225/https://www.jlab.org/accel/eecad/manuals/Interface.pdf |archive-date=2018-10-23}} (16 pages)
  • {{cite web |title=Allegro PCB Router: What's New in Release 15.5.1 |version=15.5.1 |date=December 2005 |url=https://community.cadence.com/cfs-file/__key/telligent-evolution-components-attachments/00-27-01-00-00-00-51-96/specctraWN.pdf |access-date=2022-11-14 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://archive.today/20181101192747/https://community.cadence.com/cfs-file/__key/telligent-evolution-components-attachments/00-27-01-00-00-00-51-96/specctraWN.pdf |archive-date=2018-11-01}}

External links

  • http://www.cadence.com/products/pcb/pcb_design/pages/default.aspx Official website
  • http://www.dsioffe.narod.ru/myspecctra

{{CAD software}}

Category:Electronic design automation software