Help with Printed Circuit Board Exports and Inventor Cable and Harness

[gpitel5MMGV]

Our goal would be that if Electrical team changes a printed circuit board (PCB), Inventor indicates a change in the assembly, allows update, connector constraints are retained (with in reason), and cable and harnesses adjust (within reason).

Presently our work flow for PCBs is to export from Altium as a STEP model. The STEP is imported into an Inventor assembly as a model reference (linked). When the Electrical team commits a change, Inventor indicates the STEP model is out of sync, and it can be updated using the Manage/Update command.  All our drawings are in version control (SVN) so we can keep our files in sync.

Inventor has a feature called Cable and Harness that allows us to create wire harnesses in the assembly, calculate wire lengths, route wire bundles, and create peg boards.

Inventor Wire and Harness requires IPT files for each connector/terminal type. The file defines some key snap points and includes an electrical pin. I tried disabling the connector component on the STEP, then use an insertion constraint on the PCB hole. When the PCB is updated, the hole moves, the constraint breaks and must be relinked. The wire harness will automatically adjust its routing.

As an alternative, we looked at importing as a IDF (*.brd file) created by Altium, which has a few advantages. These files are much smaller in size (for our case 9kB vs 3MB), and can be configured to automatically replace IDF components with those matching in Content Center (checkbox reuse components in Content Center). This makes pulling our custom Cable and Harness connectors in a breeze. However, there is no update indicator like with Model Reference, and must be manually/psychically replaced (provide some one notified you). IDF import creates an entirely new assembly and with parts that are dumped into the folder with the IDF file.

How does everyone here collaborating between electrical and mechanical teams? Our assemblies contain 10-20 PCBs which are constantly changing. 

[James_Willo]

When you say the PCB is updated, do you mean the connector is changed in Altium, or just moved?

My thoughts are that if it moves it should be fine, but if it is a brand new part in Altium, the geometry may change and Inventor no longer recognises it, breaking the constraint. 

I used to do a lot of Altium to Inventor, but this is maybe 12 years ago now so I am very hazy on the subject!

[gpitel5MMGV]

@James_Willo  I will clarify.   If we move a connector (footprint) in Altium,  the corresponding 3D Body and thru-holes move on the PCB.  When we export (either IDF or STEP) we get an assembly containing the PCB and all its individual components (see attached image).

With the STEP assembly export approach, we disable the STEP component for connector and overlay with an IPT component (Harness and Cable friendly) using the PCB holes as an insert constraint.  If the connector moves in Altium and Update performed in Inventor, insert constraints breaks, IPT stays in place in Inventor, the PCB thru-holes moved.  

With the IDF assembly export approach, there is not option to update, or know when Electrical makes a change, so while I feel this is the best -- its too risk prone an unsustainable for the large electro-mechanical systems we model.

[James_Willo]

Are you able to provide a STEP file of just a simple board with a connector please?

Then move the part and save another STEP and attach both files so I can have a look at them please?

[gpitel5MMGV]

Quick update, instead of apply constraints to PCB holes I applied them to STEP connector to IPT Connector.   

IPT connector replaces STEP connector through joint constraint to each other

Assembly Changes, connector shifted left, lighting-bolt appears (to indicate) change.

Update command applied, IPT and STEP connector move together.

   

This at least seems like workable solution but tedious.  If we can get change notification and easy updating working on the IDF method, this is preferred workflow. 

IDF has minimal file size, eliminates the tedious process of hiding the STEP connector,  adding the IPT connector, then adding constraint (taken care of automatically by Content Central).

[gpitel5MMGV]

@James_Willo  I have created a simple board example which demonstrates change (1164-01-044B -> 1164-01-044A), both in STEP (*.step) and IDF (*.brd + *.lib) format.   I have also include the IPT for file connector (QD-MALE.ipt), which should  replace terminal P10.

[James_Willo]

Hi, thanks for the dataset. I'm having the same issue.

I've logged this internally as a bug.

[Christian3.14]

Altium now has CoDesigner, which is an Inventor add-in. This allows connector constraints to be retained, and cable and harnesses to be adjusted when connectors move. It also works on keeping constraints in higher level assemblies. I imagine this still may be a problem for other PCB design software that doesn't have an add-in, but specifically regarding Altium to Inventor functionality, this is the best way.

[James_Willo]

Thanks for that. I'm guessing the add-in helps to retain the geometry internal names. If Altium just pushes out a brand new file each time then the internal IDs will be new and all the constraints will fail. I think this is what was happening in the original issue above.