As an engineer, you know that electronic system design (ESD) is about making hardware and software work together perfectly.
Every component – from microprocessors and memory devices to sensors and power supplies – must work in harmony to ensure optimal performance, low power consumption, and good reliability. Because this is how you best achieve a coherent and functional system.
Here, OrCAD X comes into the picture.
Get to grips with the most important technical parameters
When designing electronic systems, you must constantly find the right balance between functionality, performance, cost, and manufacturability, while complying with industry standards and regulations. It requires a focused and creative approach, where every decision plays a decisive role in the final result.
To help you on your way, we have put together the most important key parameters that you should focus on to create the optimal design:
- Functionality
The function of the system is decisive and guides your choice of components. Choose components that meet your needs for communication, power consumption, sensors, motors, and so on. - Direct current characteristics
Make sure your components have the right supply voltages, voltage tolerances, and logic levels (VIH, VIL, VOH, VOL) so you are sure they work together correctly. - Alternating current characteristics
Check the operating frequency, rise time, fall time, delay, setup and hold times of your AC components, such as frequency generators and memory modules. - Power consumption
Low power consumption is important, especially in portable and battery-powered systems. Hibernate and idle modes help conserve power when the system is inactive.
Design a solid power delivery network (PDN)
The power delivery network (PDN) is the key to a stable power supply in your systems. A good PDN distributes power to all components, reduces EMI, ground bounce, and power surges, and ensures clear return paths for sensitive signals. To achieve this, it is important to have a balanced current and ground distribution as well as controlled impedance routing. Use constraint management tools to optimize your PDN design and ensure that all parts work well together.
Just as a stable power supply is important, effective thermal management is critical to system reliability and longevity. Use heat sinks, fans, and special materials to keep the temperature low. Thermal simulation and modeling help with predicting and solving heating problems, while dynamic thermal management ensures that the system is always operating optimally.
How to make your design more energy efficient
Do you want to extend battery life, reduce operating costs, and protect the environment? Then the answer lies in energy efficiency. As an engineer, you can optimize your systems by using some smart techniques.
Dynamic voltage and frequency shifting (DVFS) is a very clever method. With dynamic voltage switching, the supply voltage is adjusted according to the workload, so the system uses less power when it is not in use. Dynamic frequency shifting varies the clock frequency to match the current computing requirements, meaning a lower frequency during light tasks saves energy.
Another important technique is power gating. Here you can use special transistors to switch off the current in inactive parts of the system so that you reduce energy loss. In addition, body biasing can adjust the voltage in the transistors to reduce power loss when the circuits are not in use.
These methods make your systems both more efficient and reliable while using less energy and benefiting the environment.
How OrCAD X makes a difference
OrCAD X makes your design process simpler and more efficient. With a user-friendly interface and advanced visualization and analysis functions, you ensure that your design is error-free and robust.
OrCAD X makes it easy to see your product in 3D and find problems early with the interactive 3D canvas. You get quick access to important data about your components and instant feedback on design errors with Live DRC. The built-in analysis tools, such as OrCAD PSpice, help you select and place components optimally, check reliability, and analyze costs.
Four clear advantages of OrCAD X
OrCAD X optimizes your design process and gives you clear benefits:
- Simplified production and documentation
With Live DOC, you ensure accurate and synchronized manufacturing and assembly drawings, while DesignTrue DFM helps you find errors early in the design phase that would otherwise make production difficult. - Improved design control
Customize your design environment with keyboard shortcuts to suit your work style. Use the simple navigation to easily compare and visualize different parts of the design. - Improved visualization and analysis
The interactive 3D canvas lets you see your product in 3D during the design process. You get up-to-date information about the components as you work and Live DRC notifies you immediately if there are design errors. - Integrated analysis and simulation
The integrated analysis and simulation tools help you to better select and place components by displaying real-time visual guides. OrCAD PSpice performs smoke analysis and sensitivity analysis to optimize costs.
With OrCAD X, you take your electronic system design to completely new heights. OrCAD X streamlines your workflow, increases efficiency, and helps you take your innovative ideas to the next level.