A Parallel Systems Technical Note

How to design and output slots in PCB Editor

Introduction
Slots are a common occurrence in PCB Designs today. They allow “float” for fixing hole locations or may be there
for other reasons. This App note describes how to create the slot using the Cadence Padstack Editor. It also covers
the steps required to output the data for fabrication. It is important to note that this App note only covers the
settings for slots in Padstack Editor. For the full explanation of the Padstack Editor settings please refer to the
Cadence documentation.

How to create a Slot

Start by designing the slot using the Padstack Editor from Windows icon > Cadence PCB Utilities 17.4-2019 >
Padstack Editor 17.4.

Define a name using File > New then specify units, decimal places, set the padstack usage to be slot and then
choose a default pad geometry. For this example, we are going to design a 1mm x 2mm Oval slot with a drill
tolerance of ±0.3mm. Now select the Drill tab and choose oval slot as the slot type. The Slot Y size is the diameter
of the slot and the Slot X size is the length of the slot based on overall length. Set also the X and Y tolerances to
match ±0.3mm. You also have to choose whether the slot is Plated or Non-Plated. Once the slot sizes are entered
you can see a preview of the slot drill size.

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How to design and output slots in PCB Editor

Now choose The Drill Symbol tab to define the slot symbol Figure. The size of the figure is defined by default,
based on the slot x and y sizes. You can add a Character if required. These are used for the NC Drill Legend in PCB
Editor.

We now need to define the Design Layers (actual pad sizes required for our Plated slot). Choose the Design Layers
tab.

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How to design and output slots in PCB Editor

Depending on if the slot is a mechanical based slot then you may only need to specify Solder Mask layers using
the Mask Layers tab. For this example, we are going to design a plated slot so need the Pad Definition to cover the
Begin, Default Internal and End layers.

Change the Geometry for the BEGIN Layer dropdown from None to Oblong in this example and then enter values
for the width and height sizes of the slot. You can also enter offsets for the slot centre (if required) or even use a
shape symbol for the pad geometry. In this example I have increased the pad size to be 1mm larger than the
actual slot drill size giving an overall increase of 0.5mm . You may need to confirm this with the IPC 7251 standard
or the manufacturers datasheet to match your requirements.

Once the BEGIN layer has been defined, we can use CTRL+C (Copy) and CTRL+V (Paste) to define the Default
Internal and END layer definitions. In this example we are not defining thermal or anti-pads. Most modern designs
use positive dynamic shapes and PCB Editor rules can be used to define clearances / thermal reliefs to shapes
using Constraint Manager.

Once defined, you will be able to see a Top and side view of the defined pad stack in the Views window. You can
also define Soldermask’s and Pastemask’s accordingly to complete your pad design by choosing the Mask Layers
tab and repeating the steps above. The Pad is then saved to the relevant padpath library for use.

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How to design and output slots in PCB Editor

The Pad (slot) can now be used in a symbol (Package or Mechanical). The slot
is added exactly the same way you add any other pin. Use the Layout > Pins
command, then from the options menu browse to select and use the Pad you
designed. This can be a connect pin or a mechanical pin for a Package Symbol
and a mechanical pin only for a Mechanical Symbol. The example below is a
Mechanical Symbol. The slots have been added, along with a Via and Route
Keepout area and some Assembly lines to represent the mechanical body
outline. For further details on symbol creation please refer to the Cadence
documentation.

Using the symbol slots in a Board File

Mechanical symbols can be used in a board file using the Place > Mechanical Symbols (OrCAD) or Place >
Manually (Allegro) command, change the Components by refdes to Mechanical Symbols (you may also need to
select Library from the Advanced settings tab) to see the list of available symbols. Pick the part you require and
place on the board.

The NC Drill legend does reference the slots (as shown below) but the NC Drill does not reference the slots. You
will see a WARNING in the NC Drill file that the slots cannot be drilled and must be routed:-

If you are using version 16.5 or earlier before you create a NC Route file you will need to create an ncroutebits.txt
file. Since version 16.6 this file is created automatically. The ncroutebits.txt file specifies the tool size assigned to a
specific tool number. The ncroutebits.txt file should include a tool for each minor dimension of all the slotted
holes and any additional routing information. In our example the slot is 1mm x 2mm so the minor width of 1.0 is

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How to design and output slots in PCB Editor

defined and assigned to T01. The line width on the BOARD GEOMTERY/NCROUTE_PATH is 2.54mm so 2.54 is
defined and assigned to T02. The ncroutebits.txt file can be stored in the same location as the board file.

1.00 T01
2.54 T02

For routing of the PCB profile, you can if you choose define a start and finish point. The direction in which a route
path is cut can be controlled by adding the character '1' at (or near) the vertex that you want to be the start point
of the cut. This character (referred to as a 'start point indicator') is added by using the ADD TEXT command and
adding text on the layer BOARD GEOMTERY/NCROUTE_PATH. In the case of a complete loop, direction can be
specified by adding the character '1' at the first point on the path and the character '2' at the second point along
the path.

To run the route tools, use Manufacture > NC > NC Route (Allegro) or Export > NC Route (OrCAD). Define the NC
Parameters if required, and then click on Route. The Route file filename.rou is stored in the job directory. Below is
a partial output of NC Route.

M48
METRIC
T01C1.
T02C2.54
;EXTENTS: -16.002 -13.462 37.338 29.718
;LEADER: 12
;HEADER:
;CODE : ASCII
;FILE : filename.rou for board filename.brd
%
G90
F1
M16
T02
M16
G00X-01270Y-01270
M15
G01X-01270Y52070
G01X52070Y52070
G01X52070Y-01270
G01X-01270Y-01270
M16

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