Macaos Enterprise User guide

Macaos Enterprise allows you to easily browse, panelize and place orders for printed circuit boards and solder paste stencils. This quick user guide will help you get started.
For more detailed info, use the Help menu in Macaos Enterprise to open the user manual.

Getting started

From the Get Macaos Enterprise page you can order download and login info. Once you receive the download link and your login info, simply download and run the setup program. The setup program will install a starter program which is used to check your connection and configure proxy settings (if necessary) befure updating itself to the latest version of Macaos Enterprise.

Program overview

The Macaos Enterprise main window consists of three main elements: an icon bar (top), a product explorer (left) and product details (right). The Icon Bar is used to access additional modules. These include:

  • The Import module is used to load Gerber and drill files and create (publish) a PCB product which is visible in the product explorer.
  • The Panel module is used to step up one or more PCB product(s) into a panel (array) suitable for automated assembly, and publish it to the product explorer.
  • The Stencil module is used to create a solder paste stencil product and publish it to the product explorer.
  • The Buy module is used to get prices and order the product selected in the product explorer.
  • The RFQ for Assembly module is used to request quotations from participating EMS providers.
  • The Add Masks module is used to add peel-off or other masks to a product after it has been published. This module is only available in the Pro version of Macaos Enterprise.
  • The Partner Manager and User Manager are used to manage contact info and partner relationships.

Product explorer

The Product explorer allows you to find and organize your company's products. The upper portion lists your product folders and the lower portion lists the products in the selected folder. In addition to the standard folders, you can create your own folders and subfolders to organize products however you wish.

Product details

Product details are shown in three tabs.

The Product info tab displays product properties. These include the product name, article number and description; board specifications, minimum tolerances, and board statistics. The board stackup is displayed as a diagram. Right-click on the diagram to view/save the stackup as a PDF document.

The Product view tab displays the product graphically. The check boxes in the layer list control which layers are visible. Right-click on a layer name to change the display color for that layer. The new color will be used for that layer throughout Macaos Enterprise. The current cursor position and board size are displayed below the file list.

To pan: right-click at the new center point, or right-click and drag horizontally or vertically. To zoom in: right-click and drag up to the right to select the desired region. To zoom out: right-click and drag down to the left. To zoom-to-fit: right-click and drag up to the left. The Help tab displays a quick reference for pan and zoom commands.

When no operational mode is selected, clicking and dragging with the left mouse button displays the distance from the clicked point to the mouse cursor. Press Ctrl+U to toggle between inch and mm display.

In some cases, a file list appears below the layer list. These are product data and documentation files which you may view or download. Double-click on a file to view it. Right-click on a file to save it. Right-click on the list to add a document to the product.

The Product history tab lists the order history and production history for the selected product. For each order, the relevant numbers and dates are shown. Clicking on an order number opens a PDF viewer displaying the order confirmation. Clicking on an underlined shipment tracking number opens a web browser with shipment tracking info, if available. Clicking on an underlined pack list number displays shipment details.

Importing Gerber and drill files

To create a product, you need to do the following:

  1. Using the CAD system of your choice, generate Gerber and Drill files for your product. See Gerber file generation tips for info on generating files from some commonly used CAD systems.
  2. Prepare for a new product. Open the Import Module, or choose File|New product if you have previously been working with a different product.
  3. Open the data files. Choose File|Open files to open files and add them to the files listed in the Files tab. If a single zip file is added, then this will be unpacked and its contents added to the Files tab. You may select multiple files from the same folder. You can also choose File|Open files again to add additional files to the Files tab.
  4. Link files to their corresponding board layers. If Autolinking is on, and the Import Module recognizes the filenames as matching one of the defined filters, then recognized files will be linked automatically to their corresponding layers. Files which are not autolinked must be linked manually. This is done by clicking on the blue text in the Layer column of the Files tab and selecting the desired layer from the layer menu. The file image is displayed, in order to help select the correct layer. Right-click on a file to view the file as text or change the file type.
  5. Review drill holes. In the Layer overview, set check marks by the drill layers and a copper layer, then go to the Drill tools tab. This tab lists the drill files and drill tools which have been linked. Ideally, the drill holes will be displayed centered on their corresponding copper pads. If not, see the user manual for information on how to make offset or scaling adjustments. Drill tool sizes are listed, rounded to the nearest actual tool size at the manufacturer. If tool sizes could not be extracted from the drill file, these must be entered manually by clicking in the Manuf. size column and typing in the correct size. Be sure to also check/correct plating for each tool, and drill depth for each file.
  6. Define the board contour. Go to the Contour tab. The Active layer (by default, the Board layer) is shown in blue and other layers are shown in gray. Ideally, selecting a segment of the outer contour, causes the entire contour to be highlighted. If necessary, use the + and – icon buttons to select/deselect the remainder of the contour (and no other segments). If the selected segments form a closed loop, then the Outer button in the Contour tab will be enabled. Click on the Outer button to define the outer contour. Select and define any additional cutouts, routed tracks, or scoring lines.
  7. Enter product specifications. Go to the board specs tab. You must specify a product name and select or define a stackup. In addition, you may choose non-standard surface finish, solder mask color and notation color. If the product is to have electrolytic (hard) gold applied to connector surfaces, then the gold area (in cm²) must also be specified. Then go to the board stats tab. Here you must specify minimum track width, clearance and annular ring for the product.
  8. Place the manufacturer's identifier. The manufacturer adds a product/batch number to the board as part of the production process. You may select the position of the identifier by clicking on the No. toolbar button and placing the rectangle at the desired position on the board. The identifier will appear on the Notation Top layer. If you do not place the identifier, then the manufacturer will choose an appropriate location prior to production.
  9. Add symbols (optional). Click on the Symbols toolbar button. Choose the desired symbol by clicking on the appropriate toolbar button. Select the desired layer and then draw a bounding rectangle for the symbol.
  10. Publish the product. Choose File|Publish to Product Browser to publish the new product:
    • Go through each item in the approval checklist to insure that you haven't forgotten anything. Click the OK button to continue.
    • Once the product has been published to the server, the new product number will be displayed. You'll find the product in the Never Ordered folder of the product browser.

Specifying custom buildups in Macaos Enterprise

Specifying custom buildups in Macaos Enterprise

A custom buildup may be specified either as a free build or as a constrained build. With a free build, only the copper thicknesses, the total thickness, and the dielectric material are specified. With a constrained build, the individual dielectric thicknesses and materials are also specified. An aluminium carrier or core may be added to a free build. Use the radio buttons to switch between the two modes. Note: Constrained builds may only be defined for multi-layer buildups.

In either case, there will be one metal specification for each layer, and each layer is separated by one dielectric specification. In addition (for 2 or more layer builds) plating is automatically added at the top and bottom. Additional plating layers may be added (for buried vias or sequential buildup) where necessary (see below).

The total buildup thickness is shown (for constrained builds) or specified (for free builds) at the bottom of the stackup builder. The default thickness tolerance is ±10%. You should not choose a different tolerance unless specifically required for your application, since this can greatly increase manufacturing costs and lead time.

The dielectric material for the build is also specified at the bottom of the stackup builder. This specification applies to all dielectric layers, unless otherwise specified for a specific layer. Select one of the commonly used material descriptions, or enter your own description. If left blank, standard FR-4 (IPC-4101C/21) will be specified.

When specifying a constrained build, if you start at the top layer and work downward, then the stackup builder will automatically help to create a symmetric buildup by inserting the same layer specifications from the bottom layer upwards. These automatic specifications may be changed later, if necessary.

Metal layers

Metal layers are specified as base (unplated/unfinished) thickness, since plating is specified as a separate layer.
Plated layers should therefore typically be specified as ½ ounce (20μm) less than the desired plated/finished thickness. The thickness may be specified as follows:

  • select a thickness from the drop-down list
  • enter a thickness in μm as an integer value
    for example: 105 specifies a thickness of 105μm (3 ounce)
  • enter a thickness in mm as a real number value
    for example: 0.105 specifies a thickness of 105μm (3 ounce)

Metal layers are normally copper. A material description for the layer should only be added if some other conductive material than copper is to be used.

Plating

Plating is automatically added to the outer layers of buildups with 2 or more layers. For buildups with plating on inner layers (i.e. for buried vias or for sequential buildup), plating layers should be added by right-clicking on the word Metal and selecting whether the plating should be added above or below the metal layer. Plating should always be added to the "outside" of the set of layers to be plated.

If plating is not correctly specified for inner layers, then buried vias will not be correctly drawn in the product stackup drawing.

Note: When specifying plated inner layers, the inner layer (foil) thickness should be specified as 20 μm less than the desired layer thickness.

The plating thickness may not be specified. For IPC Class 1 or 2, plating shall be at least 20 μm thick. For IPC Class 3, plating shall be at least 25 μm thick. Note that actual plating thickness can vary greatly from one place to another on the board, subject to plating process conditions. It is therefore not advisable to use a plated layer for impedance critical signal paths.

Dielectric layers

Dielectric layers are specified as a thickness or as a combination of prepreg plies (sheets). The thickness may be specified as follows:

  • select prepreg(s) or a thickness from the drop-down list
  • enter a thickness in μm as an integer value
    for example: 105 specifies a thickness of 105μm (3 ounce)
  • enter a thickness in mm as a real number value
    for example: 0.105 specifies a thickness of 105μm (3 ounce)
  • enter a prepreg combination, such as 1x7628 or 2x2116+1x1080

A prepreg is specified as qty x type. Valid prepreg types are 106, 1080, 2112, 2113, 2116, 2125, and 7628. To specify a combination of prepreg types, separate the prepreg specifications with a + symbol. There should be no spaces in the prepreg specification.

The dielectric material for individual layers should only be specified in cases where the material differs from the
overall material description specified at the bottom of the stackup builder.

Note: The finished thickness of a prepreg dielectric layer will often be less than the nominal thickness listed in the stackup builder. This is due to the fact that epoxy in the prepreg layer will flow into the spaces where metal has been removed (etched) from the inner layers. The actual thickness reduction is a function of the metal layer thickness and the metal coverage of the layer. See Prepreg Thickness Chart or Multilayer Dielectric Thickness Calculation for a more detailed description.

Aluminium

Aluminium is sometimes used (especially in LED lighting applications) to improve the heat dissipation of a board. An aluminium carrier or core may be added to a free build with the check box (near the Help button). An aluminium carrier is added to the bottom of the build. An aluminium core replaces the dielectric of a 2-layer board.

Panelizing a product

To panelize a product, you need to do the following:

  1. Locate the product to panelize. Select the product in the Macaos Enterprise
    product browser and then click on the Panel button to open the panelization module.
  2. Specify the array. Click on the Panelize toolbar button to create an array. Adjust the board quantity, frame width and instance spacing as desired. You can also specify scoring and copper fill in the frame. Be sure you are satisfied with all specifications on this tab before moving on to any of the following steps.
    Add boards to the panel (Pro version). Press Ctrl+R to show the product chooser. Drag or Double-click on a product name to add it to the panel.
    Move and rotate boards (Pro version). Select a portion of a board contour to move or rotate the board. Right-click or press the space bar to rotate. Press Ctrl to disable snap when moving. Click to place the board or press Esc to cancel.
  3. Specify break-off tabs. Break-off tabs are automatically generated when panelizing. If desired, click on the Tabs toolbar button to modify the default style and placement of Break-off tabs.
  4. Place fiducial marks (optional). Click on the Fiducial marks toolbar button. Specify diameters and location, and then click on the Place button.
  5. Place frame holes (optional). Click on the Frame holes toolbar button. Specify diameter and location of tooling holes and/or diameter, spacing and location of break-off holes, and then click on the Place holes button.
  6. Place text (optional). If desired, the Text toolbar button may be used to place text or bar code in the frame of the panel.
  7. Place bad marks (optional). Click on the Bad marks toolbar button. Specify the side and style of the bad marks. Specify the location of the panel mark and the board marks, and then click on the Place marks button.
  8. Add special masks (Pro version). Click on the Masks toolbar button. Specify the mask layer, side and fill mode; and then click on the Place Mask button. Draw a selection rectangle around the area where the mask is to be placed.
  9. Publish the product. Choose File|Publish to Product Browser to complete panel creation. Specify the product name, article number and description in the dialog box.

Creating a solder paste stencil product

  • Locate the PCB product for which you wish to create a stencil and then click on the Stencil button. If you wish to create a stencil product directly from Gerber files, then click on a folder name (so that no product is selected) before clicking on the Stencil button.
  • Click on the Stencil and frame data toolbar button. Specify the layer(s) and frame to use for the stencil.
  • Click on the Placement and fiducials toolbar button. Specify the placement of data within the frame. If desired, top and bottom data may be placed side by side on the same stencil. Indicate which data are fiducials, since these will be etched rather than cut through the stencil.
  • Click on the Shape manipulation toolbar button. Specify opening size adjustment for all openings. If desired, select individual openings to further refine the opening adjustment. All adjustments are specified as a percentage of the reduction/enlargement of the copper pad (if available) or the original pad. Specify the corner rounding to match the nominal solder ball size of the solder past to be used.
  • Click on the Text toolbar button and, if desired, specify the product's name and description and then place the text.
  • Click on the Delete objects toolbar button and delete any unnecessary objects from the stencil data.
  • Click on the Divide large openiongs into smaller segments toolbar button if there are large stencil openings that you wish to split into an array of smaller openings.
  • Click on the Define regions with expanded/reduced thickness toolbar button if you wish to define regions of the stencil that should be built up or etched down to a different thickness than the stencil thickness.
  • Click on the Publish stencil button to create the new paste mask stencil product(s). By default, a stencil product is created with the same product number as the PCB product, plus pt (for top) or pb (for bottom) or just p (for both). If the paste mask product already exists, then the new product will be given a new product number (plus pt, pb or p).

    • Placing an order

    To order a product, you need to do the following:

  • Choose a product. Locate and select the product in the Product explorer.
  • Obtain a price quotation. Click on the Buy button to open the Quotation module. Select one or more quantities and one or more delivery times (days) and then click on the Get Price button.
  • Add to the Shopping basket. Select a quantity/days/price combination and click on the Add to Basket button. After selecting a delivery address for the product, it is added to the Shopping basket. If you wish to order more of the same product, then select a new quantity/days/price combination and click Add to Basket again. Repeat steps 1 to 3 to order additional products.
  • Place the order. Click on the Check Out button in the Quotation dialog. After selecting an invoice address for the order, select a payment method and enter a purchase order number. Clicking on the Final Ordering button confirms all orders in the Shopping basket. Your order confirmation is displayed and the ordered products are added to the On order folder of the Product explorer.

    Alternatively, you can ask for quotations from participating Electronics Manufacturing Service (EMS) providers to produce your product for you. This is done as follows:

  • Choose a product. Locate and select the product in the Product explorer.
  • Generate RFQs. Click on the RFQ for Assembly button to open the Generate RFQ for assembly dialog box. Specify one or more quantities and one or more delivery dates. Select whether or not you intend to purchase PCBs and/or components, enter any additional info, and then click on the OK button.
  • Choose a supplier. You should receive quotations by e-mail from the participating EMS providers within 2 working days. If you are satisfied with a quotation, you will need to contact the EMS provider directly to place your order with them.
  • Make sure your selected supplier has access to your product. Generating RFQs automatically shares your product with the EMS providers for a period of 10 days, but only for the purpose of viewing and quoting your product. You will need to edit the product share for your selected supplier so that they have Purchase or Manuf visibility, and so that the share does not expire until after they are finished with your product. A product share may be edited by right-clicking on the product and choosing Share|Edit. See the user manual for more info about editing product shares.

    • Getting help

    The User Manuals give more detailed info about using Macaos Enterprise. You can access the user manual for each module from the Help menu in the main window, Import module or Panelization module.

    If, after looking through the manual, you still have questions, then check our forums or contact us at support@macaos.com

    Using Macaos Enterprise on Linux

    Macaos Enterprise is designed to run on Windows, but will run pretty well on Linux. Since Macaos Enterprise is built and compiled for the Windows operating system you need to fake a windows environment through a tool like Wine.

    We have tested Macaos Enterprise on Ubuntu Linux 10.10 using Wine 1.2 Gecko.

    If you experience any problems or have questions that are not answered on these pages, please contact us by mail or use the forums and we will try to answer as best we can.

    If you have something you would like to add to these pages, please use the add new comment function.

    Before you begin

    Preparations

    1. First you need to install Wine. The various distributions usually have Wine available in their package repository. You can also download Wine version suitable for your distribution.
    2. You now need to replace the two built-in wininet.dll and comctl32.dll libraries with the native versions from Microsoft. We recommend using the winetricks script and the command sh winetricks comclt32 wininet. However, you may choose to do this by manually obtaining the dll's from an existing Windows XP installation, and copying the dll's into .wine/drive_c/windows/system32
    3. In the libraries tab of wine configuration, add wininet and comctl32 to the list of libraries. Click edit on each one and select native (windows)
    4. The user manual depends on Adobe Acrobat being installed in wine. If you want it to work then you can install Acrobat Reader 6.0.x into wine.

      wget http://ardownload.adobe.com/pub/adobe/reader/win/6.x/6.0/enu/AdbeRdr60_e...
      wine AdbeRdr60_enu_full.exe

    5. There seems to be a problem with order confirmations not being displayed properly.
      If you have an Windows XP installation, simply copy the ttf files from Windows/fonts to ~./wine/drive_c/windows/fonts.

    Installing Macaos Enterprise with wine

    1. Download Macaos Enterprise from the URL received in the mail.
    2. Create a directory for Macaos Enterprise, i.e. in ~/.wine/drive_c/Program Files/MacaosEnterprise and copy the downloaded file into it
    3. Open a terminal window, cd to the that directory and run:

      > wine macaosenterprise.exe

    4. Go through the install program as on Windows.

    If you get access violations in comctl32.dll or errors when opening the product viewer make sure you did all the steps in the before you begin section. If you get other errors be sure to check out the troubleshooting section, to see if the problem has been solved there.

    If you have a problem that is not mentioned here please post in the forums or send us an e-mail and we will try to help you out.

    Troubleshooting Macaos Enterprise with wine

    Problem:
    Loading user manuals gives error.
    Solution:
    Please look in the before you begin section on how to solve problems with adobe acrobat

    Problem:
    Loading order confirmations take a very long time.
    Solution:
    Please look in the before you begin section on how to solve problems with order confirmation

    Problem:
    The "PCB Alliance" tab displays nothing
    Solution:
    The internal web page display in Macaos Enterprise does not appear to work properly under wine. You will not be able to view the advertisements on this page, but that should not limit your use of Macaos Enterprise.

    If you find problems not documented here, please leave a comment, here or in the forums. Or mail us about it so we can update these pages.