Recently, I learned some basic simulations with SIwave, mainly:

  • DC-IR analysis
  • S-paramater extraction

I will first record the steps to perform these simulations for future reference. Then, maybe, test some of the signal integrity stuff on a simple board (via, capacitor, impedance control and so on).

I am using:

  • Allegro 16.6
  • Ansys SIwave 2020R2

To import to SIwave: .brd file–>ODB++ file–>SIwave project.

This post covers: .brd file–>ODB++ file

  1. Install ODB++ Inside.
    1. I have version 11.4 on my computer, which works for Allegro 16.6. But I can’t find any older version on the official site for Allegro 16.6. So no download link will be provided here. ODB++_Inside_Cadence_Allegro_114_Windows_64_SA_Setup
    2. Official site (requires login and only support Allegro 17.x): ODB++ Inside for Cadence Allegro (Windows 64 bit) - ODB++Design (odbplusplus.com)
  2. Reboot PC to update environment variables.
  3. Put the .brd PCB file in a path containing no Chinese characters (I don’t know about other languages)
  4. Open PCB file. In Allegro 16.6, File-Export-ODB++ Inside
  5. Prompts: Do you want to extract net impedance average? Yes, (Though I didn’t see the difference)
  6. After a while, ODB++ GUI pops up (images below):
    1. Input path, default, points to the .brd PCB file
    2. Output path, default, the path of the .brd file
    3. model name: enter a file name, such as odb0523
    4. Open ODB++ Viewer: No
    5. Create Archive: .tgz, the output would be a single compressed file, which is nicer than a folder of files.
  7. Click Next, and the odb0523.tgz would be in the selected directory as in step 6.2, ready to be imported to SIwave.