System Planner design environment, for upfront planning and partitioning of electronics systems, enables engineers to optimize form, fit and function of single and multi-board systems, maximizing design reuse and eliminating the need to reenter initial planning data into the design tools during detailed design. Is said to reduce design throughput by as much as 30%. Links product planning tasks to save time and improve connectivity of data during circuit development, design reuse, layout and mechanical packaging. Inputs the number of boards and their functions, allowing users to simultaneously work on planning for BoM, function, floor and space, and feeds details into schematic, PCB layout and manufacturing tools.

Has four main modules, which work discreetly or together, and may appear individually or simultaneously on the screen for real-time interaction with each other. When one view is changed, the others automatically update.

• Logical Visionary – the logical view of the electronic system is defined using functional blocks and design reuse blocks, showing the interconnections between them. Partitioning is accomplished as blocks are dragged and dropped from this view onto the various boards in the system using the Physical Visionary.
• Physical Visionary – simultaneous 2D PCB partitioning and floor planning for single or multiple boards. Blocks are dragged and dropped from the Logical Visionary, forming the placement plan for each board and optimizing the design partitions through trade-offs and what-ifs.
• Geometric Visionary – accesses the 3D view of the product, permitting the fit of the boards to be checked in the overall system. The enclosure is imported from the 3D MCAD system.
• Parametric Visionary – shows parametric values of the components, nets, and other elements in the design, allowing the user to optimize part usage, cost, availability and more.

Design reuse can be employed from an existing library of reuse modules or by cutting and pasting design sections from existing known-good designs for use and/or modification in the current design.

Zuken, www.zuken.com/systemplanner