Place Component

Parent page: Sch Dialogs

The Place Part dialog

Summary

This dialog provides controls to choose a schematic part and configure related attributes prior to placement on the active schematic document.

An alternate method of component placement is to use the Libraries panel (or the Vaults panel if placing a vault-based component from the Altium Content Vault). Both of these offer advanced search functions and the ability to drag and drop a component from the panel directly onto the active sheet.

Access

The dialog can be accessed from the Schematic Editor by clicking Home | Circuit Elements » from the main menus. Alternatively, right-click in the workspace then use the Place » Component command from the context menu.

Options/Controls

  • Physical Component - the name of the design component being placed. Type the name of the component directly into the field, select a previously placed component from an historical list, or browse for it among the set of Available Libraries. The field's associated drop-down will list historically placed components.
    • History - click this button to access the Placed Parts History dialog, which lists all previously placed components. Select a component in this dialog then click OK to have it loaded ready for placement in the Place Part dialog.
    • Choose - click this button to access the Browse Libraries dialog in which you can browse for a component through all available libraries (project libraries, installed libraries, and libraries found along specified search paths). Select a component in this dialog then click OK to have it loaded ready for placement in the Place Part dialog.
  • Logical Symbol - this uneditable field presents the name of the logical symbol, which is the symbolic representation of the physical component in the schematic domain.
  • Designator - the current designator that will be used for the next placed instance of the chosen component. By default, the undesignated form of designator associated with the type of component will be used, such as U?, C?, R?, Q?. By specifying the designator prior to placement, you will be able to place multiple instances, and the designator will increment, resulting in uniquely designated components.
Regardless of initial designation, you will be able to ensure correct and unique annotation of your design components by using the annotation features available in the Tools | Annotation area of the main menus.
  • Comment - use this field to give the component a meaningful comment, which might be its part number (for a specific IC package), or a value (for a generic component such as a resistor, capacitor, or inductor).
  • Footprint - the footprint model that will be used to represent the component in the PCB domain. If the component has multiple footprints (or more precisely 2D/3D Component models) linked to it, these will be listed on the field's drop-down. Choose the model you want to set as the current model.
  • Part ID - for a multi-part component, this field allows you to choose which part to place from the associated drop-down. For a single part component, this field will reflect this with the entry 1 and will be grayed-out.
  • Library - this un-editable field presents the name of the library in which the chosen component resides.
  • Database Table - this un-editable field is meaningful only when placing a part from a linked database. It presents the name of the table within the source database in which the physical component's record can be found.

 

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