Evaluate Extracta to retrieve information from the binary files

[Werni2A]

In OrCAD we can export the design into a XML which directly shows us which information is stored in the binary file and probably also how it is stored. Maybe Extracta can do the same for layouts. A short introduction how to use the tool is provided in [1]. Further, [1] states that there is a Linux version of the tool. Can this one be downloaded somewhere or why would Cadence distribute a Linux tool on an Windows machine?

[1] BoardSurfers: Translating Allegro Database to Readable Format Using 'Extracta'

[swiftgeek]

Extracta is just part of the cadence allegro install (not the viewer one, but full thing), and often board file it needs to be converted first to current binary format (with yet another tool that is included)

Instructions on how to do that: https://www.parallel-systems.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/Generate_gencad.pdf

Sample valext file that works for me: http://orcad.co.uk/downloads/gencad.zip

And yet another guide: https://www.freelists.org/post/icu-pcb-forum/Outputting-ASCII-from-Allegro,4

Existing project from system76 that is sorta abandoned: https://github.com/system76/kicad-allegro

(If kicad path was finished, you could then use KiCAD to export to GenCAD from it)

Such extracta export contains everything required to import the project into other EDA software, and some like Altium will support this format directly, while for others CAMCAD PCB Translator was used. To export to GenCAD from extracta export, CAMCAD Professional was used.

Also it would be recommended to add path with extracta.exe to env variable PATH (in windows)

[Werni2A]

First of all, thanks for your explanation and links. I'm still trying to understand the padstack files, so I haven't looked into Extracta yet. Still I'm curious what pad.txt looks like. Do you happen to have one lying around, that you could share?

[swiftgeek]

SODIMM DDR3 F3 raw card from jedec was used as example here SODIMM DDR3 F3.zip

[swiftgeek]

I'm not sure but ODB++ might be a better format, though quite a lot more complex. I noticed some issues CAMCAD had in few places with extracta files, which would make it less accurate for board repair purposes (mostly it sometimes disconnected some components from power rails). Perhaps it's an shortcoming of valext file I used.