TARGET 3001! is a
CAD computer program
A computer program is a sequence or set of instructions in a programming language for a computer to execute. Computer programs are one component of software, which also includes documentation and other intangible components.
A computer progra ...
for
EDA and
PCB
PCB may refer to:
Science and technology
* Polychlorinated biphenyl, an organic chlorine compound, now recognized as an environmental toxin and classified as a persistent organic pollutant
* Printed circuit board, a board used in electronics
* ...
design, developed by Ing.-Büro Friedrich in
Germany
Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG),, is a country in Central Europe. It is the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany lies between the Baltic and North Sea to the north and the Alps to the sou ...
. It supports the design of
electronic schematics,
PCB
PCB may refer to:
Science and technology
* Polychlorinated biphenyl, an organic chlorine compound, now recognized as an environmental toxin and classified as a persistent organic pollutant
* Printed circuit board, a board used in electronics
* ...
s, and device
front panels. It runs under
Windows
Windows is a group of several proprietary graphical operating system families developed and marketed by Microsoft. Each family caters to a certain sector of the computing industry. For example, Windows NT for consumers, Windows Server for ...
and is available in English, German and French.
A special branch of the program is the ''
ASIC Designer'', which allows design of
integrated circuits.
The free version (for non-commercial use) is limited to 250 connection
pins or
pads on two copper layers. The PCB manufacturer
PCB-Pool and
Conrad Electronic provide a free unlimited version, that generates only printed output or output for PCB-Pool and Conrad's PCB service. Commercial versions with all features are available.
Features
TARGET 3001! collects several features under one user interface (
MDI). All project information is stored in one file to avoid
redundancy and version conflicts. Design begins with the creation of a schematic diagram and usually ends with the layout of a PCB (or chip).
The
schematics can be
simulated by the integrated
PSPICE compatible mixed mode simulator.
Components are stored in a
SQLite or
MySQL
MySQL () is an open-source relational database management system (RDBMS). Its name is a combination of "My", the name of co-founder Michael Widenius's daughter My, and "SQL", the acronym for Structured Query Language. A relational database ...
database, also externally accessible. Component data include direct links to
datasheet
A datasheet, data sheet, or spec sheet is a document that summarizes the performance and other characteristics of a product, machine, component (e.g., an electronic component), material, subsystem (e.g., a power supply), or software in suffici ...
s and component supplier information as well as simulation information and 3D models. TARGET's open Component Interchange Format CXF is supported by universal component databases like
Ultra Librarian and
Footprint Expert.
PCBs or ASICs can be designed manually or using an autoplacer and autorouter. A
Specctra interface to external autorouters is available. The design can be automatically checked for spacing violations and many other
design rules. If the PCB is ready designed it can be directly displayed and rotated in a live 3D view. The 3D data can be exported in
STEP format to produce preview 3D dummies of the PCB on
3D printers. Circuit design on 3D bodies (
Molded Interconnect Device, MID) is possible.
CNC data for
PCB milling
Printed circuit board milling (also: isolation milling) is the process of removing areas of copper from a sheet of printed circuit board material to recreate the pads, signal traces and structures according to patterns from a digital circuit boa ...
can be obtained in several formats. Additionally a device front panel can directly be derived from the PCB, using the coordinates on the PCB, e.g. from
LEDs or
potentiometer
A potentiometer is a three- terminal resistor with a sliding or rotating contact that forms an adjustable voltage divider. If only two terminals are used, one end and the wiper, it acts as a variable resistor or rheostat.
The measuring instrum ...
s.
History
A predecessor of TARGET 3001! was "RULE" (german: Rechner Unterstützter Leiterplatten Entwurf), a
DOS-based program for PCB layout (1989). After hobbyists used this, there were calls for a schematic tool and autorouter. In response, TARGET 2.1 (for DOS) was released in 1992. The move to Windows was difficult: early versions of "TARGET V3 for Windows" were prone to crash. The package became stable and more accepted among hobby, educational and professional users.
Developments in versions V7 to V16 included an EMC tool and
PSPICE-compatible simulation. The name TARGET was changed to TARGET 2001!, but, as year 2001 approached, "TARGET 3001!" was registered as a trademark and used for versions V9 and higher.
TARGET 3001! is used also by industrial designers. For example, TOYOTA used it for cable harnesses in their Formula 1 racing car.
Today, TARGET 3001! is one of the most popular PCB layout systems in Germany and Europe. Readers of electronics magazine
Elektor voted it number two. Also testers of the electronics magazine "
c't Hardware Hacks" rated it number two.
[c't Hardware Hacks (Jan 2013), p. 114]
See also
*
Comparison of EDA software
*
List of free electronics circuit simulators
References
External links
*
{{CAD software
Electronic design automation software
Electronic design automation companies