Explicit Component Types
Contents
Altium Vault 2.6, in conjunction with Altium Designer 16.0, brings the ability to define explicit component types. With a range of supported types, this enhancement to components facilitates targeted searching through the Vault's Advanced Search facility - a facility that not only allows you to search by component type, it allows you to search smarter with supported unit-aware component parameters.
The following sections take a look at the supported component types, and where in the software you can specify a component's type.
Supported Component Types
The following component types are supported for assignment:
- Capacitor
- Connector
- Crystal & Oscillator
- Diode
- Fuse
- IC
- Amplifier
- Interface
- Memory
- Power Supply
- Processor
- Inductor
- LED
- Resistor
- Sensor
- Switch
- Transformer
- Transistor
Specifying Component Type in a Component Template
The type of component is specified through the system parameter ComponentType. Simply click on the associated Default Value field, and then click the button to access the Component Type Editor dialog. Use this to select the required type of component and click OK - the chosen type will be inserted as the value for the ComponentType parameter in the main parameters grid.
Example Component Template with the ComponentType system parameter set to Resistor.
Specifying Component Type in a Component Library
The type of component is specified through the Type attribute in the Component region of the definitions area. Simply click on the Type field, and then click the button to access the Component Type Editor dialog. Use this to select the required type of component and click OK - the chosen type will be inserted as the value for the Type attribute in the main definitions grid.
Example Component Library, with the Type attribute for a component definition set to Diode.
Specifying Component Type in a Part Request
As part of the Part Request feature, you can specify the type of component that you are requesting to be created by the Librarians. When creating the request - either through the Vaults panel, or through the Vault's browser-based interface - simply choose the type using the Component Type field.
Example request for a new sensor part, with the Component Type set to Sensor (browser-based interface and Vaults panel illustrated).