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mulfycrowh , 12-16-2023, 02:48 AM

Hi everyone,

I have purchased a Pick & Place machine.
The question is about boards with components on both sides.

The origin for the placement is always the bottom left hand corner.
I placed the origin in Altium at the bottom left hand corner.

There is no problem with the machine while placing the components on the top layer.
I meet a problem with components on the bottom layer since the origin in the PNP doesn't match the origin in Altium.
I have to change the X coordinate in the PNP file to have the correct placement.

Example: a component having the following coordinates (100,80) on a board with a length of 120 mm should be assigned with the coordinates (120-100,80) = (20,80)

Is there a way in Altium to do it automatically?

Thanks.

qdrives , 12-16-2023, 05:19 AM

X Flip no, but there is the option "Y-flip bottom side components".

Does your PnP machine come with software? If so, I read multiple times that one should leave the flipping to that software and always supply coordinates from the top. But that is to EMS companies.

mulfycrowh , 12-16-2023, 07:06 AM

So, I think I have to write VBA software to change the X coordinate in Excel.

qdrives , 12-17-2023, 07:38 AM

Or flip the board on the x-axis.
Yes, it is not the way Altium flips in 3D...

daylightadopt , 12-18-2023, 06:20 AM

In Altium Designer, you can adjust the placement origin to match your Pick & Place (PNP) machine's coordinate system. This way, you won't have to manually modify the X coordinates in the PNP file for components on the bottom layer. Here's how you can do it:

1. Adjusting the Origin in Altium:
- Open your PCB document in Altium Designer.
- Go to the "Place" menu and select "Origin."
- Click on the bottom-left corner of your PCB to set the new origin.

2. Mirror Bottom Layer Components:
- If the components on the bottom layer are mirrored (flipped) compared to the top layer, you need to consider this in Altium. Altium doesn't automatically mirror components when placing them on the bottom layer. Instead, you should use the "Place » Mirror » Mirror Selected" command after placing components on the bottom layer.

3. Update Component Positions:
- Once you've adjusted the origin and mirrored the necessary components, you may need to update the component positions on the bottom layer.
- Go to the "Tools" menu, select "Update From Libraries," and then choose "PCB." This will update the component positions on the board according to the libraries.

4. Check Your Pick & Place File:
- After making these changes in Altium, regenerate the Pick & Place file.
- Ensure that the coordinates in the PNP file now align with the new origin you set in Altium.

By adjusting the origin in Altium to match the bottom-left corner of your PCB, you should eliminate the need to manually modify the X coordinates in the Pick & Place file for bottom layer components. Always double-check the Pick & Place file after any changes to ensure that the coordinates are correct for your PNP machine's system.

qdrives , 12-18-2023, 02:02 PM

@daylightadopt I do not see how your steps will have the bottom component X position flipped in the PnP file export, other than that the top is flipped too.