Altium Wire Harness

[Randell Magtoto]

Oncethe harness design has been captured in the form of a wiring diagram, the physical representation of the design can be created as a Harness Layout Drawing (*.LdrDoc). Add this document to the harness project from the Projects panel by right-clicking on the project entry and then selecting Add New to Project Harness Wiring Diagram from the context menu (or use the File New Harness Layout Drawing command from the main menus).

Options of a layout drawing document can be configured in the Properties panel in its Document Options mode, which is active when no object is selected in the document's design space. The main settings are:

A Harness Layout Drawing document can be saved in ASCII format, which can be beneficial when sharing. Use the File Save As command and select Harness Layout ascii (*.LdrDoc) from the Save as type drop-down in the Save As dialog that opens.

When saving an ASCII Layout Drawing using the File Save command, the File Format dialog will open, alerting you that the ASCII format is used. Choose the ASCII Version in the dialog to keep using this format.

Select the Design Import Wiring Diagram command from the main menus to import the design data from the wiring diagram. The connectors will be inserted into the layout drawing sheet in the relative positions defined in the wiring diagram. Connection points associated with connectors will also be placed next to each connector on the layout drawing. Applied changes will be listed in the Messages panel.

Each connector is represented on the layout drawing with its symbol. Click a connector in the design space or hover the cursor over the desired connector, right-click, and then select Properties to present its options in the Properties panel.

Using the Graphical Symbol / Physical Model buttons in the Model region of the Properties panel's General tab, you can toggle between the symbol representation (the component's symbol) and the 3D model projection (the component's footprint). Use other settings in the panel's region to configure the representation.

When using the Physical Model representation, use the Style options to display the model either as a Solid (no lines) or as a Wireframe. Use the options of the Side drop-down to select the desired side of the model's view (orthogonal and isometric options are available). The below images demonstrate some of the settings with the corresponding results in the design space.

Multiple physical model views for a Harness Component can be added. To add views, select Physical Model in the Model region of the Properties panel when the Harness Component is selected in the design space, then click Add View. After a view is added, use the drop-down arrow to view and edit the properties of each Physical View as needed for your design.

When an additional physical view of a harness component is selected in the design space, the Properties panel displays the properties of the component itself as it does for the main (first) physical view. In the below image, a second physical view has been selected in the design space; the Harness Component Properties panel displays the properties of the original (first) physical view.

All physical connections within the harness are defined as harness bundles (even if a bundle contains just a single wire). Each bundle must start and end at a connection point. At the initial import of harness design data, each component has a connection point automatically placed next to it, and this connection point is associated with the component and all of its pins. If required by the design's physical structure, new connection points can be placed, and assigned objects of a connection point can be configured.

A 3D model can be displayed for an associated part of a connection point. Associated parts of a connection point are added using the Associated Parts region of the Properties panel when the connection point is selected. When a connection point is selected, choose Physical Model in the Properties region of the Properties panel, then use the Associated Part drop-down in the Type region to select the required associated part. The model will be generated and displayed in the document. Use the options in the Type region to configure the display of the model.

Objects assigned to a connection point can be configured as needed according to your design intent. One or multiple objects (components, splices, no connect directives, shields with connection) can be assigned to a connection point by clicking the Add button in the Connectors region of the Properties panel. The Add Assigned Objects dialog opens, and you can enable the desired objects for the connection point.

Additionally, a shield with a connection object that is defined on the Wiring Diagram can be assigned to a connection point in the Layout Drawing. Use the Add Assigned Objects dialog (accessed by clicking the Add button in the Assigned Objects region of the Properties panel) when the connection point is selected to choose the shield with a connection to be assigned to that connection point.

For a component assigned to a connection point, you can select which pins of this component are assigned. Click the cell in the Pins column of the grid in the Assigned Objects region to access the drop-down to select the required component pins.

Parameters can be added to Connection Points, which allows you to specify, for example, a length parameter for a heat shrink. Click Parameter from the Add drop-down to add a parameter, then configure the name, value, font, visibility, etc.

Using the Length field in the panel's General region, you can define the length of the selected bundle that can then be displayed in the project's ActiveBOM document.

Each harness bundle will automatically contain the correct wires/cables. These objects are listed in the Bundle Objects region of the Properties panel when the bundle is selected. Click an object in this list to highlight all bundles the selected object goes through.

All harness bundles that include wires from a split harness cable are highlighted on the layout drawing when the cable is selected in the Bundle Objects region of the Properties panel. For a split cable, the length of the longest wire is shown in BOM.

If the Wiring Diagram includes No Connect objects within a Harness Cable, there is no need to add these No Connect objects to connection points in the Layout Drawing. The harness bundle will correctly recognize objects of the cable. See an example in the images below.

A Harness Covering object can be placed over a Harness Bundle. The length of the covering can be graphically modified in the design space during or after placement to specify the start/end gap to the connector. Harness Coverings are available for placement from the Place menu and the Active Bar.

To place a covering, after accessing one of the placement modes, when the cursor is over a harness bundle, an orange dot will appear in the design space, which signifies that the harness covering can be placed. (A gray dot signifies that a harness covering cannot be placed at that specific place.) Click the orange dot where you want the covering to begin, then move the cursor along the bundle to the point you want the covering to end, then click again. An orange dot appears at the endpoint, and the harness covering is placed. Harness Coverings can overlap one another. Use the Harness Covering mode of the Properties panel to configure the properties of the harness covering.

You can define the size of a Harness Covering object relative to the size (Line Style) of the bundle it is covering using the Size drop-down in the Properties panel. Scroll through the images below to see examples of different sized Harness Coverings with various Harness Bundle Line Styles.

When defining the label's text in the Text field of the Properties panel in its Layout Label mode, use Ctrl+Enter or Shift+Enter to add a new line of text. Enable Show only first line to display only the first line of the Text field in the design space. The Layout Label text can also be aligned according to your needs using the Alignment controls. Scroll through the below images to see these options at work.

The label's background color can be defined to distinguish the label from other primitives. Click the color box associated with Label Color, then select the desired color from the pop-up options.

Parameters can be added to Layout Labels. This allows you to specify, for example, a specific color. Click Parameter from the Add drop-down to add a parameter, then configure the name, value, font, visibility, etc.

Object designators can be added as active links in text frames and notes. The links provide cross-probe capabilities in the Wiring Diagram and Layout Drawing. To create active links, place a text frame or note object in either the Wiring Diagram or Layout Drawing. In the Text field in the Properties region of the Properties panel, enter "@." A drop-down of all designators will appear. Double-click the desired designator from the list; the link is created in the Text field and in the design space. Click the link in the design space to cross-probe to that object in the associated document (i.e., the document that is not currently active). The process is demonstrated in the video below.

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