Whats New for 2024

December

Thursday 19 December 2024

Rotate 90° clockwise/anti-clockwise was reversed.

 

Tuesday 17 December 2024

•Fix for Gerber solder mask layers having teardrops on pads if teardrops enabled.

•Fix for the Gerber viewer showing tracks with flat (not rounded) corners.

Thursday 12 December 2024

Desktop Icons Updated

New'ish' Splashscreen

Wednesday 11 December 2024

AutoTRAX DEX PCB Designer changed to DEX PCB Designer

This keeps it simpler and using DEX for the short name keeps the program name simpler and more human.

DEX PCB Designer Installation

New Directories

C:\ProgramData\AutoTRAX Software now uses C:\ProgramData\DEX PCB Software

C:\Users\XXX\AppData\Local\AutoTRAX Software now uses C:\Users\XXX\AppData\Local\DEX PCB Software

C:\Users\XXX\AppData\Roaming\AutoTRAX Software now uses C:\Users\XXX\AppData\Roaming\DEX PCB Software

Where XXX is you.

The old directories are not deleted. DEX copies the old contents to the new directories.

You can keep or delete the old AutoTRAX program.

 

Desktop Icon Changed to DEX

Tuesday 10 December 2024

Simulation Instruments

Opening new project updates the Spice Analysis.

 

 

 

Improved instruments.

Friday 6 December 2024

Simulation Instruments

Improved instruments.

 

Monday 2 December 2024

Simulation Chart/Oscilloscope

Added time and voltage labels.

 

Sunday 1 December 2024

Bluesky

Social media as it should be. Find your community among millions of users, unleash your creativity, and have some fun again. Follow the DEX PCB Designer news.

https://bsky.app/profile/pcbdesign.bsky.social

Simulation Instruments

Editors for the Function Generator and the Power Supply

 

 

November

Sunday 24 November 2024

•Improved Samples

•Fix for text size of footprint part values

Monday 18 November 2024

Plotting

See Plotting for more info...

•You can show/hide the holes.

•You can show/hide the pilot holes.

Both of the above act independently.

 

Sunday 10 November 2024

Plot

You can now array the plots.

Saturday 9 November 2024

Copper Pour

 

Tuesday 5 November 2024

DRC

The DRC flags cutouts overlapping the PCB Border. Change the PCB Border shape instead to save manufacturing costs.

Friday 1 November 2024

Improved Shortcuts Editor

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October

Thursday 31 October 2024

Improved PCB Stack Editor

Added thumb-wheels for adjusting the PCB thickness.

You can now:

•Reset

•Clear

•Save

•Load

 

Wednesday 30 October 2024

PCB board was not output.

Incorrect thickness calculations for single side PCBs.

 

Monday 28 October 2024

Improved Shortcuts Editor

Duplicates highlighted.

Sunday 27 October 2024

Adding SMT Parts to Single Sided PCBs

Automatically set sides to the side with the copper.

Friday 25 October 2024

New Design States Control in the Project Panel

New Popup Design States Manager

New Recover Dialog

Tuesday 22 October 2024

Optimization

Removed excess updates of controls after changes.

Monday 21 October 2024

Project Panel - Now has a Undo/Redo Manager

Rotate

If multiple items are selected, then they are rotated about their combined center. not all objects can be rotated in a collection.

Mirror

If multiple items are selected, then they are mirrored about their combined center.

 

Sunday 20 October 2024

 

Saturday 19 October 2024

Improve Clipping

Improved Add Polyline/Polygon/Keep-out/PCB Borders,No Mask, Copper Pour etc.

Friday 18 October 2024

Select After Create

After objects added, they are set as selected. This works well with the Popup Properties Panel and allows you to edit objects immediately after creation.

 

 

 

Bug Fix

 

Bug Fix

•Fix for 3D view of single layer PCB's.

 

Bug Fixes

•Error for vias not connected to tracks.

•Quad solder error.

 

Monday 14 October 2024

Help Website

•Improved context sensitive links to the online help.

 

Sunday 13 October 2024

Help Website (This)

•Improved help.

•Better links from DEX.

 

Monday 7 October 2024

File Names

Prevention of illegal file names.

 

Sunday 6 October 2024

Fixed bugs.

Friday 4 October 2024

Design States

All design states now have a more descriptive label.

 

Thursday 3 October 2024

History Directory

The History directory has more descriptive labels for the design states.

Every change you make to a design is saved in the .History directory for a project/part. The design state files are never deleted by DEX. This provides an 'audit trail' for your designs.

Added Design States Tab

New Design States tab in the Projects Panel.

 

Wednesday 2 October 2024

 

Tuesday 1 October 2024

Add/Remove Copper pour margin to PCB

 

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September

Saturday 28 September 2024

Wednesday 25 September 2024

•Zoom Window works correctly in Paneled PCB views.

•V-Cuts now displayed in 3D Views (Non-Paneled PCBs)

•Diagonal cross hatch pattern for PCB panels.

Sunday 22 September 2024

New tutorial videos sections:

General

Learn about general features that apply to all area of PCB design.

The User Interface

In these videos you will learn how to use the DEX PCB Designer interface to get the most productive environment. Videos include full screen, viewports, floating end docking control panels and of course the menus.

Parts

These videos show you how to create electronic parts for your schematics. You will learn about both custom and parametric parts.

Schematics

You will learn how to create schematics for your PCB designs. Topics include adding parts, editing parts, connecting parts together, and auto-routing of this schematic wires.

Simulation

Do you want to have fun simulating the analogue behaviour of your PCB's? Then these videos are just what you are looking for.

PCB Design

Learn how to create your PCB's. Topics include placing end orientating footprints, manually routing the PCB tracks, the all-important design rule checker, copper pours, keep out regions and PCB panelization.

Graphics

With the DEX PCB Designer you can add stunning and beautiful graphical items to your symbols, schematics and even your PCB's. These videos show you how.

3D

Do you want to see what your PCB will really look like before you have it manufactured? These videos will show you how to view your PCB in glorious 3D.

 

 

Download All Videos

You can now download all the tutorial videos..

Sunday 15 September 2024

YouTube Video

 

 

Sunday 8 September 2024

YouTube Videos

Many old and out of date videos removed. These will be replaced in the coming days by improved videos.

Sunday 1 September 2024

Diagram Sheets

Optimized diagram viewport and panels.

 

 

---

August

Monday 26 August 2024

Diagram Sheets

You can now add diagram sheets to your designs.

 

 

Thursday 15 August 2024

New PolyShapes

Similar to polylines except some edges can be arcs. Press 'A' key for arc segment.

PolyShapes, Arcs, Polygons and Curves

PolyShapes, Arcs, Polygons and Curves can be filled even if not closed.

---

July

Monday 22 July 2024

KiCad Parts

DEX now comes with approximately four thousand KiCad free community parts. They have been pre-converted for you and each schematic, and footprint that are separate in KiCad have been combined into a single parametric part.

There are plans to add many more of  the parts provided by the KiCad community.

The converted parts index In DEX are also free and you are free to distribute, and/ or modify them.

The symbols are easily edited.

Every parametric part also comes with the automatically generated 3D model so there is no need to import inflexible models provided by third parties. Being parametric, the 3D model is automatically generated based on the parameters of the footprint. So, if you change the pad shapes or pad sizes, the 3D model is automatically updated.

If you change the pitch of the footprint pads, then again, the 3D model is automatically updated in real-time. This makes your life far easier, and it makes the file sizes far smaller as no 3D model data needs to be saved.

 

Thursday 18 July 2024

The Parts Catalog

The Parts Catalog now has 58,215 parts

KiCad Community Free Parts

Available in the Library panel and the Parts Catalog.

Note: You will need the latest version to view the parts correctly.

.

 

Thursday 18 July 2024

KiCad Import

Internal changes to handle the 'oddities' of KiCad graphics: imported parts.

 

Friday 12 July 2024

Snap to Objects

Snap to objects now shows a circle to confirm snap.

Adding Arcs

Three add arc commands.

NOTE: During creation, pressing the TAB key reverses the arc start and end angles.

Friday 5 July 2024

Symbol Terminal Fonts

Separate Font for Symbol Terminal Names and Pad Names

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June

Sunday 30 June 2024

Part Catalog Dialog

Improved layout.

 

Friday 21 June 2024

Simulation Disabled by Default

This makes the user interface slightly simpler.

See Settings->Simulation->Enable Simulation.

 

Thursday 20 June 2024

Improved Route Panel With New Buttons

Wednesday 19 June 2024

How to Build a PCB in Only 23 Seconds

This videos show you how to build a PCB on only 23 seconds. The actual time depends on the performance of the company.

Visit the Facebook page.

 

Monday 17 June 2024

Locked PCB Nets

Locked PCB Nets cannot be unrouted.

Locked PCB Nets in the Route Panel

 

Monday 10 June 2024

Locked Objects

If the following objects are locked then all sub-objects owned by the object are also locked.

•Groups - all contained entities.

•Footprints - pads, value, reference, graphics etc

•Symbols - terminals, value reference, graphics etc.

•PCB Border - cutouts and drill holes.

•PCB Nets - tracks, vias, track junctions.

Thursday 6 June 2024

Gerber Output

Added additional optional Gerber output file for profile and cutouts.

Wednesday 5 June 2024

Spreadsheets

You can now add spreadsheets to you design.

User Interface

If you are viewing a non 2D/3D sheet then the main ribbon menu is automatically minimized. It is expand if a  2D/3D sheet is viewed. This avoids clutter.

You can disable auto-minimization in the Settings Panel.

 

 

Monday 4 June 2024

Printing Panel Contents

Added Print command buttons to:

•Checklist Panel

•Layers Panel

•Project Panel

•Parts List (BOM) Panel

•Source Panel - Save as XML

•Route Panel

•Short-cuts Editor

 

Short-cuts Editor

Added Shift Key Pressed Option.

Added print option to print out only assigned shortcuts.

Monday 3 June 2024

Unrouted Tracks

Unrouted tracks now show dotted making them more visible. You have the option to turn off the dotted line style.

 

Sunday 2 June 2024

Short-cuts Editor

Added more shortcuts and improved the editor layout.

Saturday 1 June 2024

Shortcuts

Added full list of keyboard keys.

---

May

Monday 27 May 2024

Op-Amp Sample

Microchip MCP6006 1 MHz Operational Amplifier with EMI Filtering.

 

Sunday 26 May 2024

Fixed gap size.

Settings

Auto-collapse Nav Bars

 

 

Saturday 25 May 2024

Symbol Part Types and Footprint Part Types Renamed

Symbol Part Types and Footprint Part Types renamed Symbol Part Values and Footprint Part Values.

 

Thursday 23 May 2024

Create Part

Improved symbol selection.

Wednesday 22 May 2024

PCB Copper-pours

Fix for removing unconnected copper pour areas failing.

 

Sunday 19 May 2024

PCB Copper-pours

Fix some vias not providing correct clearance.

DRC improved.

 

Friday 17 May 2024

Automatic DIP-style device pins

This is not a parametric part. It is a collection of pads with automatically generated pins, and a rectangle on the top package layer acting as the device body.

Thursday 16 May 2024

 

 

How to easily create your own custom parts video.

Click to download sample part ...

3D Improvements

 

 

Wednesday 15 May 2024

PCB Cutouts

Fix for pcb cutouts not cutting out copper pours correctly if the PCB has been rotated or translated.

 

•Saturday 11 May 2024

Adding PCB Cutouts

•Adding PCB cutouts clears all copper pours - this stops possible visual confusion and potential design errors.

•Adding PCB cutouts now shows the PCB filled so cutouts show up.

Friday 10 May 2024

Pad Editor

Option to set all pads in footprint.

New Colorbar

 

 

Monday 6 May 2024

 

•Improved automatic 3D pin generation for pads.

•Improved 3D behavior for moved objects in 2D or 3D.

•Fix for transparency image slider updating 3D.

•Improved transparency slider for the image editor.

•Images now remember how much percentage transparency has been applied.

•Fix for setting bitmap transparency

•Improved fillet radius setting for 3D objects

•Pick/View mode saved/restored for 3D viewports.

•Changed shape of 3D ellipses, rectangles now updates the 3D view.

•The following can now have 3D texture-maps when placed on the top or bottom package layers

o        lines

o        polylines,

o        arc,

o        rectangles,

o        circles and ellipses,

o        curves,

o        shapes

•Fix for Curve Properties editor not showing assigned layer.

•Fix for DRC strict design rule not restoring if set.

 

 

Friday 3 May 2024

Color Bar

Back by popular demand.

•Improved Extrusion Editor

Wednesday 1 May 2024

•Fix teardrops on tracks.

 

 

---

April

•Tuesday 30 April 2024

•Fix for the PCB grid transparency not being restored.

•Fix for the differential pair routing if the length of either pair is too short.

•Fix for countries where commas are used for decimal points. For example 1,2 instead of 1.2

•Teardrop buttons behavior fixed.

Sunday 28 April 2024

PCB Holes

for PCB holes in footprints, you can now view/edit the hole's center offset from the footprint's placement point.

Pad Names

Now orientation corrected if the footprint/pad is rotated.

 

Saturday 27 April 2024

Text Editor

Spreadsheet Editor

 

Diagram Designer

Scheduler

 

Friday 19 April 2024

Fixed for checking copper pours with unconnected areas removed.

Thursday 18 April 2024

Multi-Colored Silkscreens

There is now a new option to generate Portable Network Graphic (PNG) files with full RGB+Alpha images at 1200 dpi for both the top and bottom silkscreens. PNG files handle 16 million colors and are both compressed and lossless.

You can add images with transparency!

Sunday 7 April 2024

Setting the Length of a PCB

 

---

March

Sunday 31 March 2024

Balance Multiple PCB Nets

 

 

 

Friday 29 March 2024

Improved Castellated PCB Editor

 

Monday 25 March 2024

Thursday 14 March 2024

Track Balancing Now Works with Nets with Vias and Short Track Segments

 

Track Balancing Now Works with Nets with Vias

Wednesday 13 March 2024

Tuesday 12 March 2024

Added Button to Remove Track Balancing ZigZags

Improved Visibility of Manipulator Points

Monday 11 March 2024

Added manually balancing differential track lengths

A differential pair is:

•Two separate PCB nets

•One of the nets must be named <NAME>+

•The other net must be names <NAME>-

▪where <NAME> if the base name e.g. MyNet

▪so example nets are named MyNet+ and MyNet-

•Both nets must only have one track. No junctions or vias.

To Balance

•The two tracks must be fully routed.

•The two tracks must be on the same layer.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Reassigning Symbol Terminal Pads

 

 

 

Sunday 10 March 2024

Added Send Mail Button

Saturday 9 March 2024

Add Block Capacitor to New Part Dialog

Right Click Menu Option in the Library Now Adds New Part

 

Friday 8 March 2024

New Transistor Symbols

Add Part Dialog and the Spice Model

Now sets the Spice model type.

Monday 4 March 2024

 

2D Viewports - Center View at Mouse Cursor Position - F5

Pressing F5 will center the view at the mouse cursor position, and will move the mouse cursor to the center of the viewport.

 

IEEE and IEC Resistor Symbols

Part Wizard Removed

Function better implemented in the New Part Dialog. This makes the user interface more consistent.

New Add Resistor Dialog

 

New Add Capacitor Dialog

Plotting - Saving Toner

By default, when plotting negative, black toner does not fill the page: saving you on toner costs. Check the restrict column.

Friday 1 March 2024

Grid Strength

You can now set the strength of the grid in viewports. These sliders change the transparency of the grid.

The 3D viewports did not show on the second showing of the dialog.

New layout for the Add Capacitor dialog.

New layout for the Add Capacitor Dialog

---

February

Thursday 29 February 2024

Collada 3D Import

Improved import. Models combined into 1one selectable object.

Pad Properties Editor

Added thumbwheel controls for pads size and hole size.

Add Capacitor Dialog

Redesigned to be more consistent with the Add Resistor Dialog.

Added track was not set to the correct width.

Thumbwheels (track widths) were initially not working as expected.

Some older parts had rectangular silkscreens added when no silkscreen should have been added.

 

Wednesday 28 February 2024

Tuesday 27 February 2024

Monday 26 February 2024

Track not really 'dangling' : just an error in not drawing unrouted segment.

You can also press the End key.

This would make routing sometimes very difficult.

You can also press the End key.

 

Sunday 25 February 2024

The floating viewport show the"Active Viewport" message in it's caption if it has focus.

Optimized Footprint Properties Dialog

Saturday 24 February 2024

Rounded Corners for 3D Tracks

Thumbwheel Controls to Set Track Widths

Friday 23 February 2024

•Fixed some bugs where via sizes incorrectly sized when manually routing.

•Improved Track Properties Editor.

•Improved Via Default Properties Editor.

Pad Properties Editor

Optimized and eliminated/simplified controls not relevant for the pad settings e.g. SMT and TPH.

Similar optimizations have been down on all the other entity properties editors (a total of 85 editors).

 

Thursday 22 February 2024

Images

All images converted to 32 bits when pasting or importing from files.

Images now pickable in the Part Editor - no need to sub-pick.

Image Editor

Transparency changes in real-time when dragging the transparency slider.

 

Image copied from a datasheet using Screen Capture and pasted onto the Background layer. Great for using as a tracing background when adding pads in fully custom parts.

 

Wedneday 21 February 2024

Fix for Fill Editor not Updating Correctly

 

Fix for the Font Editor Thumbwheel not Refreshing the Viewport

Tuesday 20 February 2024

Improved UI Control Layout

Several dialog layouts improved. e.g. the Track Properties Editor.

•Fixed some bugs where via sizes incorrectly sized when manually routing.

•Improved Track Properties Editor.

•Improved Via Default Properties Editor.

 

Monday 19 February 2024

Added Full Screen Menu Button

Sunday 18 February 2024

Two Main Windows for Dual Monitors

You can view the schematic on the left monitor and the PCB on the right. Try out the Navigator and cross selection.

 

Properties Popup Panel

The popup properties panel has been improved and works in full-screen  mode (F11)

Full-Screen

Press Ctrl + F11 to display full screen over all your monitor screens.

Thursday 15 February 2024

DEX sometimes crashed! This should now be fixed.

Wednesday 14 February 2024

Properties Popup Panel

The popup properties panel has been improved with removal of non-applicable controls  and better resizing of the pen and fill editors.

 

Thursday 8 February 2024

Properties Popup Panel

Press F2 to show/hide the Properties Popup Panel

 

Wednesday 7 February 2024

Properties Panel

Improved pen editor. Redundant controls not displayed.

Improved fill editor. Redundant controls not displayed.

Properties Popup Panel

Improved layout.

Reorganized Panels button group.

Hide on item move.

Friday 2 February 2024

Fix for organizing symbol terminals. (some minor errors).

 

 

Thursday 1 February 2024

Create a New Part Dialog

Added Mouser button to search and add datasheet.

---

January

Sunday 28 January 2024

Wire Junction Points (Optional)

Wire Junction Points now added to the end of symbol terminals with more than one connection.

 

 

Saturday 27 January 2024

Status Bar

Improved behavior of the Status Bar.

Thursday 25 January 2024

Layers Panel

Improved behavior for Route/Reset/Place buttons.

Added Show Copper Pour checkbox.

Grid/Snap Settings Popdown Editor

Added extra commands.

Undo/Redo Design State Manager

 

Tuesday 23 January 2024

Fix for 3D view from bottom and view from top not working.

 

Monday 22 January 2024

Fix for setting the transparency of images pasted from the clipboard using the properties panel.

Fix for disabled pad shape editor.

Markers

Improved graphics.

Draws in multiple colors, even on PCB copper layers. NOTE: do not add them to copper layers, use the Documentation layer (top most)

 

Sunday 21 January 2024

Part Renumbering

Redesign of the part renumbering panel.

Saturday 20 January 2024

CNC Output

Text now supported. (stick text).

Horizontal and Vertical Tiled Viewports

Automatic resizing to eliminate blank areas.

 

Sunday 14 January 2024

Split Power Planes

Automatic connection to power planes for SMD pads. (Route Menu)

Power Planes

Automatic connection to power planes for SMD pads and TPH pads. (Route Menu)

Design Rule Checker and Split Power Planes

Checks for connections to split power planes.

Thursday 11 January 2024

Split Power Planes

Improved automatic via connections from SMT pads to internal split power planes.

Power Planes

Improved automatic via connections from SMT pads to internal  power planes.

 

Wednesday 10 January 2024

Layers Panel

View/Hide Unrouted Tracks.

 

Tuesday 9 January 2024

Color Bar Panel

The Color-Bar panel at the bottom of the viewport has been removed. It takes up too much screen space. Use the line, fill, and text properties buttons in the Status bar.

You can also use the selected properties panel.

Layers Panel

Improved layout and functionality.

Track Properties Editor

Improved layout and functionality.

Sheet Properties Editor

Improved layout and functionality for the PCB.

Thursday 4 January 2024

DRC Checker

Now works with PCB tracks with narrow/wide sections.

Wednesday 3 January 2024

New Track Edit Dialog.

Improved layout and behavior.

Tuesday 2 January 2024

Clear All Ignore Autoset Vias on All PCB Nets.

Only enabled if any PCB nets are set to ignore autoset vias.

Monday 1 January 2024

Track Widths

Simplified track width setter:

Auto-sizing of Track Vias

Simplified via size setting.

Use Autoset Vias to automatically set all via diameters, and via hole diameters based on connected tracks.

This can be overridden for individual PCB net: see below.

Auto-PCB Net - Ignore Automatic Via Sizing

Check to ignore automatic via sizing for individual PCB nets.