
        KNOWN BUGS IN ALLEGRO 5.0P2

        This release of Allegro has undergone extensive Alpha and Beta testing. The following is a list of known bugs and deficiencies that are present in release 5.0P2. 

Accuracy-Database

        - Valid recommends that your database accuracy be set one place greater than required by your design criteria to protect your data from possible cumulative effects that may be caused by round-off.  Calculation inaccuracies may be introduced into an Allegro database by using 1-degree rotation and/or any of the new arc features.  After an element is in the database, rounding errors cannot be solved.  The best solution is include the extra accuracy at the VERY BEGINNING of the design cycle.

        -When drawing parameters are changed and decimal accuracy is added to or deleted from a drawing, the "grid" parameter value in the evaluator is not updated correctly. This can cause incorrect evaluator results. Update the grid parameter before re-running the evaluator.


Add Connection

        - There is a "toggle" option within the add_connect command that can be used to reverse the direction of an arc being added, which is not present in the pop-up menu in add connection. Type "toggle" at the pcb_editor while in the add_connect command to toggle the direction of an arc segment.

        - When adding a connection, it is temporarily added in the "temp hilite" color. If a segment that is added is "bubbled" to avoid creating a DRC violation, all of the temporary segments just added are displayed in the color for that etch layer. As you continue adding additional segments to complete the connection, they will display in the "temp hilite" color. 

Add Pin

        - When adding a pin which has a pad shape symbol defined for the top pin layer, the pin will not be displayed in the cursor buffer if using the "polar" coordinate mode.

Alternate Highlighting

        - The "dashed font" within this feature does not operate when running Allegro under SunView or in standalone mode due to a Sun OS bug. If Sun fixes their bug, you can enable this feature by setting the Allegro environment variable "enable_hilitefont."  If you use the "dashed font" in Allegro without the Sun OS bug fix, the Allegro graphics will become damaged and the editor will eventually terminate with a software fatal error. This bug does not exist when running Allegro under Xwindows.

Allegro Desktop

        - From the Allegro desktop, you can enter commands that will be executed by the host Operating System by typing them directly into the pcb_editor console. When you type system followed by a command, the command is passed to the operating system and is executed as though it had been typed into a terminal window.  If you type in a command which will prompt for any user input, Allegro will "hang" and you will need to manually kill the allegro editor.

Artcheck
  
        - Artcheck using large apertures may not flagg all areas which artwork will fail to fill.

Artwork
 
        - Artwork will use the "artwork DRC" field found in Define etch subclass for positive or negative pad flashes. This will supersede the positive/negative setting in the artwork control file.

        - For positive shapes, artwork may fail to completely fill the shape, listing one violation at a time when using large apertures for shape fill.

DRC

        - The drc update command can be typed directly into the Allegro editor console when a drawing database is open to run an update of all DRC violations in the design. If the Full DRC parameter on the Status form is not set, a complete DRC update will not occur. You should always make sure this Status parameter is set before initiating a DRC update.  You can also run a DRC update by picking the DRC command in the Status form.

Delete

        - When you delete all instances of a padstack from a design, it's "definition" remains in the database. This means that the padstack appears in a padstack definition report even though it is not used in your design. It also means that you must use "replace padstack" to load in a new padstack from your library which differs from the original padstack in your database. To eliminate a padstack "definition" from the database once all padstack instances have been deleted, you can use "replace padstack" to replace the unused padstack with one that IS used in the design.  This will remove the padstack "definition" from the database.

Derive Connectivity
    
        - The derive connectivity feature does not derive connect lines from arcs on an etch subclass. You must either use the "convert gerber" feature or substitute lines for arcs to use derive connectivity.

Display

        - When running Allegro under SunView on a system with a cg6 graphics card, you will experience display glitches when using the infinite crosshair.  To correct the problem, you must rebuild the kernel. Call customer support for details on rebuilding the kernel to correct this problem.

Dimensioning

        - In datum dimensioning, the datum point you select will not snap to a grid point.  You must be careful in selecting a datum point or use explicit XY keyboard coordinate entry to locate a datum on a grid point.

Edit Padstack

        - Replacing padstacks at the board level will not update a changed pad_as_shape. The modified pad_as_shape must have a new name added to the padstack which is to be replaced or the pad_as_shape can be updated with refresh_symbol using the -h option.

Evaluator

        - When the evaluator is run using area > window, the results may not correspond to results obtained in that area when using area > design. The evaluator analyses data outside a window differently when analysing by window.

Explot

        - The explot program must be executed using the -r option on ncroute ".tap" files to generate and view a plot with the Allegro load_plot command.

Gloss

        - Line smoothing will not remove all jogs and bubbles created by the router, especially when the "eliminate unused pin escapes" option is used in the router.

        - If the route keepin is missing from the board design, gloss will return the message: "fatal error status -289" on the command line.

Insight
 
        - When many pads exist in a board design, the pulldown menus for the "typical through hole pad" and "typical smd pad" may extend below the Allegro Editor window, causing a fatal software error and crashing the editor.

Plotting

        - Rotated non-circular pads will not plot solid on HP or Versatec.

        - fill_ipf will not work correctly when  a plot file is generated from "cretae plot". It will display illegal record messages. fill_ipf will work when a plot file is created through gbplot.

Refresh Symbol

        - When you refresh a symbol in your drawing database with one from your library, padstacks will not update unless their NAMES have been changed in the library symbol.  You must use the Define > Replace Padstack command to replace padstacks in your drawing database with padstacks of the same name that have been updated in your library.

Router

        - The rtsetp and rtr_params batch programs have not yet been updated to include support for all of the new 5.0 routing features.

        - Nets with the delay rule property specified in "time" rather than "length"  may not be routed correctly when routing with layers having different electrical conductivity values, specified in the cross-section form and material.dat file.

Signal Noise Analysis

        - On some rare occasions, the entire display will become damaged immediately when closing the signoise analysis form after canceling an execution of Signoise.  You must then exit the pcb_editor to reset the display back to a usable state.

Scripts

        - Due to the significant number of improvements and enhancements in release 5.0, the script_convert program cannot convert all script commands from previously recorded scripts, especially where form values were being set.  The new Print> to Script command in most forms will minimize the amount of manual editing that must be performed when script_convert fails to convert scripts which set form values.

Spin

        - Numeric roundoff will occur when spinning elements, especially symbols, to odd rotations. If you spin a symbol to odd rotations many times, you may notice symbol elements are no longer in the same positions relative to each other within the symbol.  If the results of numeric roundoff become unacceptable, they can be minimized by adding an extra decimal place of accuracy to your drawing database BEFORE performing spin operations.
