The PowerBench Whiteboard has always provided the total board real estate for the power chain being analyzed, allowing power developers to understand the space required for the solution they are designing. We have now extended this capability with a mechanical view, which provides a visualization of the real estate required and separately shows the footprint area, power density and power utilization of the total system, front end and point of load components. When using the Whiteboard, simply click on the mechanical view button to see such details.
Button to Select Mechanical View on PowerBench Whiteboard (click to enlarge)
The space needed for the power components you have selected, includes necessary peripheral components, such as capacitors and inductors. The mechanical view uses a grid marked in millimeters to allow you to better visualize how you might place the components on your PCB.
As many systems will locate the front end and point of load components in different places, the mechanical view function separates them. This allows designers to understand where they need to allocate space for the power components used in the design.
Example Showing Mechanical View on PowerBench Whiteboard (click to enlarge)
Using the mechanical view is simple. On any new or existing whiteboard design, simply click the button to see the representation of the board area required. Try it today with your whiteboard design or an example power chain from our Whiteboard of the Week series.
