Comments and Designators

Altium users have several options when it comes to placing Reference Designators on PCB silkscreen layers and for creating Assembly Drawings.

One option includes using the Comment parameter to place a copy of the Designator on one of the mechanical layers. This can be accomplished by setting Comment parameter in each component to the special string '.designator'.

The filters shown below are useful for manipulating Comments and Designators.

Legends are Silkscreen Layers (Top and Bottom Overlays in Altium)

SILKSCREEN (LEGEND)

Check with your fabricator:

0.025" MINIMUM HEIGHT
0.004" MINIMUM WIDTH


With a *.PcbDoc selected press the 'L" shortcut key for the View Configurations form.

Toggle the Convert Special Strings option.

Find and Change all Comment Strings to .designator

Limit search to = All Objects

(ObjectKind = 'Text') And (StringType = 'Comment') And (StringText <> '.designator')

Using the PCB Inspector change Comment Strings to .designator.
Enter .designator in the string field.

Find Hidden Comments

IsComment And (Hide = 'True') 

Find Hidden Designators

IsDesignator And (Hide = 'True')

Use Filter to Find.  Then use Inspector to Un-Hide

Select Top Side Component Designators that are not on the On the Correct Layer.  Then using Inspector or List move to Top Overlay.

InComponentClass('Top Side Components') And Not((OnLayer('Top Overlay'))) And IsDesignator

Select Top Side Component Comments that are not on the On the Correct Layer. Then using Inspector or List move to Assembly Drawing Top.

InComponentClass('Top Side Components') And Not((OnLayer('Assy Dwg Top Ref'))) And IsComment

Select Bottom Side Component Designators that are not on the On the Correct Layer. Then using Inspector or List move to Bottom Overlay.

InComponentClass('Bottom Side Components') And Not((OnLayer('Bottom Overlay'))) And IsDesignator

Select Bottom Side Component Comments that are not on the On the Correct Layer. Then using Inspector or List move to Assembly Drawing Bottom.

InComponentClass('Bottom Side Components') And Not((OnLayer('Assy Dwg Bottom Ref'))) And IsComment

Exclude Test Points:

Top

InComponentClass('Top Side Components') And Not((OnLayer('Top Overlay'))) And IsDesignator And Not(InComponent('TP*'))

InComponentClass('Top Side Components') And Not((OnLayer('Assy Dwg Top Ref'))) And IsComment And Not(InComponent('TP*'))

Bottom

InComponentClass('Top Side Components') And Not((OnLayer('Top Overlay'))) And IsDesignator And Not(InComponent('TP*'))

InComponentClass('Bottom Side Components') And Not((OnLayer('Assy Dwg Bottom Ref'))) And IsComment And Not(InComponent('TP*'))

Test Points (Dedicated Test Point Layers )

For boards with many test points it may desirable to move the test points to a separate mechanical layer and create a Test Points drawing document.

Test Point Designators should be on the Silk Layers. Comments are used in drawings.

InComponentClass('Top Side Components') And Not((OnLayer('Test Points (Top)'))) And IsComment And (InComponent('TP*'))

InComponentClass('Bottom Side Components') And Not((OnLayer('Test Points (Bottom)'))) And IsComment And (InComponent('TP*'))

(StringType = 'Comment') And (Layer = 'Test Points (Bottom)')

Select Components with Standard Rotations

(ObjectKind = 'Component') And ((Rotation = '0') or (Rotation = '90') or (Rotation = '180') or (Rotation = '270') or (Rotation = '360'))

Select Components with Odd Rotations

(ObjectKind = 'Component') And (Rotation <> '0') And (Rotation <> '90') And (Rotation <> '180') And (Rotation <> '270') And (Rotation <> '360')

Locked Strings

Use the PCB Inspector Panel to set Locked Strings to False.