SolariaPCB Manual

Contents
1 The Overall Process ............................................................................................................................. 3

2 The Project File ................................................................................................................................... 4

2.1 Changing Projects .......................................................................................................................... 4

2.2 The PCB Results Data file ............................................................................................................... 5

2.3 Removing PCBs from the Project file ............................................................................................. 5

2.4 Project path ................................................................................................................................... 6

3 SolariaPCB flow path ........................................................................................................................... 7

4 Board Outline ...................................................................................................................................... 8

5 Defining layers in the board ................................................................................................................ 8

6 Defining what is viewed on the screen ............................................................................................. 10

7 Adding Thermal Contact ................................................................................................................... 10

8 Add Simple Flow ............................................................................................................................... 12

9 Adding Vias ....................................................................................................................................... 12

10 Adding Stiffeners.......................................................................................................................... 14

11 Adding a surface heat load to the board ...................................................................................... 15

12 Adding a Layer Plate .................................................................................................................... 16

13 Adding Wedgelock Edge Contact ................................................................................................. 17

14 Deleting items on the PCB ........................................................................................................... 18

15 Editing Vias................................................................................................................................... 19

16 PCB default settings ..................................................................................................................... 19

17 Getting information on a particular feature ................................................................................ 20

18 Electronic components ................................................................................................................ 22

18.1 The Component Library............................................................................................................. 22

18.2 Component Geometry .............................................................................................................. 23

18.3 Component Thermal Properties ................................................................................................ 24

19 Placing a component on the board .............................................................................................. 24

19.1 Adding to the Working Set ........................................................................................................ 24

19.2 Placing the Component on the Board ....................................................................................... 25

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20 Importing Cadence Allegro data .................................................................................................. 26

20.1 Importing Cadence Extract files ................................................................................................ 26

21 Defining Active components ........................................................................................................ 28

22 Creating a Solaria model .............................................................................................................. 29

22.1 Solving the board ...................................................................................................................... 30

22.2 Viewing component temperatures in a table............................................................................ 31

22.3 Viewing component temperatures graphically ......................................................................... 32

23 Deleting a PCB from a Solaria model............................................................................................ 33

24 Inserting a PCB into a chassis model ............................................................................................ 33

25 Details of the Solaria Thermal model ........................................................................................... 34

25.1 Representing the board ............................................................................................................ 34

25.2 Representing Traces .................................................................................................................. 35

25.3 Representing Vias...................................................................................................................... 35

25.4 Modeling components .............................................................................................................. 36

25.4.1 Attaching the component to the board............................................................................. 36

25.5 Modeling the Wedgelock Edge ................................................................................................. 37

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 Introduction
SolariaPCB is essentially a pre-processor for Solaria. SolariaPCB runs within the Solaria environment.
When is SolariaPCB mode, you work at the single board level, defining its shape and layers, placing
components and defining thermal boundary conditions. You can easily switch between multiple boards
that are going to go into a single chassis level Solaria model. A board can be manually defined or an
ECAD database can be imported. Once the definition of the board is complete, a ready to solve Solaria
thermal model is automatically generated. At that point you are working within the Solaria
environment. So now you are working with elements and nodes. But the roots of the board definition

are not lost. You can merge the board with other boards into a chassis and solve the entire system. You
still get clear tables for each board in the chassis summarizing component temperatures.

There are two operating modes for Solaria. The first and initial is Solaria. In this mode you are working
with the elements of the model. The second is PCB mode. In this mode you are looking at a PCB,
components, traces and all features that make up a printed circuit board. In Solaria mode, the PCB top
menu is grayed out, not accessible. All other menus are accessible. To switch from Solaria mode to PCB

mode, hit the toolbar button. If you dwell your mouse over the button it will tell you what mode

you are in, or .

The picture below shows the PCB menu. All features in PCB mode are in this single menu. You can work
on multiple boards at a time. When you save a PCB file, the name of the file will be added to the PCBs

sub-menu. To switch to a different board simply select PCB>PCBs then select the board name. If
changes have been made to the current board, these changes are automatically saved.

1 The Overall Process

In Solaria Mode the electronic chassis or enclosure model would be generated. In this environment you
are building models with Nodes and elements, importing DXF geometry or solids geometry through
Netgen. You also solve models for temperatures and view the results. In PCB Mode, you are building
printed circuit boards (PCBs). You import ECAD files to start with or generate the board from scratch. In
this environment you are building the PCB by defining its outline, defining the layers in the board,
placing components, stiffeners, Layer Plates, thermal interfaces, Wedgelock Edges and Surface Heat.
Once the PCB is completed you hit a menu item to create a complete, ready-to-solve Solaria model. The
model is generated in the Solaria Mode environment. If there is already a model in the Solaria Mode
environment, then the new PCB is merged with it. You are given the opportunity to offset the PCB in the
X, Y and Z directions. When the model is initially generated, the lower left corner of the PCB is 0, 0, 0.
When the Solaria model is generated, it is placed into its own group. So later in the Solaria Model
environment, you can easily look at each board individually. During the model generation process, the
Solaria Nodes that represent the components Junction, Case and local board surface temperatures are

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saved. After the model is solved, you can view component temperature is a tabular form. When you
create a color temperature contour of the PCB, the Junction and Case temperatures are also
represented by color plates at their location on the board.

When you save the Solaria thermal model, a separate file containing the results data is automatically
saved. Later when you open the Solaria thermal model, the results data file is automatically opened so
you can again view component temperatures.

When you create a PCB you can add Flow/Convection boundary conditions or Thermal Contact
boundary conditions and solve the PCB for temperatures by itself. On the other hand, you can create
Thermal Contacts that have IntelliMesh on the surface. This allows you to merge it into a chassis level
model that has its own thermal boundary conditions. IntelliMesh allows you to thermally connect the
chassis and PCB model even though they have very different meshes at their interface.

2 The Project File

A list of boards you are working on are saved in a Project File. As time goes on, more information will be
saved in this file. The user never needs to look at this or manually edit this file.

2.1 Changing Projects

Solaria saves the last four Project Folders you have worked on. This makes it easy for you to work on
multiple projects at the same time. This also ensures that files from one project don’t get into another
projects folder. When you change to a different folder, the current Solaria and SolariaPCB data is saved
and cleared, the Project Folder is changed and the Project file, if it exists, is opened and the first PCB is
opened.

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2.2 The PCB Results Data file
When you create a Solaria model from a SolariaPCB PCB, when the Solaria model file is saved, a file call
PCB_ResultsData.txt is also automatically saved. This file contains data relating the PCBs imported into
the Solaria model and the SolariaPCB PCBs. This file should never be modified, it is maintained by
Solaria. Only one of these files exists in the Project folder. Therefore, if you are building different
Solaria models, even if they use the same PCBs, they must be done in separate Project folders. This
Results Data file is always associated with the latest Solaria model file. If you use the File>Save Model As
to save the Solaria model with a different name and it contains PCBs imported from SolariaPCB, then the
Results Data file is only good for the latest model, not previous models.

Because of the importance of this file, and if it modified or deleted, it cannot be regenerated, a backup
file is also created and updated with the latest model. The backup file will have the bak extension and
be uniquely numbered, PCB_ResultsData1.bak. You may accumulate many of these bak file so you may
want to delete older ones periodically.

2.3 Removing PCBs from the Project file

To remove a PCB from the Project, select PCB>Remove PCB from Project. Select the PCB then hit the
Remove button.

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2.4 Project path
It is important to define a project path. This defines the location for your PCB files and Solaria models
created. Select PCB>Path Control. Hit the Project path button and select the folder where you want all
the project files to reside.

You can also select File>Change Project Path or PCB>Path Control.

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 3 SolariaPCB flow path

Manually define board

Import ECAD data Define board outline PCB>PCB Outline
Add components to the Working Library PCB>Add Components to Lib
Import ECAD data PCB>Import Cadence Place components on the board Add>Component

Define/Edit layers to define dielectric

PCB>PCB Layers

Import power dissipation file or manually define

PCB>Add Menu
Stiffeners
Thermal Contact
Surface Heat
Layer Plate
PCB>Add Menu Vias
Stiffeners Air flow
Thermal Contact Wedgelock Edge
Surface Heat
Layer Plate
Vias
Air flow

Wedgelock Edge Import power dissipation file or manually define

Settings>Properties
Define mesh constraints
Define solution constraints

Create Solaria Model PCB>Build Board Model

Solve the modelSolve>Steady State

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4 Board Outline
Select PCB>PCB Outline. The shape or outline of the board is defined by a series of X-Y data points. It is
assumed that the first and last points are connected. You can open a file that has space delimited data
points that define the board outline by hitting the Import button.

5 Defining layers in the board

The PCB layers dialog is used to add, remove or modify layers in the board. If an ECAD database is
imported then all layers, metal and dielectric, are imported. The thickness of each is also imported. If a
board is being built from scratch then layer can be manually added.

Select PCB>PCB Layers to edit or define the layers in the board.

Add Layer

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Hit the Add Layer button to add a layer. The initial information used is defined in the Default Layer
Material area of the dialog.

Delete Layer

To delete a layer, select any item on that layer then hit the Delete Layer button.

Insert Layer

To insert a layer, select any tem on the line just after the line you want to insert then hit the Insert Layer
button.

Name

This is the name given to the layer. It is defined by the user.

Thickness

Enter the thickness of the layer. Units must be consistent throughout the board definition.

Type

There are four types of layers, Conducting, Dielectric, 2D and 3D. A conducting layer has metal traces or
power or ground planes on it. A Dielectric layer is an electrical insulation layer. A 2D layer is just a layer
that is represented with 2D Plate type elements in the model. A 3D layer is just a layer that is
represented by 3D Brick type elements in the model. In the figure below, an aluminum heat sink or
conducting plate is bonded to the backside of the board. The bond layer would be represented with a

3D layer. A 3D layer accounted for the temperature rise through its thickness. The heat sink could be
represented by either a 2D or 3D layer. If you are going to use the Wedgelock Edge feature to extend
the edges of the heatsink then the layer must be a 3D type.

Material

This is the material the layer is made of. For Conducting layers, only Metal type materials will be shown
in the list. For Dielectric layers, only Dielectric type materials will be shown in the list.

Coverage

This defines how the Conducting layers are represented. If there is a check then the thickness of the
layer is multiplied by the Percentage and divided by 100. If traces are imported from an ECAD file, then

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this should NOT be checked. In this case the traces on the layer will be used to more accurately create
elements in the Solaria model.

Color

This defines the color of the traces as shown on the screen.

6 Defining what is viewed on the screen

Select PCB>View Entities to define what is drawn to the screen. Color boxes can be clicked on to change

their color. All settings are saved when Solaria is closed. The screen is updated as each item is changed.

Set/Clear Buttons – Check and uncheck all checkboxes.

7 Adding Thermal Contact

Thermal contacts are to represent an area of the surface of the board in contact with a heat sink. This
contacting surface can be defined by a defined temperature. If a temperature is not defined then
IntelliMesh Slave surfaces are created at the mating surface. In this way the Thermal Contact area can
mate to a chassis or other model that provides a heat transfer path. IntelliMesh allows the contact to be
made with different meshes on the mating surfaces.

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Select PCB>Add Thermal Contact.

Side

This defines the side the thermal contact is on. In the Solaria model that is generated, Interface
elements are created on this side of the board.

Rectangular or Circular

The contact area can be rectangular or circular.

Width

This is the X or horizontal dimension of the contact if set at Rectangular.

Length

This is the Y or vertical dimension of the contact if set at Rectangular.

Diameter

The diameter of a circular area.

Resistance

This is the thermal resistance of the contact between the board surface and the heat sink. The units
should be in C/W, or those appropriate to the units you are using.

X-Y
This defines the X and Y location of the center of the contact area. If the contact is on the back of the
board, this is the X and Y location as looking from the FRONT of the board.

Add

There are two ways to place the Thermal Contact. One is to enter the X and Y location of the center of
the area then hit the Add button. Note that when you are on the X-Y plane, the X and Y location of the
mouse is given on the bottom of the Solaria window. The second way is to check “Place with mouse”
then select the center of the contact area with the mouse. You can change the significant figures in the
X and Y location by going to Settings>OpenGL>Display. In the Text Display area, change the number of
decimal places displayed.

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8 Add Simple Flow
Fluid flow can be simulated by creating convection elements from the exposed board surfaces, stiffener
surfaces and component surfaces to a local air node. These local fluid nodes are connected using Solaria
Flow elements to account for the temperature rise of the fluid.

In the PCB>Settings dialog, in the Model tab, the number of flow nodes can be defined.

9 Adding Vias
If an ECAD file is imported then vias will automatically be imported and thermally represented in the
thermal model. An array of vias can also be created manually. Select PCB>Add Vias. The settings in the
dialog shown below created the via array shown below the dialog.

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Defining the layers the via is connected to

When the via drill hole is plated, it is electrically and thermally connected to the traces that cut through
the hole. SolariaPCB connects thermal resistors between these layers. These layers should be checked
in the dialog. Note that only metal layers are displayed.

Via location

Define the X and Y location of the lower left corner of the area of the vias. You can enter the X and Y
location or after all information is defined, check “Place component with mouse” then select the lower
left corner with the mouse. You will notice that the location of the mouse will appear in the X and Y edit
boxes. An array of vias will be created depending on the via pitch and the Length and Width of the area.

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10 Adding Stiffeners

A stiffener is a three-dimensional material that is bonded to the board surface.

Side

This is the side of the board the stiffener is on.

Width

This is the X or horizontal dimension of the stiffener.

Length

This is the Y or vertical dimension of the stiffener.

X-Y

This defines the X and Y location of the center of the stiffener. If the stiffener is on the back of the
board, this is the X and Y location as looking from the FRONT of the board.

Material

This is the material the stiffener is made of.

Attach Properties

Define the Thickness and Material of the attach material.

Add

There are two ways to place the Stiffener. One is to enter the X and Y location of the center of the area
then hit the Add button. Note that when you are on the X-Y plane, the X and Y location of the mouse is

given on the bottom of the Solaria window. The second way is to check “Place with mouse” then select
the center of the contact area with the mouse. You can change the significant figures in the X and Y
location by going to Settings>OpenGL>Display. In the Text Display area, change the number of decimal
places displayed.

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11 Adding a surface heat load to the board

Location of the heat load

If the area of the heat load is rectangular, then the X-Y location is the center of the area. If the area is
circular then the X-Y location is the center of the circle. If defined heat load areas overlap, they will be
additive in the overlapping areas.

Heat load

This is the power to be defined over the area. In the Solaria model surface heat load elements are
created with a value in the property table of Heat Load divided by the applied area.

Layer

The surface heat load can be applied to the top or bottom surfaces of the board or any internal
Conducting layer. Simply select the layer you want the heat load applied. The last layer in the drop
down list will be the back surface of the board.

Width

If Rectangle is selected, enter the X or horizontal dimension of the heat load area.

Length

If Rectangle is selected, enter Y or vertical dimension of the heat load area.

Diameter

If Circular is selected, enter the diameter of the heat load area.

Add

There are two ways to place the Surface Heat Load. One is to enter the X and Y location of the center of
the area then hit the Add button. Note that when you are on the X-Y plane, the X and Y location of the
mouse is given on the bottom of the Solaria window. The second way is to check “Place with mouse”

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then select the center of the contact area with the mouse. You can change the significant figures in the
X and Y location by going to Settings>OpenGL>Display. In the Text Display area, change the number of
decimal places displayed.

12 Adding a Layer Plate

A Layer Plate is an area on a metal layer of the board where more metal is added by the user. The area
can be rectangular or circular. The material and thickness will be that defined for the layer selected.

Location of the Layer Plate

If the area of the Layer Plate is rectangular, then the X-Y location is the center of the area. If the area is
circular then the X-Y location is the center of the circle. If defined Layer Plates areas overlap, they will
be additive in the overlapping areas.

% Coverage

This is the percent coverage of the metal to be defined over the area. Typically this is 100 percent. But
if the metal is perforated for RF reasons, the value should be the metal area over the total area times
100.

Layer

The Layer Plate can be applied to the top or bottom surfaces of the board or any internal Conducting
layer. Simply select the layer you want the Layer Plate. The last layer in the drop down list will be the
back surface of the board.

Width
If Rectangle is selected, enter the X or horizontal dimension of the Layer Plate area.

Length

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If Rectangle is selected, enter Y or vertical dimension of the Layer Plate area.

Diameter

If Circular is selected, enter the diameter of the Layer Plate area.

Add

There are two ways to place the Layer Plate. One is to enter the X and Y location of the center of the
area then hit the Add button. Note that when you are on the X-Y plane, the X and Y location of the
mouse is given on the bottom of the Solaria window. The second way is to check “Place with mouse”
then select the center of the contact area with the mouse. You can change the significant figures in the
X and Y location by going to Settings>OpenGL>Display. In the Text Display area, change the number of
decimal places displayed.

13 Adding Wedgelock Edge Contact

A Thermal Contact can be defined from the board surface. But heatsinks typically extend beyond the
edges of the board. This feature will extend the heatsink layer of the board to accommodate a
Wedgelock. A 3D Layer much previously exist in the PCB.

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14 Deleting items on the PCB

Item selection

Hit the Select button then select the center of the item. If the item isn’t deleted or Confirm is checked
and you don’t get a confirmation then the item wasn’t properly selected. Hit the Select button again
and this time box in the center of the item. You can box in many items at once.

Confirmation prior to deleting

Check “Confirm Deletion” if you want to get a confirmation prior to deleting the item .

Filtering

If there are multiple item types close together then you can check only the item type you want to delete
and only those types can be selected. Alternatively, you can define what is drawn to the screen by
selecting PCB>View Entities. Only items that are visible on the screen can be selected.

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15 Editing Vias
Vias that were imported and created manually can be modified. To modify a group of vias that were
created manually, select PCB>Edit>Edit Vias. Hit the Select button then select the center of the manually
created vias. To modify vias that were imported from an ECAD database, first check Select imported
vias, the hit the Select button and box in all the vias you want to modify. They will be highlighted. If you
select the wrong ones then hit the Select button again and reselect the vias. The only value that can be
changed is their drill diameter. Enter a new diameter then hit the Edit button.

16 PCB default settings

These settings are saved when Solaria is closed. The settings are the default values when the Add Via
dialog is opened. They are also used for vias imported from an ECAD file. The Model tab has settings
defining how the Solaria model is generated.

In the Thermal tab, whether Typical or Maximum power is used is defined. You can also define a Power
factor. This is a multiplier for the component power applied to all components in the board.

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In the Model tab, the number of flow nodes created in the Solaria model for Simple Air Flow is defined.
For the PCB meshing, the Maximum edge length for the meshed triangles is defined. A smaller number
will create a finer mesh for the board.

17 Getting information on a particular feature

Select Information>Element. Hit the Select button then select the feature. In Solaria, you can click a
spot on the screen or drag a box over an area. For each selection, only the first feature found will be
displayed.

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18 Electronic components
SolariaPCB includes a large component library.

18.1 The Component Library

To view the component data, select PCB>Component Library. Select a component then hit the Edit
button.

Hit the Geometry or Thermal Properties buttons to view the data.

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18.2 Component Geometry

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18.3 Component Thermal Properties

19 Placing a component on the board

19.1 Adding to the Working Set

Before a component can be placed on the board, components from the library must be copied to the
Working Library. Select PCB>Add Components to Lib. Select a component on the left side, the
component library, then hit the >> button. This will copy it to the right side, the Working Library. If you
want to see data for the component in the Working Library, select the component then hit the Edit
button. If a component is imported from an ECAD file and it is completely defined, you can hit the <<
button to add it to the Master Library.

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19.2 Placing the Component on the Board
To place a component on the board, select PCB>Add Component to PCB .

Select the component you want to place on the board from the Working Set drop down list.

Reference Designator

Enter a reference designator you want to assign to the component. If one is not defined, a unique one

will automatically assigned.

Dissipation

The component power dissipation can be defined in the library or when it is placed. To define the
dissipation, check Define in the Dissipation area of the dialog. Enter a Typical and a Maximum value.

Orientation

A component is defined in a specific orientation in the library. It can be rotated to any arbitrary
orientation.

Side

This defines the side of the board the component is on.

Placing the component

The component can be placed two ways. You can enter the X-Y location of the center of the component
then hit the Add button. Or, check the Place component with mouse checkbox then select the location
of the center of the component on the board. You do not need to hit the Add button in this case.

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20 Importing Cadence Allegro data
Cadence Allegro board files can be imported into SolariaPCB by using their Extract utility.

The file valext.txt needed is provided in the CadenceImport folder off the Solaria folder. To execute the
Allegro extract utility, perform the following steps:

1. From the UNIX command prompt enter >extract <return>

2. You will be prompted for:


Layout name (*.brd): path/filename <return>
 Extract command file (*.txt): path/valext <return>
 Extract output filename (*.txt): path/brd <return>
 Additional output filename (<return> if none) (*.txt): path/pad <return>
 Additional output filename (<return> if none) (*.txt): path/sym <return>
 Additional output filename (<return> if none) (*.txt): path/rte <return>
 Additional output filename (<return> if none) (*.txt): <return>

3. This creates the following files that are used as input for CAMCAD:

• brd.txt
• pad.txt
• sym.txt
• rte.txt

20.1 Importing Cadence Extract files

Documentation on how to create Cadence Extract files can be found in the Cadence folder off the
Solaria folder where Solaria was installed. After the four file are created, select PCB>Import Cadence.
By holding the Shift key down, select all four files at the same time then hit Open.

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The board outline, layer definition, traces and vias are imported.

After the files are read, the Component Mapping dialog will come up. This is used to map components
that were imported to the SolariaPCB component library. The ECAD file imported only has two-
dimensional geometry and lead locations. The SolariaPCB component library has three-dimensional
geometry along with thermal information. In the dialog, the list on the left are components imported
and on the right are SolariaPCB library components. When you select a component that was imported,
SolariaPCB will look for a matching component in the library. If one is found then it will be highlighted.
If you want to use the match found then hit the Map button. If not then hit the Next button. SolariaPCB
will then look for another match. Each time the Map button is hit, the mapping of the imported
component name to the component library name is saved to a file. Prior to bringing up this dialog the
mapping file is read and components previously mapped will automatically be mapped.

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21 Defining Active components
Active components are those that will become part of the Solaria thermal model. All components on
the board will have at least a local board surface temperature. Direct access to the components
Geometry and Thermal information is done by hitting the button in the Geometry and Thermal columns.
The set active components of a certain type, check the types in the Active area then hit the Set Active
button. If you hit the Set Pdiss Active button, only components that have a dissipation defined will be
active.

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22 Creating a Solaria model
To create a Solaria model, select PCB>Build board model. Next hit the Build button. The progress
dialog will give the status of the build.

After the model is created, the following dialog will come up. The lower left corner of the board is at X =
0.0, Y = 0.0 and Z = 0.0. You can offset the board by entering and X, Y and Z offset. Next, hit Apply. The

Solaria model will be created in the Solaria window. Hit the toolbar button to view the model.

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The board that is generated is automatically equivalence and compacted so it is ready to solve.

Hit the Cancel button when the dialog status says Done.

22.1 Solving the board

Hit the toolbar button to change to Solaria Mode. Select Solve>Steady State>Finite Diff or hit the

toolbar button. In the Solve Steady State dialog, hit the Solve button.

Select Results>PCB Results or from within PCB Mode, PCB>PCB Results. The Display temperatures
checkbox defines whether component temperatures are displayed for that PCB.

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22.2 Viewing component temperatures in a table

If you have created multiple boards, select the other boards in the drop down to the right.

If you hit the Save Data button, the data for all boards will be written to a file.

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22.3 Viewing component temperatures graphically

Junction temperature

Case temperature

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When you save the Solaria model file (.smd file) a file called PCB_ResultsData.txt is automatically saved.
This file contains the component temperature data for the boards in the model. Later when you open
the Solaria model, this file will automatically be loaded allowing you to view the board results. The PCB
Project file will also automatically be loaded.

23 Deleting a PCB from a Solaria model

If a single PCB is imported into Solaria for solving by itself, then if you want to make changes to the

board and resolve, then just select Edit>Clear the Current Model or the toolbar. But, if the model
was merged with other PCBs generated by Solaria or was merged into a chassis model, then it must not
be deleted manually within Solaria. If it is, then the Results Data files which includes the mapping
between Solaria and SolariaPCB will be out of sync. The only way to delete a PCB properly is to select
Edit>Delete PCB. It can be done within either environment but if done within Solaria Mode then you will
see the selected PCB disappear when the Delete button is hit. All Materials, Properties, Nodes and
Elements will be deleted. The Results Data file will also be automatically updated removing the PCB.

24 Inserting a PCB into a chassis model

When SolariaPCB creates a Solaria model, the lower left corner of the board is at X = 0.0 and Y = 0.0.
The 0.0 Z location is at the front surface of the board. So the board is built in the negative Z direction.
The thickness of the board in the model is the sum of the dielectric layers plus the sum of the 3D layers.
Conducting and 2D layers are represented by 2D elements and have no actual thickness in the model.
Just it is viewed in SolariaPCB, the Solaria model is built on the X-Y plane. Therefore, when building the
chassis model it is easiest if it was built such that the board lies on the X-Y plane. The model can be
rotated in Solaria but it is just one added step.

After the Solaria model is built within SolariaPCB you are given the opportunity to enter an X, Y and/or Z
offset. Unless you make some notes and do some calculations, it’s difficult to determine exactly what
offset will put the board exactly where it should go. It is easiest to enter an offset that will put the
board well away from the chassis model. In the Edit>Copy and Move dialog there is a Delta option.
Using this you can select a Node on the board then a Node on the chassis where that Node should go

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and the distance in the X, Y and Z direction is entered in the dialog. Then the PCB can be boxed and
moved by that displacement.

25 Details of the Solaria Thermal model

25.1 Representing the board

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25.2 Representing Traces

25.3 Representing Vias

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 Via

La er 2

La er 3

25.4 Modeling components

25.4.1 Attaching the component to the board

The attachment of the component to the board surface is calculated by SolariaPCB based on the data in
the component library. After the board is solved for temperatures, the total thermal resistance
calculated from the component case to the board accounting for all heat transfer paths is given for each
component in the Results Data summary table.

The thermal resistance down the leads is calculated by the following formula.

 Lead length 
Rleads   
 Klead * (width * thickness) 

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  Clearance 
Rgap   
 Kbo nd* Abo ttom* %coverage/100 

 Clearance 
Rgap   
 Kair * Abo ttom

Case Node
Gap resistors
Lead resistors

25.5 Modeling the Wedgelock Edge

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