After locating components, you can examine the electrical connections in the PCB design.

PCB-Investigator allows you to select a net directly in the layout or search for a known net by name.

Select a Net in the Layout

First, switch to the appropriate net selection mode:

1. Open the Start tab.
2. In the Mouse Tools panel, open the Select Net dropdown.
3. Choose Net Mode: Best View.
4. Click a pad or trace that belongs to the net you want to inspect.

PCB-Investigator highlights the complete net, allowing you to follow its path through the design.

Search for a Known Net

You can also use the Quick Search when you already know the net name:

1. Press Space.
2. Begin the search term with a percent sign (%) and enter the net name, for example %GND.
3. Choose the matching search result.

The corresponding net is selected and displayed in the PCB layout.

Tip

Net highlighting is useful for tracing signals and understanding the electrical connections between components.

Result

A complete electrical net is selected and can be followed through the PCB design.

One of the most common PCB review tasks is locating a specific component.

PCB-Investigator provides two convenient ways to find components: the Quick Search and the CMPs tab.

Note For more advanced component information and management functions, see the Component Manager.

Use the Quick Search

Press Space to open the Quick Search.

By default, the Quick Search looks for menu commands. To search for a component, begin the search term with an exclamation mark (!).

For example, enter !U1.

Choose the matching result to locate and highlight the component in the PCB layout.

Use the CMPs Tab

The CMPs tab in the Additional Tabs area provides an overview of the components in the loaded PCB.

1. Open the CMPs tab.
2. Use its search field to enter a component reference.
3. Select the matching component from the list.

The selected component is located in the PCB layout.

Tip Use the Quick Search when you already know the component reference. Use the CMPs tab to browse or search the complete component list.

Result

The selected component is highlighted and visible in the PCB layout.