How To Install SOLIDWORKS PCB 2023 Standalone

PLEASE NOTE, END OF LIFE FOR THIS PRODUCT IS SET FOR AUGUST OF 2023, ALL SALES OF THIS PRODUCT HAVE ENDED AS OF AUGUST OF 2021.

This guide gives instructions for installing SOLIDWORKS PCB 2023. It is written for standalone installations of SOLIDWORKS PCB 2023. In this configuration, all program components are on the same computer. The software can also be installed in a shared configuration where a server computer, or other computer able to reach the network, hosts SOLIDWORKS PCB Services data, while user computers run either SOLIDWORKS PCB, SOLIDWORKS PCB Connector or the SOLIDWORKS PCB Add-In. Please contact Hawk Ridge Systems Technical Support if you are unsure of your SOLIDWORKS PCB configuration type.

SOLIDWORKS PCB 2023 uses the same installation manager as other SOLIDWORKS products, including the 3D CAD software. If upgrading other SOLIDWORKS products along with SOLIDWORKS PCB 2023, please also refer to their upgrade guides for further instructions.

This is not a troubleshooting guide. If you have any technical issues with SolidWorks, please contact Hawk Ridge Systems technical support.

This document is only to be distributed and used by Hawk Ridge Systems customers. Any other use is prohibited.

Product Information

SOLIDWORKS PCB is a PCB design tool that integrates with SOLIDWORKS 3D to allow collaboration between electrical and mechanical designers. Changes to a PCB design can be made in either SOLIDWORKS PCB or SOLIDWORKS 3D then synchronized between the two programs.

SOLIDWORKS PCB Connector is also available. This product enables SOLIDWORKS 3D integration with Altium Designer. Here the PCB design tools are provided by Altium Designer, while the 3D collaboration tools are provided by SOLIDWORKS PCB Connector. Note that sales and support for Altium Designer are not provided by Hawk Ridge Systems or SOLIDWORKS.

Refer to www.solidworkspcb.com for more information.

Licensing

SOLIDWORKS PCB 2023 can be used with standalone and network licenses. Note that the license type differs from the installation configuration type, which can be standalone or shared. The installation configuration type can be standalone or client-server (this guide is for the standalone configuration). Either license type can be used with either configuration type.

If you have a standalone license, you will need to activate SOLIDWORKS PCB 2023 after installing. You will be automatically prompted to do this when launching the application after an upgrade. Refer to our guide titled 2023 Product Activation for more information on activation methods. If you are moving your SOLIDWORKS PCB 2023 installation to a new computer, you will need to transfer your license activation off the old computer before activating on the new one. Refer to the Appendix for instructions on transferring your SOLIDWORKS PCB standalone license.

If you have a network license, the SolidNetwork License Manager on the license server computer needs to be of a version at or above the version of SOLIDWORKS PCB 2023 that you are installing. If this is not already the case, refer to our guide titled 2023 Network Server Installation to install and activate the SolidNetwork License Manager.

Configuration Requirements

If you are installing SOLIDWORKS PCB 2023 and are looking to take advantage of 3D imaging and data transfer, you must either install SOLIDWORKS 3D along with SOLIDWORKS PCB 2023 or have SOLIDWORKS 3D previously installed on your computer. It is recommended that SOLIDWORKS 3D and SOLIDWORKS PCB be of the same version and service pack, however it is not required. See the compatibility matrix below.

Program Components

For SOLIDWORKS PCB, you will need to install:

SOLIDWORKS PCB Services
SOLIDWORKS PCB

Refer to the table below for more information on the four program components.

Program Component	Description	Typical Installation Location
SOLIDWORKS PCB Services	Service that enables communication and collaboration between the SOLIDWORKS PCB and SOLIDWORKS 3D programs	Server computer accessible to all user computers
SOLIDWORKS PCB	Standalone PCB design program typically used by an electrical designer	ECAD user computer
SOLIDWORKS PCB Add-In	Add-in for SOLIDWORKS 3D (typically used by a mechanical designer), allowing it to connect to SOLIDWORKS PCB Services and push changes back to SOLIDWORKS PCB	MCAD user computer running SOLIDWORKS 3D

Before Installation

Hawk Ridge Systems highly recommends taking a moment before installing SOLIDWORKS and ensuring you are ready to load your new software. First, check the following links to ensure minimum system requirements and the video card compatibility is met. Also, confirm that the hard drive has enough space to have at least 15% free space, after the full installation. Back-up data such as any shared Toolbox library, Design Library, Template files, or a data management vault. As always, verify workmates, customers, or vendors are all on the same version of SOLIDWORKS. SOLIDWORKS cannot open files from newer versions.

Installing SOLIDWORKS PCB Services

This section installs the SOLIDWORKS PCB Services program.

Select Server Products on the Welcome screen and navigate to SOLIDWORKS PCB Services
Check the box next to SOLIDWORKS PCB Services and click Next.

Specify the installation location, database folder, revisions file folder, and port number by selecting CHANGE, next to PCB Options on the Summary Page, for custom settings. Click Back to Summary when finished. We recommend keeping the default values for all options here.

CHANGE or accept the default(s), then click Download and Install

Open a browser and go to the URL http://localhost:9780. We suggest bookmarking this page for easy access to the SOLIDWORKS PCB Services interface.
Log in with the username admin and password admin.

Click on USERS > Add User, then use the form to enter information for a new user. Repeat this for all the users that will be connecting to SOLIDWORKS PCB Services. Note that users can be added to roles and new roles can be created. Roles can then be used to control user permissions to SOLIDWORKS PCB data.

After adding all users, click on the VCS tab to show the DefaultRepository. Click on the Share button to bring up the Manage Permissions dialog. Add users or roles to the repository to give the users added at step 7 access to this repository. Note that you can create multiple repositories with different users having different permissions to each.

Click Sign Out when finished.
Note that all user computers will need to be able to communicate with SOLIDWORKS PCB Services over the network on the port specified at step 3. Add exceptions to all firewalls or security programs that might affect this communication.

SOLIDWORKS PCB Client Installation

REMINDER: If upgrading from a previous version of SOLIDWORKS PCB, we strongly recommend backing up data before proceeding.

Make sure you are logged in as the administrator.
Disable all anti-virus and anti-spyware tools and turn off Windows User Account Control.
Locate your SOLIDWORKS 2023 installation media (DVD or download) and launch the setup application (setup.exe). You should see the Welcome screen for the SOLIDWORKS Installation Manager. Select Individual (on this computer) and click Next.

You will then see the Serial Number screen where you can enter your serial number for your SOLIDWORKS PCB installation. Note that you do not need to enter multiple serial numbers if your SOLIDWORKS serial number is the same as your SOLIDWORKS PCB serial number.

The SOLIDWORKS Installation Manager will verify your serial number and perform an automatic system check for any existing versions of SOLIDWORKS or SOLIDWORKS PCB. Take note of any messages or warnings during this step.
At the Summary screen, you can change the settings and options defined for the installation. To do so, click CHANGE on the right side of each option.

Click CHANGE next to Products to go to the Product Selection screen. Scroll down and ensure that SOLIDWORKS PCB is checked ON. Nested here are the individual SOLIDWORKS products. Click Back to Summary when finished.

In the Download Options, we recommend disabling the Background Downloader, as it is known to cause issues with upgrades. Click CHANGE next to Download Options, then deselect Use the background downloader. Click Back to Summary when finished.
Confirm that all the information on the Summary screen is correct. Accept the license agreement then click Download and Install to begin the installation.

When the installation is complete, you will be asked to join the SOLIDWORKS Customer Experience Improvement Program . We recommend joining this, as it provides software performance information to SOLIDWORKS and enables the use of the CAD Admin Dashboard through the Customer Portal. The information this sends to SOLIDWORKS is treated confidentially and does not result in the transfer of any file information. After making the selection, click the Finish button to complete the installation.

When the software is launched for the first time after installation, you may need to activate the license (if using standalone licensing). Follow the prompts to complete this. You will also be prompted to accept the license agreement.
When running SOLIDWORKS PCB for the first time, you may be prompted to allow SOLIDWORKS PCB through the firewall. Allow it, if so.
Follow the activation prompts to activate your SOLIDWORKS PCB license. Please refer to our article 2023 Product Activation for more information on license activation and deactivation.

At the SOLIDWORKS PCB Start screen, click File > Sign in SOLIDWORKS PCB Services, or click Start a New PCB Project.

In the sign in dialog, for Server Address, enter the name of the computer running SOLIDWORKS PCB Services and the port number in the format machinename:9780. Note that machinename can be specified as localhost if SOLIDWORKS PCB Services is installed on the same computer as SOLIDWORKS PCB (i.e. when using a local configuration). Also enter your Username and Password, as specified at step 6 of the SOLIDWORKS PCB Services installation (section 2). Click Login to start using SOLIDWORKS PCB.

Appendix: License Transfer

You are allowed one activation per standalone license, for your business computer and for your home computer. As part of the license agreement, you may not use both simultaneously.

Each activation transaction is coded to the hardware of your computer. If you are moving your SOLIDWORKS PCB installation to a new computer, you will need to transfer your license activation before activating on the new computer. You should also do this before reformatting or replacing your hard drive or operating system. If your SOLIDWORKS PCB license is tied to your main SOLIDWORKS license (i.e. they are the same number), please see our guide titled 2023 Product Activation for the transfer process.

This process is not required for a new installation. If your computer does not have internet access, refer to the E-mail Transfer section of this document.

Online Transfer

Go to Start > All Programs > SOLIDWORKS 2023 > SOLIDWORKS PCB.
Once SOLIDWORKS PCB launches, click on the File tab and choose Help>Deactivate Licenses…

Choose to transfer Automatically over the Internet and click Next.
The software will connect to the SOLIDWORKS activation servers and you will be informed when the license has been successfully transferred. Press the Finish button to complete the process.

Note: SOLIDWORKS PCB will no longer run on this machine unless it is re-activated.

E-mail Transfer

Go to Start > All Programs > SOLIDWORKS 2023 > SOLIDWORKS PCB.
Once SOLIDWORKS PCB launches, click on the File tab and choose Help>Deactivate Licenses…

Choose to activate Manually via e-mail and click Next.
On the next page, press the Save button to create an activation request file.

Note: Once you have saved this file, your activation is disabled. Do not exit the activation window until you have read in the response file from SOLIDWORKS and completed the process or you will not be able to run SOLIDWORKS PCB to complete the transfer.

Browse to a location on your computer to store this .txt file and press the Save button. Copy this .txt file onto a removable storage device and move it to a machine with internet access.
E-mail this file as an attachment to activation@solidworks.com.
SOLIDWORKS will send a return e-mail with a different .txt file attached. Save this file to a removable storage device and move it to the machine awaiting the activation transfer.
In the activation wizard, press the Open button on the e-mail activation page.
Browse to the response file and press the Open button.
The next page will show you that your transfer is complete.
Press the Finish button to complete the process.

Note: SOLIDWORKS PCB will no longer run on this machine unless it is re-activated.

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