advice on choosing right PCB design package

[megoodsen]

Hi,

In leui of a FAQ for this group, here goes with a likely hot
chestnut...

I'm looking for a good schematic capture and PCB design package to
replace our very flaky EasyPC.

We need both good schematic and PCB layout capabilities, ideally in one
system.

Best I outline the requirements...
We do pretty straightforward analogue and digital designs, and a lot of
microwave RF designs.
We create a lot of our own components (sch and PCB elements) as many of
the parts we use are very often not in any libraries.
Our boards (especially RF boards) are often multilayer, with blind
vias, have curved tracks of need-to-be defined width and length, and
always copper pours. (EasyPC copper pours lets us down a lot).
We also need to export boards (with components) to 3D mech CAD
(Solidworks) in some format.
We need good autorouting for non RF boards of course.

The players I am looking at are:
Electronics Workbench
Eagle
OrCAD
Cadstar
Pulsonix

I'd really appreciate comments from users of these packages about their
suitability for our tasks, and if they are stable in use etc.

thanks

 

[[email protected]]

Hi,

In leui of a FAQ for this group, here goes with a likely hot
chestnut...

I'm looking for a good schematic capture and PCB design package to
replace our very flaky EasyPC.

We need both good schematic and PCB layout capabilities, ideally in one
system.

Best I outline the requirements...
We do pretty straightforward analogue and digital designs, and a lot of
microwave RF designs.
We create a lot of our own components (sch and PCB elements) as many of
the parts we use are very often not in any libraries.
Our boards (especially RF boards) are often multilayer, with blind
vias, have curved tracks of need-to-be defined width and length, and
always copper pours. (EasyPC copper pours lets us down a lot).
We also need to export boards (with components) to 3D mech CAD
(Solidworks) in some format.
We need good autorouting for non RF boards of course.

The players I am looking at are:
Electronics Workbench
Eagle
OrCAD
Cadstar
Pulsonix

I'd really appreciate comments from users of these packages about their
suitability for our tasks, and if they are stable in use etc.

Check out sci.electronics.cad - they seemed to like Protel when I last
looked.

 

[megoodsen]

Thanks Bill, I will check out Protel...

 

[[email protected]]

Hi,

In leui of a FAQ for this group, here goes with a likely hot
chestnut...

I'm looking for a good schematic capture and PCB design package to
replace our very flaky EasyPC.

We need both good schematic and PCB layout capabilities, ideally in one
system.

Best I outline the requirements...
We do pretty straightforward analogue and digital designs, and a lot of
microwave RF designs.
We create a lot of our own components (sch and PCB elements) as many of
the parts we use are very often not in any libraries.
Our boards (especially RF boards) are often multilayer, with blind
vias, have curved tracks of need-to-be defined width and length, and
always copper pours. (EasyPC copper pours lets us down a lot).
We also need to export boards (with components) to 3D mech CAD
(Solidworks) in some format.
We need good autorouting for non RF boards of course.

The players I am looking at are:
Electronics Workbench
Eagle
OrCAD
Cadstar
Pulsonix

I'd really appreciate comments from users of these packages about their
suitability for our tasks, and if they are stable in use etc.

thanks

You might need an upmarket system if your in the "professional" shpere.
Try Vutrax or Bartells.

 

[[email protected]]

Bill

Look at Kicad. I have not tried copper pour, but they have it, as well as 3D
export feature. Best of all is price: free (GPL). Available for windows or
linux

I've finally got the gEDA package - including PCB - up and running on
my Linux partition.
I lurk on the gEDA mailing list and those who've tried Kicad weren't
all that impressed.

 

[megoodsen]

I'm surprised you found EasyPC stable!
Do you define your own library components much?
I've found the "Libraries" button could justifiably carry a tooltip
text that reads "Crash Here" !
I've been on to Number One systems a lot, they don't seem to be able
to replicate it, and between us we have tried many things. Many
installs, new PCs etc etc. I've had it since v8 too.

Also, the coppper pour often won't. It make pour in part of the area I
intend, it may pour OVER tracks and pads it should, it may also pour
partially at the set clearance, and other clearances it seems to choose
randomly.
Number One are aware of the pour problems, they know that curved tracks
or slightly non-hor or vert tracks can cause these probs, but have yet
to fully fix it. V9 is a bit better than 8 I must say.
BTW, we've been with EasyPC since DOS days!

I tried the demo of Pulsonix recently. The look of it is so
EasyPC-like, it is obvious they share technologies. This is enough to
scare me away from it.

Note that uninstalling the demo of Pulsonix also un-installed required
DLL's from my existing EasyPC installation.
I was not pleased !

 

[megoodsen]

grammar corrections:

 

[Paul Burke]

I'm surprised you found EasyPC stable!

I learned to save all frequently, but it hardly ever crashes now- except
on closing, which doesn't bother me.

Do you define your own library components much?
I've found the "Libraries" button could justifiably carry a tooltip
text that reads "Crash Here" !

No problem whatsoever, but I don't use the 3D facility.

Also, the coppper pour often won't...they know that curved tracks
or slightly non-hor or vert tracks can cause these probs, but have yet
to fully fix it. .

they've also added a highlight so you can tidy up these tracks. My (W98)
installation is pretty good at the moment. As regards clearances, I had
an ongoing problem with this- it passed rule checks, but the Gerbers
were in violation. I eventually found the cause- the plotter is set by
default to software arc (i.e. straight lines) and the chord of these
caused the violations. Setting to hardware arc cured it.

Paul Burke

 

[Michael Wieser]

We need both good schematic and PCB layout capabilities, ideally in one
system.

Best I outline the requirements...
We do pretty straightforward analogue and digital designs, and a lot of
microwave RF designs.
We create a lot of our own components (sch and PCB elements) as many of
the parts we use are very often not in any libraries.
Our boards (especially RF boards) are often multilayer, with blind
vias, have curved tracks of need-to-be defined width and length, and
always copper pours. (EasyPC copper pours lets us down a lot).
We also need to export boards (with components) to 3D mech CAD
(Solidworks) in some format.
We need good autorouting for non RF boards of course.

The players I am looking at are:
Electronics Workbench
Eagle
OrCAD
Cadstar
Pulsonix

I'd really appreciate comments from users of these packages about their
suitability for our tasks, and if they are stable in use etc.

thanks

look at Bartels their system does exactly what you ask for but not
for free...



hth

 

[Pon]

Hi,

I am using OrCAD as well as Mentor graphics. Both the tools are ok.
Mentor graphics provides more user friendly Layout design, signal
Integrity analysis for high speed signals, and schematics cross probe
etc.

have a look on Mentor graphic's Expedition PCB packages and Orcad.