What is your favorite PCB software?
in [Embedded]
|
From: Anton Erasmus on 14 Apr 2008 11:23 On Sat, 12 Apr 2008 19:00:59 +0000, Guy Macon <http://www.guymacon.com/> wrote: > > > >David Brown wrote: > >>http://www.freestyleteam.com/index.php?topic=topor&lang=en > >also see: > >I just spent 20 minutes trying to find a price for the >TopoR topological autorouter, AuTOP automatic component >placement, and FSCapture schematic editor, with no luck. > >Does anyone know roughly how much these cost? For the router I got the following prices: (From memory) 8 routing layers US$2400 16 routing layers US$4000 32 routing layers US$6000 2 and 4 routing layer versions are also available at lower cost. There is also a Lite version available which is limited to 125 nets and which is freely downloadable. This is still quite useful. Regards Anton Erasmus
From: cth on 15 Apr 2008 02:12 MK wrote: > "Joel" <joelbenway(a)gmail.com> wrote in message > news:pOidnUGOS6oVsGfanZ2dnUVZ_ramnZ2d(a)giganews.com... >> Just curious about what everyone uses. I've been using Orcad PCB editor. > > Easy PC - simple, cheap, stable a bit limited - ie running out of steam on > 6 layer design with 256 pin BGAs where you start wishing you had fancy > pin-swapping-to-optimise -routing features. > > Michael Kellett > > www.mkesc.co.uk > KiCad http://www.lis.inpg.fr/realise_au_lis/kicad/ Free, Schematic -> Netlist+Component -> PCB Layout. Includes: - Library editors for your own SCH & PCB components - 3D PCB model preview (provided you use components with their corresponding 3D .wrl model files) ! The auto-place & auto-route are a bit brain-dead but for simple jobs it's quite useful. Chris.
From: Guy Macon on 15 Apr 2008 09:27 Anton Erasmus wrote: > >Guy Macon <http://www.guymacon.com/> wrote: > >>David Brown wrote: >> >>>http://www.freestyleteam.com/index.php?topic=topor&lang=en >> >>also see: >> >>I just spent 20 minutes trying to find a price for the >>TopoR topological autorouter, AuTOP automatic component >>placement, and FSCapture schematic editor, with no luck. >> >>Does anyone know roughly how much these cost? > >For the router I got the following prices: >(From memory) > >8 routing layers US$2400 >16 routing layers US$4000 >32 routing layers US$6000 > >2 and 4 routing layer versions are also available at lower cost. >There is also a Lite version available which is limited to 125 nets >and which is freely downloadable. This is still quite useful. I just downladed and tried it, and was not impressed. The autoplace demo didn't allow any manual placing, the autorouter demo crashed, and there was no demo allowing me to evaluate schematic capture. -- misc.business.product-dev: a Usenet newsgroup about the Business of Product Development. -- Guy Macon <http://www.guymacon.com/>
From: Joel on 16 Apr 2008 13:02 > > > >Anton Erasmus wrote: >> >>Guy Macon <http://www.guymacon.com/> wrote: >> >>>David Brown wrote: >>> >>>>http://www.freestyleteam.com/index.php?topic=toporā©=en >>> >>>also see: >>> >>>I just spent 20 minutes trying to find a price for the >>>TopoR topological autorouter, AuTOP automatic component >>>placement, and FSCapture schematic editor, with no luck. >>> >>>Does anyone know roughly how much these cost? >> >>For the router I got the following prices: >>(From memory) >> >>8 routing layers US$2400 >>16 routing layers US$4000 >>32 routing layers US$6000 >> >>2 and 4 routing layer versions are also available at lower cost. >>There is also a Lite version available which is limited to 125 nets >>and which is freely downloadable. This is still quite useful. > >I just downladed and tried it, and was not impressed. The autoplace >demo didn't allow any manual placing, the autorouter demo crashed, >and there was no demo allowing me to evaluate schematic capture. > > >-- >misc.business.product-dev: a Usenet newsgroup >about the Business of Product Development. > -- Guy Macon <http://www.guymacon.com/> > > Does anybody use Pro/E's ECAD-MCAD Collaboration Extension for board geometry or component placement? Its not a bad system as Its much easier to do complex shaped boards using an actual modeling program.
From: rickman on 20 Apr 2008 17:18
On Apr 12, 1:48 pm, James Morrison <sp...(a)stratforddigital.ca> wrote: > On 2008/Apr/12 11:29 AM, in article > 209e6958-dcc3-4f8f-a76a-014f11522...(a)e67g2000hsa.googlegroups.com, "rickman" > > > I tried Eagle and the oddities of the UI were rather tricky to > > initially learn. Then I came back to it 6 months later and they were > > just as tricky to learn the second time! If you don't use a program > > very often, it is pointless to try to use such an odd bird as Eagle > > (so to speak). There are much better alternatives. > > Hi rickman, > > With version 5.0 of EAGLE (due out soon) some of this is alleviated. You > can now right click on an object and pick your function. It is a bit > different from other UI's but to be fair, most tools are slightly different. > > What do you consider "that odd"? I'd be interested to know. I don't recall and that is the problem. I *have* to remember how Eagle works vs other tools that just plain work like most other packages that are even vaguely related to drawing anything. One thing that I think Allan got very right when he wrote FreePCB is the scroll button zoom. He not only centers the screen on the cursor when you turn the wheel, he *only* centers it on the first click and doesn't start zooming until the second click. I don't recall what Eagle does, but this works better than any other program I have used for any sort of drawing. FreeRouter does the opposite in the sense they instead of moving the image so the cursor is the center of the screen, they use the cursor as the center of the zoom! Instead of zooming in on a feature or being a controlled way of panning the window, I find this very, very frustrating. > > As to the scripting, I have thought scripting could be useful, but I > > have yet to find a real need for it. Your example can easily be done > > by using a simple spread sheet table to calculate the coordinates for > > the 16 LEDs and copying them to the parts. At least you can do this > > in FreePCB since it lets you directly enter the coordinates if you > > want. > > There are lots of things you can do. I have tools (for sale, disclaimer) > that auto create packages in EAGLE from a small list of IPC7351 parameters, > import/export various netlist formats, and others to come. You can also > emulate higher level functions that are available on more expensive tools. > Or if you have something you need to do in a repeated way his can be useful > too, faster and repeatable. The package tool is something that is a part of FreePCB. Allan calls it the Footprint Wizard. It does a pretty good job of creating SIPs, DIPs, QFPs, BGAs, headers with two methods of numbering pins, etc. I even use it for oddball parts since it will throw a bunch of pins on the page that I can then tailor to suit the part. > > That does give me an idea for a suggestion to the author of FreePCB. > > I don't know that a scripting capability is needed, but a hierarchical > > capability might be. That would let you combine say, four LEDs in an > > arc to be placed four times to form your circle. To be maximally > > useful, it should also include traces. > > Hierarchy is the one big thing that I see EAGLE missing. I'll see what pull > I have as a dealer to get this included in the next major version. They > have already stated a desire to use XML file structure which is great for a > lot of reasons. Of course, their revision cycle is about 2 years or more so > don't hold your breathe :) Actually, the LED thing is likely not something that would come up very often. But it can be useful to use a "pattern" to place and route identical sections of logic. Someone was talking about that in the FreePCB forums and I recently found use for it. I guess it could be a tricky thing to make work correctly, especially the user interface. |