Parametric search integration into EDA tools...

[Clifford Heath]

Earlier today, I mentioned an idea about integrating parametric search
into Kicad. How I\'m curious whether any commercial EDA tool does this,
or whether there is any existing database for parametric search.

It would be nice if a schematic/PCB tool could support:
* parametric search (Digikey integration?)
* data sheet links
* octopart integration to show availability&pricing
* part footprints for PCB layout
* 3D models for visualisation
* spice models for simulation

Kicad\'s libraries for symbols, footprints, 3D and Spice are badly
integrated at present, and there isn\'t very good search capabilities.

How good are the commercial EDA tools at this kind of thing?

Clifford Heath

 

[Ricketty C]

On Tuesday, July 28, 2020 at 9:28:51 PM UTC-4, Clifford Heath wrote:

Earlier today, I mentioned an idea about integrating parametric search
into Kicad. How I\'m curious whether any commercial EDA tool does this,
or whether there is any existing database for parametric search.

It would be nice if a schematic/PCB tool could support:
* parametric search (Digikey integration?)
* data sheet links
* octopart integration to show availability&pricing
* part footprints for PCB layout
* 3D models for visualisation
* spice models for simulation

Kicad\'s libraries for symbols, footprints, 3D and Spice are badly
integrated at present, and there isn\'t very good search capabilities.

How good are the commercial EDA tools at this kind of thing?

Clifford Heath

I think Orcad used to incorporate a data base interface, although not really parametric. One job I had would let us select parts through Orcad and know that the part had a company part number and was on the shelf. I don\'t recall if it had any technical info other than a datasheet.

The big part of parametric search is the data. Even now Digikey has lots of wrong info in their data base and I expect they require the manufacturer to provide that info for their parts. That\'s why it\'s so often wrong most likely. The manufacturers enter the data the way they like to see it.

If you are going to add an interface for any source, Digikey and Mouser would be the useful candidates. Not many professionals worry with a couple of bucks in building prototypes. Better to facilitate the design process and to use the parts that are best for the job, not because they are available at a single supplier.

But really, it\'s a bit backwards to even think that way. I have no trouble using Digikey and Mouser along with Octopart to check general availability.. So my selection process has nothing to do with KiCAD or any other design package and there is no utility to that. Once I\'ve selected the part, I then need a schematic symbol and a footprint for the design entry. Vendor supplied symbols often are other than optimal and I always worry about any third party footprints, so again, tapping into a data base is not so important because it is nearly as much work to verify a footprint as it is to just draw the durn thing.

What would be really useful would be to have a set of footprints that are verified so they can be trusted. Even better would be good documentation on the tools.

--

Rick C.

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