schematics and PCB design software. what's best?

[Fernando Peral Pérez]

Hi.

i'm using OrCAD for mid-low complexity design. I'm thinking of changing.
What alternatives there are? what are the most used form professional
development? Some free quality software?

thanks

 

[JeffM]

Fernando Peral Pérez MULTI-POSTED:

I'm thinking of changing.

If you are going to post the *same* question to MULTIPLE groups,
http://groups.google.com/groups/search?q=alternatives&enc_author=UK3f8SIAAADbA7cCu-NITz4XN4JgdOUj_HYAfxWRjt5HLd1K_d9UJfK4ZR9D55eO8-AGYTffARY&scoring=d&filter=0
do embrace this notion:
http://66.102.9.104/search?q=cache:qHhBKJ-sXKYJ:en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cross-post+adequately.answered+corrected+with.commas+individually+Disclaimers+*-*-*-marked-as-Read-in-ALL-*-groups+Newsgroups.line

 

[Brad Velander]

Fernando,
I hope that you realize you are going to receive a lot of different
answers. I would suggest that there is no "best" software, it is mostly what
people find works for them and that which they have become used to using.
Some are bad, simply because of the number of "bugs", some are good for
their features but may still have significant numbers of bugs and
work-arounds, some have few bugs but lack the really productive features.
All comments are bound to be heavily weighted in opinion and shaded by
prejudice.

So it is really like asking which wine is best? It is mostly personal
taste and what you are familair with. Some people will love one program,
while others will savagely criticize the same software.

Alternatives to your OrCAD, aren't that many these days at the same
level of software. Protel/Altium, I hear that Pulsonix is approaching the
same levels. For an extensive list, try Terry Pinnel's CAD list at:

http://dspace.dial.pipex.com/terrypin/ECADList.html

Terry's list also includes the free versions and where he can he has given
reviews and comments.

--
Sincerely,
Brad Velander.

"Fernando Peral Pérez" <fperalNOQUIEROSPAM@patagonmail.com> wrote in message
news:f49oai$hg7$2@cormoran.emeteo.local...

Hi.

i'm using OrCAD for mid-low complexity design. I'm thinking of changing.
What alternatives there are? what are the most used form professional
development? Some free quality software?

thanks

 

[Marra]

On 8 Jun, 05:46, "Brad Velander" <bvel...@SpamThis.com> wrote:

Fernando,
I hope that you realize you are going to receive a lot of different
answers. I would suggest that there is no "best" software, it is mostly what
people find works for them and that which they have become used to using.
Some are bad, simply because of the number of "bugs", some are good for
their features but may still have significant numbers of bugs and
work-arounds, some have few bugs but lack the really productive features.
All comments are bound to be heavily weighted in opinion and shaded by
prejudice.

So it is really like asking which wine is best? It is mostly personal
taste and what you are familair with. Some people will love one program,
while others will savagely criticize the same software.

Alternatives to your OrCAD, aren't that many these days at the same
level of software. Protel/Altium, I hear that Pulsonix is approaching the
same levels. For an extensive list, try Terry Pinnel's CAD list at:

http://dspace.dial.pipex.com/terrypin/ECADList.html

Terry's list also includes the free versions and where he can he has given
reviews and comments.

--
Sincerely,
Brad Velander.

"Fernando Peral Pérez" <fperalNOQUIEROS...@patagonmail.com> wrote in messagenews:f49oai$hg7$2@cormoran.emeteo.local...

Hi.

i'm using OrCAD for mid-low complexity design. I'm thinking of changing.
What alternatives there are? what are the most used form professional
development? Some free quality software?

thanks

Depends how much you want to pay.
I have seen stuff for less than Ł20 on ebay.

 

[Robert Lacoste]

"Fernando Peral Pérez" <fperalNOQUIEROSPAM@patagonmail.com> a écrit dans le
message de news: f49oai$hg7$2@cormoran.emeteo.local...

Hi.

i'm using OrCAD for mid-low complexity design. I'm thinking of changing.
What alternatives there are? what are the most used form professional
development? Some free quality software?

Give a try to the Proteus suite (Isis/Ares) from www.labcenter.co.uk. We
have switched to it for all our mid-level complexity designs after
experiences with far more expensive packages, and we will not come back.
Everything is there : complex ground planes, burried vias, good external
autorouter (Elektra), wonderful simulation engine, even 3D PCB view in the
last release, and very good support. Only drawback : supplied libraries are
limited.

Chers,
Robert
www.alciom.com

 

[Marra]

On 13 Jun, 08:52, "Robert Lacoste" <see-my-email...@www.alciom.com>
wrote:

"Fernando Peral Pérez" <fperalNOQUIEROS...@patagonmail.com> a écrit dans le
message denews: f49oai$hg__BEGIN_MASK_n#9g02mG7!__...__END_MASK_i?a63jfAD$z__@cormoran.emeteo.local...

Hi.

i'm using OrCAD for mid-low complexity design. I'm thinking of changing.
What alternatives there are? what are the most used form professional
development? Some free quality software?

Give a try to the Proteus suite (Isis/Ares) fromwww.labcenter.co.uk. We
have switched to it for all our mid-level complexity designs after
experiences with far more expensive packages, and we will not come back.
Everything is there : complex ground planes, burried vias, good external
autorouter (Elektra), wonderful simulation engine, even 3D PCB view in the
last release, and very good support. Only drawback : supplied libraries are
limited.

Chers,
Robertwww.alciom.com

Some PCB software is grossly bloatware and some of it is bug ridden.
I got fed up in the late 80's of poor software so wrote my own.
I added things like autoplacers to try and lay out very large logic
layouts.
With slow pc's in those days we used to leave it to run overnight.
On one huge board we let it run for a week. We would just never have
succeeded by hand getting it tight enough.

 

[Manu]

On Jun 7, 4:03 pm, Fernando Peral Pérez
<fperalNOQUIEROS...@patagonmail.com> wrote:

Hi.

i'm using OrCAD for mid-low complexity design. I'm thinking of changing.
What alternatives there are? what are the most used form professional
development? Some free quality software?

thanks

Hi use EDWinXP, a better tool for Schematic as well as Layout. Go to
www.visionics.a.se to download an evaluation copy.

 

[Paul Burke]

Manu wrote:

Hi use EDWinXP, a better tool for Schematic as well as Layout. Go to
www.visionics.a.se to download an evaluation copy.

If anyone can recommend that, it must have improved vastly since I tried
it. Packed with features, most of which didn't work, the poor harrassed
help desk chap overloaded and actually apologising for the product, the
manual written by someone who simply listed the contents of the menus,
and showing all the problems inherent in outsourcing the code
maintenance to India. Coincidentally, I found the box during a clearout
yesterday, and it now resides in the skip.

Paul Burke

 

[Manu]

Hi Paul Burke,

Which version of EDWinXP you are having? Did you tried the new version
which is so much improved than the older ones. Also see that the price
factor, which is much much lesser than other packages with same
features.

Manu