Which PCB tool to choose?

[scorpyann]

how about the new OrCAD 15.7?

 

[Johan de Vries]

DxDesigner/PADS at this moment isn't the right combination.

Whe've spend 12 months to setup an 3 user setup with an link to our company ERP database (DXDatabook). Now its works. The database was easy, but our learning road wasn't.

Databook (library link to company ERP database) is quit good but DXDesigner isn't, its sluggish. To translate DXD to PADS it's a hard way to go. Many times we are lost in ini files. There are to little build in check functions, and a little typo in the beginning wil end in an translation that chrashes or PADS that chrashes.
And really this sucks bigtime. Hierarchical build is an pain in the @ss.
Its not build-up for an developers setup (make small > try > change > try again > make > big setup)

Its to much DxDesigner and to little the real project.........

At this moment DxDesigner is completly re-written in Europe.
The've told us that all is comming to an good end by 2008 ?!?.
And now whe are stuck with this situation.


What about Altium Designer, I hear (and see) al lot of good things...........
At an fair price.

Somthing about me:
+ 18 years experince
Ultiboard / OrCAD / PADS / DxDesigner / (Power) Logic and more
+ 200 designs done

 

[Anonymous_Ricky]

get the sch done in capture and layout in cadstar if the money is an issue then go for orcad layout otherwise cadstar is quite good for manual routing it is very user friendly

 

[sinatra]

Hello All.
I would like to remember again that there is a superb free tool suite for schematics and PCB.

If you want to get rid of your licenses. I you ever tought about the serious problem of having all your libraries, your designs locked to a certain software and only beeing able to open your designs when you have the licen$e.
Forget all those problems.
Just use KICAD.

I changed all my designs and have been successfuly designing with KIcad. No crashs, no licenses, all files are ascii, the formats are open, the source code is available....simply GPL, great. Multiplatform: That means it runs in Window$ and also in Linux!!!

Please give it a try, you will not regret.

Get it at:
**broken link removed**

or at the original site from Prof. Jean Pierre Charras in France:

**broken link removed**

Hope it helps.
S.

PS: I forgot to say that the suite is composed of a schematic capture, PCB, Gerberview, 3D viewer and a Netlist generator/comparator. Spice netlists can be easily generated.

 

[Hello_world.]

I think so OrCAD and Atium very good!!!

 

[venkat_kvr]

padspowerpcb is good

 

[exam_gre]

orcad

 

[aoimasu]

can you help me on making a real PCB? thanks, plz email me at aoimasu@yahoo.co.uk

 

[scofmb]

I'm looking for points, is that so bad? ;-D

 

[rangareddy1432]

for layout part allegro(cadense) is the good tool try this......

ranga

 

[qasmi]

Protel is the best

 

[renga]

Hi,

Use orcad capture with pads combination..Its user friendly tool..

 

[satyaeda]

Cadence allegro is the best tool and is most user friendly.