PCB Company and Board software

Diptace (30 day free version) and you can send the gerbers anywhere you want.

Cheers

Take a look at

to see if it pleases you.

For Eagle users:

Cheers

Really? $600 to layout a 20-component PCB? Not me.

There is a free version of PADS now...

--

John Larkin         Highland Technology, Inc 

lunatic fringe electronics

Kicad is free and open source, and it works quite well, I my first pcb in a couple of days and it even worked first time

Digikey recently started to make a Kicad library with symbols and footprint s for all of their stocked parts

We switched from Eagle 6 to Diptrace when Autodesk moved to a SaaS model. Beautiful Layout Hunchback is very happy with it.

Dashing Firmware Hunchback made a database and EDA interface program that looks after parts inventory, BOMs, and CAD libraries--I run the BOM into it, add any parts that aren't already in the DB, and it generates a PCB file with all the parts placed in groups that I specify in advance. BLH does schematic capture, and when the layout is finished, generates the EDA BOM. That goes into the DB and any discrepancies with my BOM are highlighted. (It's usually stuff like bypasses added during layout, bu there have been some other things, e.g. changing op amps on a proto.)

It also generates Digikey orders for N units with appropriate overages for different PCB assemblers. Pretty slick actually. We've been using it for a few months, and it saves a lot of time.

We sussed out the Diptrace interface by hacking up the Eagle ULPs that the Diptrace folks provide for transferring schematics, boards, and libraries from Eagle to Diptrace.

Cheers

Phil Hobbs

--
Dr Philip C D Hobbs 
Principal Consultant 
ElectroOptical Innovations LLC / Hobbs ElectroOptics 
Optics, Electro-optics, Photonics, Analog Electronics 
Briarcliff Manor NY 10510 

http://electrooptical.net 
http://hobbs-eo.com

I have a licensed set of PADS2004sp2 software, which I use for all my designs. The schematic editor (PADS Logic) does not require the dongle so I can work on designs freely. The Layout and Autorouter (Blaze) require the key. I would not get any package that does not have an autorouter, although for a simple 20 component PCB it is really not needed. I also have license for PADS2005 and PADS9.2, but they have configured the files and the libraries so that you cannot easily revert to lower versions, and my needs are such that PADS2004 is adequate.

I evaluated Kicad maybe 20 years ago and found it did not meet my needs, which were largely for schematics of non-PCB devices. It seemed difficult to create custom symbols. But now I would seriously consider it, as I have heard it is much improved, and I like the open source concept.

I have copies of DesignSpark and ExpressPCB, and they seem OK, but I only use them to view schematics and layouts made by others. DipTrace is also supposed to be pretty good.

As for getting boards made, I have been using

where they have a special for $15 per double sided board for up to 5"x5" with 7 day turn. They are USA based, and their standard prices are also competitive. But I also like in China. They have a cheap option for lower quality boards without tooling cost, and their prices for higher spec boards are very good once you eat the $200 or so tooling charge.

Another company I have used is

If you need assembly services for small quantities, I like

I have also gotten pretty good quotes from recommended by eiconnect (AKA zoompcb).

Paul

Kicad and OSH Park

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I've recently come up to speed on the new KiCad and am very impressed. Any body who hasn't tried it in the last two years (since CERN got involved and rewrote a bunch of it) might want to take a look.

PCBway.com does dirt cheap boards. For example: 10 boards, 10cmx10cm, 2 la yer, for $5. Ships from China, and not the best quality, but for prototype s and one-offs, worth looking into.

We use PCBway for both boards and assembly. Their multilayer boards are nice looking and work fine--we haven't had a dud yet, and they've done a couple of hundred boards for us.

We're expecting our first batch of assembled boards from them later this week.

Cheers

Phil Hobbs

--
Dr Philip C D Hobbs 
Principal Consultant 
ElectroOptical Innovations LLC / Hobbs ElectroOptics 
Optics, Electro-optics, Photonics, Analog Electronics 
Briarcliff Manor NY 10510 

http://electrooptical.net 
https://hobbs-eo.com

Den mandag den 27. november 2017 kl. 01.32.23 UTC+1 skrev P E Schoen:

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what would you use an autorouter for?

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20 years ago?? that like saying you last tried an automobile in the 1930's and the controls were a bit cumbersome ;)

The autorouter does a pretty good job and typically takes only a minute or so to route everything. I can set up rules for track width and clearance, and many other parameters. Sometimes I manually route some connections before having the autorouter complete the job, and then I tweak the design manually so it looks nice.

At that time I already had PADS, but I was looking for a package for the company I was working for. I tried Eagle, Kicad, and Protel, but I preferred PADS. My decision was also partially based on the premise that I would have the same software as that company, and that has worked to our mutual advantage. They are now using another package for new schematics and simple PCBs, but they usually contract out more complex designs, sometimes to me, and sometimes to other companies.

They also use turnkey board houses, even though they are often more expensive than shopping for low cost boards and doing in-house assembly. They say it is actually cheaper for them because they don't need to keep an inventory of parts, and they don't need specialized equipment and technician training for SMD assembly.

I might try Kicad again, but I really don't do very many boards, and PADS meets my needs, so why bother? It would mostly be for the purpose of looking at and modifying designs someone else created using Kicad.

Paul

seeed studio (3 e's)

--
The latest set of Shadow Broker tools shows the UK, USA, Canada,   
Australian and New Zealand spy agencies were hacking into domestic home   
routers. Who gave them permission to spy on our kids?