How good is Protel?

To all you user of Protel - is it any good?

I am considering purchasing it (a considerable investment for a 1 person company) to replace the package I currently use (Labcentre Proteus). The project in mind is high density 8 layer PCB. The last version took me about 2 months to hand route. So the real question is will Protel save a significant amount of this time. I have the evaluation system up and going, but short of designing my whole system it is hard to get a good feel for how it will do my job. The interactive routing (that shoves tracks aside as you route new ones) looks like a good start, and even the auto-router may be up to the job.

I have read old reviews that say the Protel 99 is buggy and hard to use. How do the new versions rate?

How good is the auto-router on high density PCBs?

Is the FPGA integration any good?

Thanks in advance for your comments.

Clayton

============================ Clayton Gumbrell CE Solutions Limited / CamSensor Technologies Limited NEW ZEALAND ============================

Hi There

As a long time user of Protel .. I should first warn you ... you are asking in the wrong place... Make sure you look at the kiwi price too.. its cheaper here than anywhere else thanks to Mike Lander.. the rep. Carl Watts, the new rep just sent me an email $11,750 +GST come April .. but

Go to the Altium web site and into the DXP groups .. the support from real users there will answer any questions you can dream of.

If the board you are trying to do is high density and any kind of speed.. then the "cheap" autorouters won't do any good. You have to get Specctra and many thousands of dollars so its hardly worth it... and even if you do..

If your only doing one board.. then talk to Lomax .. he runs a design service and would be far cheaper than buying the software.

But as far as saving time.. hard to say.. my previous work has shown you can either do it quickly or not.. mostly its due to the skill of the operator and nothing to do with the software itself. I have done boards in a week that my boss took 2 months to do... that's why I did the cad and he didn't.

Protel 99 was a bit buggy... Protel 99SE has been rock solid for 6 years.. that's why they don't sell it any more DXP has a lot of followers who swear by or at it.. depending who you talk too. I have used it as part of the Kiwi-satellite design.. was very good IMO but still has a long way to go to be as good as 99SE.

Don't forget that to use the push and shove.. takes more and more horse power the denser the board gets. I tend to use the follower mode more.. place one track and lay then next along side.

If you want more info.. give me a buzz back.

Simon (go hurricanes)

How

P.S. Protel is huge in NZ and Aussy.. so if you buy and get stuck.. there are a few people in the same time zone who can lend a hand

Simon

How

Thanks for the info Simon. I'd be interested in discussing this further. You are obviously local (I think we have some acquaintances in common) so can you call me or provide your number. I'm at 5702171 (wk) Regards Clayton

-- ============================ Clayton Gumbrell CE Solutions Limited / CamSensor Technologies Limited Lower Hutt NEW ZEALAND ============================

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