PCB cad software review

I don't know what a Ruler is. I'm guessing it's a way to measure distances between two points.

Eagle has a Mark command. That's the starting point of a ruler. Then when you move the mouse, the info window shows both the absolute coordinates but also the coordinates relative to the Mark.

Look at the help page for more info.

Ruler?

Ruler?

What Ruler?

IN the PCB window, click on "REPORTS" and select on the pull down menu "Measure Distance" to get what he, like many others call the ruler. POINT-TO POINT measurement in whichever measurement units you selected.

Yeah. Control-M does the same thing. When he said "ruler" I thought he meant "ruler"... Thought I might have missed something.

Pulsonix takes some beating. I've recently been trying out the new demo version and it's pretty neat, I must say. Check it out here:

I've used EasyPC for about 4 years now, and for the fairly small amount of PCB work I do (I'm a 6.3mm Jack of all trades) it started as satisfactory, and the annual upgrades and frequent bugfixes have made it pretty good in that period. Particularly nice features are the ease of creating new components, and the good copper fill facilities.

It has got shortcomings- save your work FREQUENTLY, as it's liable to crash, though much less so than when I first met it- and some basic limitations, the most annoying of which to me are:

- no hierarchical schematics, and poor way of dealing with multisheet schematics, like a multi- gate IC has to be all on one sheet.

- No proper back annotation. Though you can rename nets or components on the PCB, and swap connections, you can't add a net or component to the PCB and have it appear on the schematic.

- some real annoyances about second- guessing you as regards tracks and vias. There seems to be no way of reliably introducing multiple vias e.g. for power tracks- you have to add holes, which then don't move as you edit the track.

The autorouter is no better than it ought to be.

But all said, for the price it's very good.

Paul Burke

"Measure

Oh sorry if that was a bit confusing, I usually just hit R for report then M for measure. Snap to the center of a hole and measure the distance to another hole, give x distance, y distance and total distance. Err any way of snapping to the center of a hole in Eagle?

I have taken a look at Pulsonix, looks nice but it's in the same price range as protel, overkill for what we require. Still looking at the Sub $1000 range.

GrantM.

Ahh this is the sort of feedback I was after, thanks.

I tried the demo of EasyPC and it is quite nice to use, looks perfect for what we need and the price is very decent. Lower cost than Eagle and far easier to use.

I think if they had a free version comparable to what Eagle has, they would hold the lion's share of the hobbyist market.

Thanks for the feedback.

GrantM.

The Eagle mouse works on the current grid. If your holes are on-grid you get an automatic snap. If not, you need to adjust the grid. (There may be other/better ways. That's all I know.)

Don't forget to set it back immediately...or at least before changing anything. (The frustrated voice of experience.)

I think you are right on the (sore) spot. As a hobbyist (without a $1000 budget just for drawing my schematics / PCB's) I'm using Eagle as there is nothing else out there for the same price. For a product I actually like and was able to _use_ (not too crippled) the free version for a while I'd shell out $100 or so.

The functionality of Eagle is fine, even the free version allows you to get a small project done. Unfortunately the interface sucks. On the other hand the provided newsgroups are great and an excellent source of support.

Once every two years I go out and download a couple of demos to see if this has changed. Unfortunately in the last ten years this was not the case.

Markus

Protel sucks. If you spent that kind of money on a program, you're not likely to toss it in the Recycle Bin, no matter how bad it is. I guess that Protel is decent, but so are many other packages, such as Eagle (which I use). I guess that Protel users are simply fooling themselves into thinking that something that expensive MUST be good. Well it ain't. There are plenty of good low-cost and even free CAE programs out there.

This is the way of things with many PCB software packages these days - there's obviously little or no development going into them. Easy-PC is one of the few low-cost packages that seems to still develop the product.

Prescott

Development takes time and costs money. A lot of the low cost (affordable) packages are being squeezed out because of the availability of the free packages. I certainly couldn't afford to continue to develop a package under those conditions.

It doesn't always matter if the affordable package offers options that are not available for free, what seems to matter is the $$$. So, why develop?

If you want high quality, free software, buy a computer (200 dollars or so) get a Protel 30 demo, and keep reimaging your pc every thirty days or so.

That will encourage Protel to keep developing, I'm sure ;)

Regards, Brad

not

get

Protel has made several packages available free, IMOH they would only have a problem if you use it commercially.

Most packages are incremental improvements in the view of the programmer, not from scratch schemes. The Cost is one factor, but not re-inventing the wheel is another.

As to running a demo (No support) why not use "Time Crack" to allow it to run indefinably. No re-imaging required.

Such as?

Having used over fifteen PCB design packages, I will say this narrow view is not common. While I have been using Orcad for over 15 years, I have also used "verybest" "Vanguard," "Pads," & Protel 99SE & 'DXP'

they all have their individual quirks, but all are useful and do the job reasonably well.

I have also tried many Demo packages, and with in the limits they are all capable of doing a good job. I do not understand the Caustic condemnation of any one package as being a fair assessment of the capabilities of that package.

I bought Protell, Which is the LEAST expensive package I have, and have upgraded it due to a customer who requested it. The only criticism I have of the package is the help files were written by a programmer, not a PCB designer.

Clarence.

PS: I do NOT recommend CELL. Although I haven't seen it around fro a long time. It truly was an amateur effort.