schematics and PCB design software. what's best?

If you are going to post the *same* question to MULTIPLE groups,

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:

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

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Depends how much you want to pay. I have seen stuff for less than =A320 on ebay.

"Fernando Peral Pérez" a écrit dans le message de news: f49oai$hg7$ snipped-for-privacy@cormoran.emeteo.local...

Give a try to the Proteus suite (Isis/Ares) from

Chers, Robert

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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.

Hi use EDWinXP, a better tool for Schematic as well as Layout. Go to

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

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

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

well , i apologize for that. I thought the mater was OK for both groups, so i sent it to both. I doesn't realice i must send it to both groups at the same time. I will remember it in the future. Thank JeffM for the link Thank everybody for your answers

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edwinxp is a tad expensive. There is usually something on ebay for a few quid.