Best Value for Schematic Capture & Layout Software ???

Ah, OK -- treating the *ring* (not a "large pad") as a *pad* (which happens to CONTAIN the other pad/via)...

That's correct. Pain in the &%*&%& for most packages, might be good questions for every body when choosing cad packages.

1/ Can I create custom pad or via shapes/sizes (including slot plated vias). 2/ Can the package and its tools cope with a ring smd pad containing a standard via type pad.

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I'm still running 10.4 (on an Intel MacMini). Haven't had any "Fink specific" problems, as far as I can remember.

What is wrong with using this?

Most recent nightly build at the top of the list:

I downloaded the above and expanded it in its own directory. Launched a couple of applications that seemed to work altho I didn't have time to figure out how to make them do anything useful.

I don't know what's wrong (haven't had time to investigate), but I downloaded it a couple of days ago and none of the binaries would launch under 10.4 Intel. Maybe it's built for "10.5 or later"? Didn't find any info.

OK, so I just downloaded the latest build, and had a look at the crash log:

--
Host Name:      MacMini
Date/Time:      2009-07-31 18:18:23.016 +0200
OS Version:     10.4.11 (Build 8S2167)
Report Version: 4

Command: pcbnew
Path:    /Downloads/kicad_osx_v1899/bin/pcbnew.app/Contents/MacOS/pcbnew
Parent:  WindowServer [27502]

Version:  ()

PID:    25039
Thread: Unknown

Link (dyld) error:

Library not loaded: /usr/lib/libiconv.2.dylib
  Referenced from:
/Downloads/kicad_osx_v1899/bin/pcbnew.app/Contents/MacOS/pcbnew
  Reason: Incompatible library version: pcbnew requires version 7.0.0 or
later, but libiconv.2.dylib provides version 5.0.0

Possibly. But /usr/lib/libiconv.2.dylib is dated Sep 23 2007 on my

10.5.7 system. Seems 10.5 is newer than that, but time flys.

Thought I had a 10.4 system but my G4 MDD is also running 10.5.7, the oldest Mac that will officially run 10.5.

Look and see if you have a libiconv.2.*

Yes, there are a few:

/Developer/SDKs/MacOSX10.3.9.sdk/usr/lib/libiconv.2.2.0.dylib /Developer/SDKs/MacOSX10.4u.sdk/usr/lib/libiconv.2.2.0.dylib /usr/lib/libiconv.2.2.0.dylib (lrwxr-xr-x 1 root wheel 16 Jul 24 2006 libiconv.2.2.0.dylib

-> libiconv.2.dylib) /sw/lib/libiconv.2.4.0.dylib (Fink)

I think therein lies your problem. The original error message was complaining about a lack of /usr/lib/libiconv.2.dylib and you do not have one. Your /usr/lib/libiconv.2.2.0.dylib is a symbolic link to a file that is apparently missing.

This is /usr/lib on my 10.5.7:

% ls -l libicon* lrwxr-xr-x 1 root wheel 16 Jan 22 2008 libiconv.2.4.0.dylib -> libiconv.2.dylib

-rw-r--r-- 1 root wheel 4147008 Sep 23 2007 libiconv.2.dylib lrwxr-xr-x 1 root wheel 20 Jan 22 2008 libiconv.dylib -> libiconv.2.4.0.dylib

-rw-r--r-- 1 root wheel 795 Feb 19 2008 libiconv.la

I suggest you copy the library into /usr/lib from one of your sources or simply make a hard link so as not to consume disk space. There are symbolic links referencing libiconv.2.dylib and I wouldn't expect a symbolic link to a symbolic link to work.

Sorry, it became a bit cryptic because I forgot to paste one entry. (I first used 'locate' to search for 'libinconv.2*' on the system, and then ran 'ls' on /usr/lib.) This is my /usr/lib on 10.4.11:

MacMini:/usr/lib bjarne$ ls -a libiconv.* lrwxr-xr-x 1 root wheel 16 Jul 24 2006 libiconv.2.2.0.dylib ->

libiconv.2.dylib

-rw-r--r-- 1 root wheel 1982800 May 13 04:39 libiconv.2.dylib lrwxr-xr-x 1 root wheel 20 Jul 24 2006 libiconv.dylib ->

libiconv.2.2.0.dylib

-rw-r--r-- 1 root wheel 786 Apr 20 2007 libiconv.la

So, nothing is missing.

I'll upgrade to Snow Leopard as soon as it's rolled out in September. Then I'll try kicad again. For now I'm happy with McCAD (which I've been using since 1990), and gEDA. :-)

I forgot when I started with McCAD, perhaps 1991? None of the PC EDA tools were running under Windows yet, all were DOS graphics. I had 6 or

7 demo packages from everyone and spent 2 hours each night with each for a week. Couldn't get some to work on my PC in only 2 hours what with video card drivers and mouse drivers and memory managers. The 2 Macintosh based packages worked instantly.

Don't have the latest generation. The biggest problem I have is with management of parts and libraries. I thought all the libraries were too ugly to print with a Macintosh. Didn't like how some parts were on one grid while others were on another. Have redrawn everything I use. Would like to have left/right justified formatting properties in schematic symbols.

The CLASSID system of mapping schematic symbols to library elements is a bit rough. I hate to use the term "wizard" but some sort of tool was needed to help generate CLASSID for parts. Periodically I printed the guideline pages from the manual and liberally wrote all over the copy to keep track of what I was doing and where I put parts, and how they related in the "package" file that McCAD uses to map parts from schematic to PCB.

e:

898.tgz

/kicad/?M=3DD

KiCAD !=3D gEDA.

I downloaded and installed KiCAD and it runs on 10.5.7, but inexplicably crashes. I haven't had the time to investigate the cause.

-a

I had about the same experiences, and it was the 'worked instantly' part that got me hooked. I actually ran McCAD on a Mac Plus for a few months, waiting for a IIsi to arrive. I agree on your criticism; I have learned to live with the warts, mainly because McCAD otherwise is so intuitive to work with. Now I'm retired, but I still do a design now and then for oldtime customers.