Ramblings about PCB design:

> Pardon me jumping in here:
> I am using Tango, the old DOS version and am presently attempting to
> learn autocad for mechanical drawings.  Orcad is my schematic
> package. Tango works well for me but there is no video driver
> support and it hangs more often under Win95.  Would like to buy a
> new package but don't know what to buy, expensive to make a mistake
> (5-10k) and learning curve is long - (maybe I'm getting old also).
> The real problem other than above, and I think this will be a common
> thread to this newsgroup is, I work on one or more projects at a
> time and each project is usually done in 2-3 months.  A project
> consists of interfacing with the customer, design, software debug,
> PC layout, sending the girber files for manufacture, assembling the
> hardware and testing it, schematic draw, documentation and finally,
> the part I like, sending a bill.  Most of the packages I have/am
> looking at are for full time PC layout people, not jack of all
> trades like myself (us).  Hope these ramblings are useful, any
> comments? Mike Montaigne
>

My only comment is - Use AutoCad.  There are pro's and cons, but IF
YOU HAVE TO INTERFACE WITH MECHANICAL DESIGNERS Autocad has a big
plus.  IF YOU HAVE TO LEARN ACAD ANYWAY you also should consider
using it for circuit board design.  They mechanical designers will
either use AutoCad or something that will talk "AutoSpeak" .   You
have to buy a separate package to convert Autocad files into Gerber
files.  The best is the CAM350 series from Advance Cam Technologies,
and costs about $950 US.  Most of the others are inadequate.

Autocad plus CAM350 would run you about $3k US

AutoCad is really stable.  You don't get constant GP faults and
"Violated SYstem Integrity" messages like with some electronics
packages.

AutoCad will draw anything you can imagine.  There is no shape,
trace, text, funny shaped component, etc. that Autocad can't
represent.  Many electronic CAD packages will only do a small subset
of parts, limit you on nodes, etc. etc.

AutoCad Lite ($500) would probably be adequate for PC board design if
you don't care to draw in 3D or use custom LISP routines.

I've revved up my Autocad blocks for PC board design to include 3d
representations of each part.  My Mechanical designers take an
Autocad generated IGES file and import it directly into their 3d
model, and it's all made from the same file as my basic copper
layout.  I'll post them (the blocks, not the mechanical
designers...) on my web page as soon as I can catch my breath, maybe
2-4 weeks.  I'm also working on sticking these symbols onto a Kurta
tablet, so if you need a resistor you just click on the picture.

The biggest con to AutoCad is that it does not do schematic capture.
You have to manually insure that your copper matches your schematic.
For my purposes this is fine, I never design anything with more than
100 nodes, and I always have a technician double check lots of things
anyway.  For a really complex project like laying out a motherboard
AutoCad would be unacceptable.


A good set of Autocad resources for electronics is located at:
http://members.sockets.net/~llile/index.htm
Along with a bunch of dorky pictures of my family and other detritus
found on similarly bad web pages.

Best Regards,

Lawrence Lile