M.Montaigne ramblings about design software to Lawrence Lile:

> I am using Tango, the old DOS version and am presently attempting to
> learn Autocad for mechanical drawings.  Orcad (old DOS STD III) is my
> schematic
> package. Tango works well for me but there is no video driver (or any
> other)
> support and it hangs even more often, under Win95 than it did under
> DOS.  I would
> like to buy a new package but don't know what to buy, it is very
> expensive to make a mistake
> (5-10k) yearly support is also expensive, and learning curve is long -
> (maybe I'm getting old also).

      I bought Tango PRO and never really used it, The program makes you
work
      from a netlist, and I find I do a lot of my design at the PCB
board level and
      THEN go back and update my schematic.  (Am I just strange, or does
anyone else
      do this also?  The TANGO people sure were not very understanding
or sympathetic
      to my mode of operation.)

> 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, mechanical
> design/layout, assembling the
> hardware and testing it, schematic draw, documentation and finally,
> the part I like, sending a bill/getting a paycheck.  Most of the
> packages I have/am
> looking at are for full time PC layout people - (draftsmen?), not jack
> of all
> trades like myself (us).  Hope these ramblings are useful,
        Does anyone have any comments/helpful suggestions? Mike
Montaigne

> ----------
> From:         Lawrence Lile[SMTP:lilel@TOASTMASTER.COM]
> Sent:         Friday, January 09, 1998 6:36 AM
> To:   PICLIST@MITVMA.MIT.EDU
> Subject:      Re: (Well OT) PCB Design Software
>
> 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
>