If money is no object, Autocad has some 3rd-party add-ons that are reputed to work really well. For a medium cost (~$500) a couple of years ago I went for a package consisting of Mental Automation's SuperCAD/Windows and their SuperPCB/R for Windows. For the most part this has worked well. SuperCAD generates the kinds of schematics that you normally see for PIC stuff (it has a good library of parts already coded in). It also generates a connection list that can be used by SuperPCB to do an attempted autorouting. As long as your design is not too tight or poorly laid out (you place the parts) it normally gets 90-95% of the connections automatically. SuperPCB/R has some limitations (max board size 16" x 8", only two layers of traces), but these should not be a factor for most PIC-based designs. If you need more PCB features they have a more expensive SuperPCB that does 32" x 32" boards with 16 layers and better autorouting. They do allow upgrading by just paying the difference in price. Vance Gloster Religions die when they are proved to be vance@eni.net true. Science is the record of dead religions. -Oscar Wilde -----Original Message----- From: PHXSYS@AOL.COM To: PICLIST@MITVMA.MIT.EDU Date: Saturday, November 28, 1998 9:00 AM Subject: Professional PCB Schematics NOT shareware >Hello > >I know this is an old, run down topic- PCB and schematics layout software. >Most of the discussion is regarding shareware programs. I have been very >disappointed with WinDraft, it constantly crashes and has all kinds of quirks. > >I want to know what the list thinks the best, professional PCB and schematics >layout program is? I want to learn a program that will provide me the most >options long-term. I want to find a program that is widely accepted in the >industry, high user satisfaction, been around for a while and likely to be so. >I am at the point where I am willing to pay for quality (sometime that takes a >while). > >I have been looking at Protel98 and Eagle. > >What do you think? > >Jon >