I'm trying out * Electronic - Workbench * ( Interactive Image Technologies Ltd.) It's a rather inexpensive package ( $ 400 ) includes schematic , virtual instruments , and PCB layout. It's limited to 500 pins and cost another $ 500 to bump it up to unlimited ( or 5000 pins , whichever comes first ). It is a Canadian product and so far I haven't found any bugs . . . . . . Must be the long winters up in Canada , but I've found the majority of the software produced there is excellent . You can find them at www.interactiv.com Regards . . . Steve __________________________________________________ PROTOBYTE INC. www.protobyte.com 14208 Zachary Dr. Liberty, MO 64068 Design and Prototyping Email: info@protobyte.com Phone: (816)-792-0235 Steve Kelley / Owner ___________________________________________________ -----Original Message----- From: Eisermann, Phil [Ridg/CO] To: PICLIST@MITVMA.MIT.EDU Date: Friday, October 01, 1999 6:51 AM Subject: Re: PCB design software >As a user of IVEX, i have to throw in my opinion: > >|My two cents worth - My vote is for WINBOARD & WINDRAFT from Ivex. >|Last time I looked, seemed a tad cheaper than Eagle. > >first,there's a new version out, but i didn't feel like paying the >upgrade fee (bug fixes, as in minor revisions, are free. >major revisions, as in going from V2 to V3 cost to >upgrade). So my comments reflect 2.05. > >|Does everything I >|want at a reasonable price, the interface is OK, more or less intuitive, >|it's easy to add parts to your PCB or schematic library. > >Well, yes and no. It is easy to add parts to the schematic. It is >sometimes *very hard* to add parts to the PCB portion. And that >is mainly because sometimes, the editor just refuses to let me >number the pins correctly. I can usually get it to work by manually >editing the definition, but not this part. (i have one TO220 part that >refuses to have a 'pin 1', i have to add it to the netlist manually). > >|Main bug is that >|it crashes a fair bit - is that just my PC? - > >No, it is the program :) > >the schematic entry seems fairly stable (im using 2.05). The >PCB portion does crash. Especially the DRC. That's because >it is easy to screw it up (bad programming). One no-no is placing >two vias on top of each other. I know you don't normally do this >intentionally, but it is easy to do when moving a trace segment >from one layer to another. > >It is quite possible for your PCB file to get corrupted to the >point where it is unusable. > >|so you need to d\save your >|work frequently. But considering its price, it's still good value for $$ >|IMHO. > > >i am not really happy with it, but as far as good points, i have >to agree with Peter. tech support is good (the corrupted files i >mentioned above were fixed). very capable, and very easy to use. >There's a little tutorial for the PCB package that ought to get you >up and running quickly. It has a low learning curve (though that is a >subjective measure). And cheap. The demo is limited to 100 pins, >going to 200 costs some $30. More pins == more $$$. I think i >paid around $500 for unlimited pins for the schematic entry, and $500 >for the unlimited PCB. > >After all I keep hearing on this list, I am not sure that any other package >is necessarily better. I keep hearing about Eagle, which sounds good, >so I may have to give that one a try. >