On Mon, Jun 13, 2011 at 12:39 AM, Oli Glaser wrote= : > I know this has probably been covered before, but with the discussion on > Diptrace, it got me thinking again (not always a good thing..) > > I have tried quite a few packages, including: > Altium: > Wonderful, perfect for the design I am doing more frequently now > (multilayer, high speed, FPGA etc) > Too expensive to justify as yet with a newish business, but this may > change in the nearish future. > $4995 for full license. > Diptrace: > Old license, not used for some time. I liked it, the price was good but > I moved on. May revisit, as it sounds to have improved a bit. > Price is 585 Euros for full license. > Eagle: > Tried it briefly, not too impressed. Apart from the popularity which is > a big plus (support, libraries etc) > I can't see much improvement (if any) on something like Diptrace or even > Kicad, although I haven't used it enough to justify that view. > The price for a full professional license is $1494, not too cheap, > although we could probably get away with the autorouter free version or > the 6-layer 160x100 version ($995 and $498, a lot more reasonable) > DesignSpark: > Free, okay, but early stages of development and I'm not sure I want to > use it for professional development. It's missing "standard" features > like e.g. a bus in the schematic option, turn layers off/on in PCB, it > crashes occasionally and is extremely slow. It is backed by RS so it may > be worth keeping an eye on, development seems to be progressing at a > rapid pace. With the next version or two it may be one of the best free > options. > Kicad: > I have used it briefly, and it seems very powerful for an open source > package (best I have seen). Development seems to be ongoing with a very > active and widespread user base. I am thinking of giving it a "real" try > and using it for some commercial projects. > What do people think of this idea? Libraries I intend to make myself (at > least mostly) as I have done on other packages. I don't like to rely on > randomly designed parts with different standards, which seems to be the > case with most libraries in free/non-free software. Altium is the > closest I have seen to having "standardised" libraries. We may grab the > Ultra Librarian when it has improved a bit and is usable with something > like Kicad. > Aside from that, I believe I can work round it's quirks. Some advice > would be nice though as I'm sure I have not considered all the factors. > I will need the capability to produce stencils and other manufacturing > data easily. > I believe just about anything can be used to make a very complicated > board if you "work around" stuff, but my main objective is speed and > ease of use (i.e to quickly produce good work and avoid time consuming > problems, usually more of a worry with open source stuff) > My main reason not to grab something like Eagle or (uprade/renew) > Diptrace right now is I would like to hold out with free stuff for a > while, and then bite the bullet fully (if necessary, if things work I > may just carry on with Kicad) and buy something like Altium. > The choice is not fully mine of course, but it's me who will be using > the software 99% of the time. > Any advice would be appreciated, especially from anyone who has used > Kicad in a commercial setting. > Altium looks really good and I want to be able to use it eventually. I really like the interface. Just a few minor usability complaints, but nothing big. Biggest problem right now is that it's really complicated to use and learn. I've never heard of Ultra Librarian, and so I googled it. Looks wonderful. What software does it support? For example, can I take an Altium component and convert it to a DipTrace component? --=20 http://www.piclist.com PIC/SX FAQ & list archive View/change your membership options at http://mailman.mit.edu/mailman/listinfo/piclist .