> Alan,
>=20
> That is correct... all PCB CAD/CAM tools abide by the same basic concepts=
..
> One has a schematic symbol which is associated with a 'Part' (physical 'f=
ootprint'
> of some kind) if actual manufacturing is to be contemplated.
>=20
....
>=20
> The problem, as you say, is if you want to make this thing...whatsoever P=
CB package
> is applied, the relationships between it and the symbolic stuff you've dr=
awn will
> have to be set up....by somebody..somewhere, and this takes both knowledg=
e and
> effort.
>=20
> There are no free magic bullets ;-)
>
> > > So far a strong and unexpected (to me) though obvious contender is
> > LT-SPICE's schematic editor.
> > > It does NOT allow PCB fabrication but does allow very quick and
> > intuitive simple schematic production for GUI aware users.

But I think you missed my point  LTspice is a Spice program, not a PCB CAD/=
CAM program, and on the LTspice forum there are periodic requests about how=
 to take the LTspice schematic and lay out a PCB from it. The short answer =
is that it is quicker to redraw the schematic in a CAD/CAM package that is =
doing all the associations with packages and pins (with apologies to The Ow=
l and the Pussycat, or was it some other Lewis Carroll poem) than to start =
from LTSpice.

People have tried to take an LTspice netlist, and import into a PCB program=
, and it always seems to end in lots of wasted effort.=20

I take Russells point that it does allow easy schematic entry, but that was=
n't the object of his original request, AIUI, which is why I made the point=
 that you can't go further with PCB layout.
--=20
Scanned by iCritical.

--=20
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