Proteus Lite doesn't seem to have Design Rules Check nor schematic import. I can't imagine trying to layout out things like pin escapes on an SOIC with a .007" minimum feature, and not have automatic design checking. I'm sure I'd get it wrong every time.
The free version of Eagle has every feature of the full version, except the autorouter which nobody uses. It's limited to 12 square inches and two layers, but that's enough for many projects.
The free version of Eagle has every feature of the full version, except the autorouter which nobody uses. It's limited to 12 square inches and two layers, but that's enough for many projects.
i'm trying the zuken cadstar express download, >50 Meg - dsl/broadband pretty much required
stupid install prog required me to clear 120 Meg on C: drive before i could tell it to install on F:
has helpful warning that it is only supported on 2000/XP, but might run under older win os
has crashed computer once so far under 98se
supplied lib is small, no med/power transistors
can't determine yet if import/conversion of PADS gets any lib defs
really don't want to define my own lib parts for standard sot-223, to-126, 220, ect.
stupid install prog required me to clear 120 Meg on C: drive before i could tell it to install on F:
has helpful warning that it is only supported on 2000/XP, but might run under older win os
has crashed computer once so far under 98se
supplied lib is small, no med/power transistors
can't determine yet if import/conversion of PADS gets any lib defs
really don't want to define my own lib parts for standard sot-223, to-126, 220, ect.
gEDA + PCB
Guys,
The last post on this thread was three years ago. Have you seen gEDA + PCB in the meantime? They've become an amazing fully open-source suite of tools. Check this page for examples of boards designed totally using these tools.
The tools are not as stable as Eagle 4.16 on Linux (the only other EDA tool I've worked with), but they're way better than minimum usable levels of stability. And the software is very actively supported, so bug fixes seem to happen very fast.
And for a Unix veteran, there are added bonuses. All file formats are pure ASCII, there are Perl scripts to do nifty things, and you can edit each library device file using a text editor to add your comments and the like. Most neat. There is also http://www.gedasymbols.org which will someday become a large repository for symbols and footprints.
I've not yet found anyone in the mailing lists who seems to come from a DIY audio background, and this is reflected in the components in their libraries. But this is easy to solve, because you can create library parts using the GUI now; I've done some myself.
If you use Ubuntu or Debian, there are ready-made packages you can install using "apt-get". No fuss.
Guys,
The last post on this thread was three years ago. Have you seen gEDA + PCB in the meantime? They've become an amazing fully open-source suite of tools. Check this page for examples of boards designed totally using these tools.
The tools are not as stable as Eagle 4.16 on Linux (the only other EDA tool I've worked with), but they're way better than minimum usable levels of stability. And the software is very actively supported, so bug fixes seem to happen very fast.
And for a Unix veteran, there are added bonuses. All file formats are pure ASCII, there are Perl scripts to do nifty things, and you can edit each library device file using a text editor to add your comments and the like. Most neat. There is also http://www.gedasymbols.org which will someday become a large repository for symbols and footprints.
I've not yet found anyone in the mailing lists who seems to come from a DIY audio background, and this is reflected in the components in their libraries. But this is easy to solve, because you can create library parts using the GUI now; I've done some myself.
If you use Ubuntu or Debian, there are ready-made packages you can install using "apt-get". No fuss.
Re: gEDA + PCB
I'll chime in aswell and cast another vote for gEDA/PCB. I just made a few prototype boards with these which came out excellent. Both packages have have matured a lot in these past years - except for a few quirks with gSchem (schematic capture) the whole thing was straightforward and completely painless. The combo has some very good tools aswell - for example, to automatize the synchronization of schematic vs PCB files.
Well worth a try if you run any *nix variant.
tcpip said:
I'll chime in aswell and cast another vote for gEDA/PCB. I just made a few prototype boards with these which came out excellent. Both packages have have matured a lot in these past years - except for a few quirks with gSchem (schematic capture) the whole thing was straightforward and completely painless. The combo has some very good tools aswell - for example, to automatize the synchronization of schematic vs PCB files.
Well worth a try if you run any *nix variant.
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