At 11:11 AM 1/29/99 -0500, Brian Baltus wrote:
>     Well its the new year and after seven years of the same design
>     software we are finally getting a chance to check out new software.
>     Of course just like the rest of you, who has that kind of time!  So
>     I'm going to throw a list of packages at ya that we're looking at and
>     see if we can get a little help from the world wide Designer network.
>     OK here we go, listed below are the packages we have in mind, if you
>     use one of these could you take a minute and jot something down.
>     Remember it's nice to know about the good things as well as the bad.

A few of the listed packages I have experience with, for some others I know
designers with extensive experience.
So some of my comments may be of use.

>     OrCAD, Inc
>     Software: OrCAD Capture CIS (Release 9)
>               OrCAD Layout Plus (Release 9)

As others have said, Capture is good. Layout, if someone held a gun to my
head and told me I had to design with it, I'd hesitate, like Bob Hope when
a robber stuck a gun in his ribs: "Your money or your life." For those of
you who never saw this, Hope hesitated. The robber again repeated it, and
Hope answered "I'm thinking, I'm thinking!"

>     Zuken-Redac Inc.
>     Software: Cadstar

I was recently being interviewed by a company and was told that this
company was the largest Cadstar user in the United States. I don't know
that this was true. They were not particularly happy with it and were
considering moving to Allegro.

>     VeriBest, Inc.
>     Software: Ascent L2
>
>     Company: Cadence
>     Software: Allegro Studio
>
>     ACCEL Technologies, Inc
>     Software: Accel EDA
>
>     PADS Software, Inc.
>     Software: PADS Power PCB
>
>     Mentor Graphics Corporation
>     Software: Board Station

There are vast differences in price between some of these and others. All
of these have reasonably good reputations. And with high initial prices go
higher maintenance costs.

But, since OrCAD was on the list, I think that Protel should also be, even
though it costs much less than any other listed system. Protel does not get
the publicity, in the United States, that other systems enjoy, and part of
this is due to a low marketing budget. Protel does not show up at the CAD
shows. But I found, last year, calling many small companies, that in such
companies, Protel was the most common CAD system. In larger companies it
was Allegro.

That a CAD system is in wide use is not an irrelevant statistic. If the
system is widely used, there will be designers available who know it, and
service bureaus which use it.

I've never seen a PCB, in over 20 years as a designer, that Protel would
not be able to handle. I'm sure they exist, but my point is that one of the
higher-end systems might be overkill; and overkill means more overhead in
setting up a project, so if the program is not right for the company's mix
of work, more cost does not necessarily translate to faster work or even
higher-quality work.

Frankly, the task of choosing a CAD system, in many environments, is a very
difficult one. Every system has its avid proponents, who will, quite
honestly and sincerely, tell you that it is truly the greatest. And if one
of them tries out another system, he or she will usually not like it. We
are creatures of habit, and it takes time to build new habits and even more
time until the new habits are as familiar as the old.

In spite of my own prejudices, if all your designers knew OrCAD, for
example, I'd probably suggest sticking with it. Most companies cannot
afford to have their entire CAD department effectively shut down while
everyone learns a new system, so, for a time, even if the switch is made,
the company will be designing in two systems. I'd want a very good reason
to change, and I would think long and hard about how to make the transition.

If it is a totally new company, and the design staff has not been hired
yet, then the matter would be a little easier. My inclination would be to
recommend Allegro if money is plentiful and the expected design volume is
large, and Protel if the company is small. If the design volume is small,
I'd suggest qualifying a good service bureau instead, and pick a CAD system
compatible with what the bureau prefers.

[log in to unmask]
Abdulrahman Lomax
P.O. Box 690
El Verano, CA 95433

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