SparkFun Forums

[treez]

A senior design engineer has just given me a usb stick with protel pcb layout software on it.
He tells me that any design i do must be drawn and layed out in this Protel

What is it?
Is it that DOS based PCB layout package?
I have been told its a version before ver 3.5.2.

I have been told that if i have anything later than WinXP, then i'd better run the program in "compatibility mode" (Win95), otherwise it might not be reliable.

Is this PCB package any good?

Some time ago, this engineer said to me that they had seen altium being used once, and then when "convert to PCB" was clicked, the PCB came up with the components linked by the rat's nest...and this senior engineer complained to me that the rat's nest was "weird".........i didnt understand...the rats nest is a great help, surely?
Does this protel incorporate this rats nesting?

[Oregonerd]

One of the biggest problems with Electronic cad programs is that as you invest time in using them, you end up creating an extensive library of custom parts for your parts library. Changing to another program would mean starting from scratch completely recreating your custom library. I have hundreds of custom parts in my library. I shudder at the prospect of changing programs! However, another engineer sent me some Altium files.... WOW! Good for me it's too expensive for our company.

I can't even imagine drawing a design without the Ratsnest button. search Youtube for: "PCB design" + ratsnest. Videos there will help you understand what it is.

Is Protel PCB package any good? Not if it's no longer used by anyone except your Senior Engineer or needs Win 95 or earlier to run. Question is why is he still using it? Protel became or was bought by Altium in 2000.

[leon_heller]

The Pulsonix software I use can import Protel designs, libraries, etc.:

http://www.pulsonix.com/

[treez]

i do know what the rats nest is.....just wondering if protel has it, and is it the DOS based package?

[leon_heller]

Why don't you try it?

[treez]

Its going to be hard to try it when i know nothing about it and cant find the most simple instructional material

I am used to Eagle Pro......which is literally as simple as a PCB.
If an individual knows the basic structure of a PCB, then that individual WILL be able to use Eagle....its that easy

With other PCB packages, i am afraid that this is not so, and i fancy that Protel is one of the "not so's"?

In the world of PCB design software, is there some kudos in using a PCB package thats far more difficult than it needs to be?...it certainly seems like it?...............almost all of them lack basic level instructional guides stating how to do the simple things.......except Eagle.

One package that is quite common, (it begins with C) is very unecessarily difficult, and i fancy that companies deliberately use it because they feel that outsiders will find it more difficult to reverse engineer and access there schematics and layouts.

[motopic]

I disagree, I found Eagle obtuse for a novice.
I tried several, and settled on FreePCB. I could understand it. And got all the source code too...
(and no limits like community eagle)

[stevech]

Having tried/used several, DipTrace is my favorite, and it's not overpriced.
Eagle is as user friendly as a rock in your shoe.

[uChip]

Eagle is as user friendly as a rock in your shoe.

LOL! Agreed! But back when I started laying out PCBs we used skinny black tape on clear mylar. Then I changed to work for a company that used Ruby Lith (fantastic improvement over tape). They eventually upgraded to computer based CAD system with a light pen hooked to a Tek 4014 graphics terminal. ONLY $30,000 per seat. Anybody else remember the green flash?

Compared to those, Eagle is a joy. It's all in what you are used to.

[treez]

DipTrace is my favorite

Ive never head of diptrace...how much is it?...is it as common as eagle?... eagle is very common, which means theres loads of instruction for it on the web...just look at the number of useful youtube videos of eagle on the web.
Why use something that few people use, and there will thus be less help available for it.?

I found Eagle obtuse for a novice.

When i started learning eagle, i just found if i ever got stuck, i just wapped questions off to forums, or searched on youtube or googe, or the eagle website, and very quickly found help.
One forum gives me answers to eagle queries in about 10 minutes max...seriously!

Why are there so many PCB layout packagaes?.....because electronics design consultancies need them all...because when one of their clients asks for the schematic and layouts in altium/cadstsar/whatever...the design consultancy says...oh sorry we dont use that one, we use "this" one instead, so we can't give you schematics and layouts, and thus whenever you want the circuit modified, youll have to come back and pay us to do it.

[Blackfin]

OP: It sounds like your "senior" design engineer is an old graybeard who walks around grumbling and mumbling to himself about "...in the old days we used to lay out boards with tape and markers..."

How can anyone with any CAD experience in schematic capture and PCB layout -- assuming the old fart has actually designed stuff in the last 20 years -- find a rat's nest "weird"?

It sounds like you're pretty much stuck using Protel if this is what the old graybeard demands so fire it up and take it for a spin. Sorry I can't offer specific Protel info (I use Altium now and Cadstar before that...) but can't imagine any such package not offering a rat's nest for visual assistance in component placement and interconnections.