Pulsonix or Easy-PC ? with possible path to PADS

[[email protected]]

Hi,

I'm setting up some electronics capability at my new job, and wouldn't
mind avoiding the hefty price tags associated with OrCad and PADS, esp
as we don't look to be doing much board development. The work will be
mostly low-frequency analog, and I don't anticipate ever needing an
auto-router.

I've read favorable comments about both Easy-PC and Pulsonix here, and
am looking forward to using one of them. It would appear that Easy-PC
is a bargain, and that Pulsonix is priced in between Easy-PC and
OrCad+PADS.

Q.1. Any recommendations about the strengths of one over the other ?

One concern I have is that sometime in the future I may want to ship a
schematic out for someone else to lay out, and that would probably be
in PADS. Pulsonix explicitly supports a variety of netlist formats
incl PADS, so that's no problem. Easy-PC has native and generic
netlist formats. The generic looks easy to read, but that doesn't mean
PADS will read it ! I'm not too keen on writing my own translation
program, simple though it may be.

Q.2. Has anyone been down this road reading Easy-PC netlist into PADS
PowerPCB ?

Thanks for your help,
-rajeev-

 

[Leon Heller]

Hi,

I'm setting up some electronics capability at my new job, and wouldn't
mind avoiding the hefty price tags associated with OrCad and PADS, esp
as we don't look to be doing much board development. The work will be
mostly low-frequency analog, and I don't anticipate ever needing an
auto-router.

I've read favorable comments about both Easy-PC and Pulsonix here, and
am looking forward to using one of them. It would appear that Easy-PC
is a bargain, and that Pulsonix is priced in between Easy-PC and
OrCad+PADS.

Q.1. Any recommendations about the strengths of one over the other ?

They are out of the same stable, but are intended for different markets.
EasyPC is more for low-end users and Pulsonix competes with PADS, ORCAD and
Protel. It's arguably better than them and cheaper. I use it all the time.


Leon

 

[R.Lewis]

Hi,

I'm setting up some electronics capability at my new job, and wouldn't
mind avoiding the hefty price tags associated with OrCad and PADS, esp
as we don't look to be doing much board development. The work will be
mostly low-frequency analog, and I don't anticipate ever needing an
auto-router.

I've read favorable comments about both Easy-PC and Pulsonix here, and
am looking forward to using one of them. It would appear that Easy-PC
is a bargain, and that Pulsonix is priced in between Easy-PC and
OrCad+PADS.

Q.1. Any recommendations about the strengths of one over the other ?

One concern I have is that sometime in the future I may want to ship a
schematic out for someone else to lay out, and that would probably be
in PADS. Pulsonix explicitly supports a variety of netlist formats
incl PADS, so that's no problem. Easy-PC has native and generic
netlist formats. The generic looks easy to read, but that doesn't mean
PADS will read it ! I'm not too keen on writing my own translation
program, simple though it may be.

Q.2. Has anyone been down this road reading Easy-PC netlist into PADS
PowerPCB ?

Thanks for your help,
-rajeev-

There seems to be some confusion over what you are trying to achieve here.
If you want to layout pcb's use a pcb layout package. You suggest easy-pc so
why not try that?
If you want a package to draw schematics (you do not mention simulation)
then look for a schematics package that suits you.
Why do they have to be the same?

see terry pinell's excellent web page for suitable cad

http://www.terrypin.dial.pipex.com/ECADList.html

for schematics only you can probably get a freeware/shareware that will
suffice. see 'SCORE' in the above list. - there are probably others.
Any schematic that produces an EDIF netlist can probably be transported to
just about any layout CAD.
If you are not going to do much pcb layout work stick to something like
easy-pc else every time you come to do something you will spend *hours and
hours* re-learning how to use your package.

 

[[email protected]]

Right now, I want to do schematic + pcb layout. In the future I can
see
wanting to use the same schematic package, but giving the netlist to a
design house
for them to do the layout, presumably with PADS. I don't want to have
to change schematic packages at that future date. Sorry if it was
confusing. (And even sorrier if it still is ;-)

-rajeev-

 

[R.Lewis]

Right now, I want to do schematic + pcb layout. In the future I can
see
wanting to use the same schematic package, but giving the netlist to a
design house
for them to do the layout, presumably with PADS. I don't want to have
to change schematic packages at that future date. Sorry if it was
confusing. (And even sorrier if it still is ;-)

-rajeev-

In which case, as I stated before, why not pick out a schematic tool that
produces EDIF netlists then you can either import them into your own layout
CAD or send them to someone else to import into theirs.
You do not have to pay much for such tools.
You can pay a lot for E-CAD tools such as PADS, Cadstar, Protel,and the
like, and usefull they certainly are: but they contain huge piles of
bloatware aimed at the semi technical manager who sees an impressive list of
functions for the price but which are of very dubious use in practice.