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Date: 07/03/01 at 10:43 PM
Posted by: Ted Tontis
E-mail: Ttontis@engagenet.com

In Reply to: Re: PADS VS PROTEL. Which is the best? why? posted by Jim Arnold on 07/01/01 at 4:24 PM:

I use Protel, I believe it has a small learning curve, and is user friendly. If I have any questions I use the Protel user forum, I get answers to any of my questions in less time then it would take for customer support to help.
One of the best features of Protel is the ability to download service packs for free. They are on service pack 7, I have upgraded from service pack two and I am now using 7. When you compare that too some of the other software packages that make you pay a fee for upgrades.
As for the libraries I would not put too much faith in the accuracy of the footprints, even though most are ISO 9000 certified. I make my own every time, this way I have no one to blame but my self for a misalign pad.
The autorouter is shake at best but will work after some getting used to. The signal integrity simulation software well it works but accuracy is a question. User's from the group who use Protel for high frequency applications use other software for signal integrity. They just started offering IBS modeling on service pack 7.
The price is right for a shrink wrap package, and I enjoy using it. How much are you willing to spend, you could probley get a used lisence for 99 or 99SE and upgrade, the next up grade is around the corner. No one knows if it will be a service pack or a full upgrade.

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