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Date: 07/10/01 at 4:02 PM
Posted by: Abd ulRahman Lomax
E-mail: abd@lomaxdesign.com
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In Reply to: Re: Protel OrCad or something else posted by Norman on 05/22/01 at 9:31 PM:
I came across this message while I was searching for something else. As an active participant in the Protel user list, I must note that Kevin did not seem to have understood the discussion on the user list. Protel has a very active user group, as does Cadence. It is a tad unfair to compare Protel to Cadence because the latter is *much* more expensive. However, the alleged deficiencies reported by Kevin essentially show his unfamiliarity with Protel. There was a recent discussion on the user list of a problem with the synchronizer, which communicates the net list between Schematic and PCB. Ultimately, the problem turned out to be user error in drawing the schematic. This can happen with all CAD systems, the checking tools can only find certain kinds of errors.
As to using Protel for boards with more than four layers, I don't know what he saw. There was a discussion recently about the advisability of various stackups and somewhere in that discussion four layers were recommended, but not because of a tool deficiency. Protel has no difficulty with boards with many layers. Multilayer designs are generally easier than two-sided designs and this is true with Protel as well as with other CAD systems. Protel supports 32 positive copper layers and 16 negative copper layers, without any special difficulty. Protel will also import OrCAD Layout and Capture version 9 files.
My suggestion to those considering a CAD sytem purchase. Get the demos, but also join the user groups and ask lots of questions, especially if a program seems deficient in some area. Demo users are welcome on the Protel list, I'd presume that they would be welcome on the Cadence list as well. Ultimately, however, all powerful CAD systems have a steep learning curve. I think that Protel is relatively easy to learn (I was using it productively the first day) but your mileage will vary. The best advice will come from expert users with cross-platform experience.