Don't be fooled... Mentor is not simple by any means... Especially if you don't choose to buy the 'add on' features that make it very capable... Library part creations is difficult and error prone, hidden errors can cause great frustration and delay in getting the job done... also from the time you get the software to the time you are productive can be a year or more... I have seen it at other companies and had to deal with it at the local college.
They make a lot of money on training... because folks need it! One of the things I liked about the older versions of Protel was it's ease of use.. and intuitive approach to commands... like Print actually printed... try that in Pads... 'Fuh-get-about-it'... Best regards, Bill Brooks - KG6VVP PCB Design Engineer, C.I.D.+, C.I.I. Tel: (760)597-1500 Ext 3772 Fax: (760)597-1510 Datron World Communications, Inc. _______________________________________ San Diego Chapter of the IPC Designers Council Communications Officer, Web Manager http://dcchapters.ipc.org/SanDiego/ http://pcbwizards.com -----Original Message----- From: Samuel C. Cox Jr. [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Sent: Monday, September 26, 2005 11:14 AM To: Protel EDA Discussion List Subject: RE: [PEDA] Protel vs Expedition Your observations of Mentor's Expedition, is quite correct. Protel is known for it's editors and interfaces or ease of use. Expedition is the only other CAD system product that comes close in terms of ease of use. Visula, Allegro, Pads, Pcad all are cumbersome, confusing and painful to use compared to Protel's 99se or DXP or Altium's Designer and Expedition. You are also correct when it comes to differential pair routing with respect to Expedition Vs. Protel, and the misunderstanding about Protel's level of accuracy. 00.00001 should be accurate enough, and will send most every Fabrication house into a tale spin If they had to make a substrate or PC board that accurate. Protel's Designer package has by far the mosts features per dollar, over any other cad system, including Expedition. The prices vary but in general I understand Allegro is 50-72K, Zuken's products 36-45K, Expedition is 50-52k per seat, Pcad 10-12 , Pads 12-16k and Protel is 8-10k.. With Protel's product performing some 85-90% of all the required or truly needed functions of even the most expensive Cad product, that make it a clear winner from A price performance perspective. I guess it becomes a question as to how important gate and pin swapping and diff. Pair routing is for you as a user vs. what your management is willing to pay. Is it worth the additional 40K to 62K difference? That is a hard call.. how many boards, how many differential pairs per hour etc.. one method vs. another.. Money is usually the great tie breaker. Best Wishes, Samuel Coulbourne Cox Jr. PCB Design and Consulting Services (408) 268-9779 ____________________________________________________________ You are subscribed to the PEDA discussion forum To Post messages: mailto:[email protected] Unsubscribe and Other Options: http://techservinc.com/mailman/listinfo/peda_techservinc.com Browse or Search Old Archives (2001-2004): http://www.mail-archive.com/[email protected] Browse or Search Current Archives (2004-Current): http://www.mail-archive.com/[email protected]
