>From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] >Sent: Tuesday, March 21, 2006 10:20 AM >To: Protel EDA Discussion List >Subject: Re: [PEDA] Missing Internal Pads on ODB > > >The whole problem really is that PROTEL 99SE sucks. I don't mean to be >vicious about it, but it just doesn't work reliably. I've used it on several >platforms on more that one computer and it just doesn't do what the >manufacturer tells you it will. Sure it looks good, but it simply isn't. >$5000-7000 is just too much money for ANYTHING that doesn't work. > >Yes, it has lots of bells and whistles. It has a PSPICE simulator, 3-D >rendering, and PLD programming. But the PSPICE is awful, the PLD only seems >to support a few chips, and what is the point of 3-D rendering? I spend at >least half an hour every day working on things that PROTEL screws up. The >only good thing I can say about it is that it recovers well from catastrophic >failure. > > Do you have service pack 6? I have been using 99SE (with at least SP4) for a NUMBER of years, and it is one of the most reliable (large) software packages I have had experience with. I do know several ways of screwing it up, but even when I do those, it generally doesn't trash the database. I have not lost work in something like 4 years, although I occasionally need to restart it. I am associated with 2 licenses at different organizations, and have run 99SE on about 6 different computer setups over the past 5 years or so. Good hardware is certainly a basic necessity, and I have had good luck with Dell Optiplex boxes (higher end desktops).
The library support for the SPICE is really chopped up, so that you have to edit the library entities so they point to the right simulation subcircuit files, ands similar junk that the user shouldn't have to do. The PLD/FPGA support is a joke, I use Xilinx's synthesis tools, but on some projects that are nearly all schematic, I enter the schematics in Protel and send the VHDL to the Xilinx software, because the Xilinx schematic entry is 1000 X worse! 3D? when you can't enter your own components? Yup, a joke, or a toy. no use there. But, for schematic and PCB, I don't know of anything better. That is basically all I use it for. (I do some simple schematic -> simulation on it, too.) And, aside from some problems producing more than one VHDL netlest per Protel startup, and a way to screw up the PCB print function, it is essentially bulletproof the way I use it. Jon ____________________________________________________________ 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]
