I suggested expresspcb earlier and all thats been said is on target. General ease of use. What is however tricky is if you need to create a symbol. Lets say a particular PIC micro. It is cumbersome to adapt one that exists and I am unsure as to why. But that said its is pretty easy to use overall. I do plan to try a few others suggested here. Like most of us I am a small board/project kind O time-nut and since most of my stuff is really one off do point to point and really just want to document what on earth I actually did. I do think this thread has been pretty good as a overall state of the industry today. I want to go hunting for libraries since that does seem to be pretty key. Regards Paul. WB8TSL
On Fri, Feb 24, 2012 at 12:52 PM, Brooke Clarke <bro...@pacific.net> wrote: > Hi Bob: > > I'll second the usefulness of checking the layout against the schematic. > The early versions of ExpressPCB did not have schematic capture and even > on very simple boards I ended up making patches. > http://www.expresspcb.com/ > Now when you're doing the layout you can turn on checking and all the pads > for the currently active note light up in a different color. By stepping > through all the nodes you can confirm that they are all connected to each > other. > > I've been using ExpressPCB for a long time and for what I'm doing it's the > most effective in terms of my time. The down side is that their free > software is proprietary to their process. You don't get to shop vendors. > In exchange you get a very simple and easy to learn interface and an > extensive library of standard parts. It's also easy to add a custom part. > For me the learning curve for working with something like Eagle and the > different file types and conventions is not worth the time. > > I use the schematic capture to draw schematics for things where I'm not > going to make a board. > > Have Fun, > > Brooke Clarke > http://www.PRC68.com > http://www.**end2partygovernment.com/**Brooke4Congress.html<http://www.end2partygovernment.com/Brooke4Congress.html> > > > > Bob Camp wrote: > >> Hi >> >> One very basic question to ask yourself: >> >> Do you want / need a program that checks the schematic against the layout? >> >> It's a feature that probably isn't needed for a really simple circuit. >> It's >> something that will save you a hundred dollars (one PCB run) pretty quick >> on >> things of even moderate complexity. >> >> You can indeed do the schematic on the back of an envelope and do the >> layout >> from that. Print out the layout and get out the colored pencils. Color >> this >> here and that there as you check it. Been there done that. Gets old pretty >> quick. >> >> Next basic question: >> >> How big are the built in / available libraries? If not built in are they >> free or an extra cost option? >> >> All of these programs have the very basic stuff in them. Even simple >> designs >> seem to get past the basics pretty fast. RF connectors, regulators, stuff >> from Mini Circuits, something gets in there. Even a big library won't have >> everything. Doing two things instead of ten is a lot less tiring. >> >> The library thing goes to both ends. Having a schematic with a bunch of >> numbered boxes in it isn't very helpful. Having a layout made up of a >> random >> bunch of pads makes changes (and checking) tough. Again, loose one PCB run >> to a mistake and you have paid for a license to some of these programs or >> the library upgrade. >> >> No, I'm not trying to sell you on any specific program. I'm just trying to >> complicate the decision process. It's better to look at all the issues >> before you spend a couple months learning how a package works than to run >> through three or four packages (and a years worth of agony). >> >> Bob >> >> -----Original Message----- >> From: time-nuts-boun...@febo.com >> [mailto:time-nuts-bounces@**febo.com<time-nuts-boun...@febo.com>] >> On >> Behalf Of Jim Hickstein >> Sent: Thursday, February 23, 2012 7:39 PM >> To: time-nuts@febo.com >> Subject: [time-nuts] Schematic capture, anyone? >> >> What do people use these days for schematic capture (and just possibly PCB >> layout), for low-budget homebrew stuff? It's been so long since I did >> this, >> I >> still own a T-square and a pile of contemporary relics like rules and >> triangles. >> I'll get out my pencil sharpener if I have to. But really, this must >> be a >> >> solved problem by now. For less than $300? I only need TTL, not >> striplines >> or >> any black magic like that. >> >> I'm a Mac shop, but can of course run Windows if need be. And to make >> matters >> worse, I prefer ANSI logic symbology over shovels-and-spades (or, really, >> over >> plain rectangles where you're expected to know what the part number >> means). >> This comes from exposure to Control Data, who were big on it back in the >> day. I >> even used to be on the mailing list of the standards committee. I suppose >> that >> all sank without a trace? If it's still controversial, I apologize in >> advance >> for trolling. >> >> ______________________________**_________________ >> time-nuts mailing list -- time-nuts@febo.com >> To unsubscribe, go to >> https://www.febo.com/cgi-bin/**mailman/listinfo/time-nuts<https://www.febo.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/time-nuts> >> and follow the instructions there. >> >> >> ______________________________**_________________ >> time-nuts mailing list -- time-nuts@febo.com >> To unsubscribe, go to https://www.febo.com/cgi-bin/** >> mailman/listinfo/time-nuts<https://www.febo.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/time-nuts> >> and follow the instructions there. >> >> >> > ______________________________**_________________ > time-nuts mailing list -- time-nuts@febo.com > To unsubscribe, go to https://www.febo.com/cgi-bin/** > mailman/listinfo/time-nuts<https://www.febo.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/time-nuts> > and follow the instructions there. > _______________________________________________ time-nuts mailing list -- time-nuts@febo.com To unsubscribe, go to https://www.febo.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/time-nuts and follow the instructions there.