Question about Altium

Thread view:

Enable EMail Alerts

Start New Thread

Thread rating:

pcbdoug - 16 Mar 2006 17:41 GMT

I am trying to evaluate some of the lower-end PCB design packages to
select
one for use in my workplace. So far, Altium is looking pretty good.

>From what

I see on their website, they seem heavily oriented toward FPGA issues,
whereas
we are doing much simpler schematic/simulation/PCB design. Would it
still be
good for this, or expensive overkill? My only other experience with
lower-end
packages is with PADS (which I find a bit clunky) and OrCAD (I can't
stand
using it for PCB layout, takes forever, schematic is OK). I still need
to look
at P-CAD. After years of using Mentor and Cadence before that, it's
hard to
step down to less powerful packages, so I'd appreciate any advice I
could
get about the Altium software. Thanks.

Reply to this Message

Brad Velander - 22 Mar 2006 04:10 GMT

Doug,
If you are seriously interested, try gaining access to their Altium
support forum. I have the new tools but we haven't deployed them yet and
even then we don't do use their simulation tools (I do not know historically
why that is, but probably an issue going back to the day that the decision
was made).

If you can't easily gain access, contact them via email and I am sure
they will allow you access as a potential customer wanting to research the
state of the package. The forum can be searched and the other tool you could
try would be searching their "Knowledge Base" for relevant information. I
would also go through their user guides (there are a large number of them on
the website), their multimedia demos and even their white papers.

I used PADs for years and found it very usable in it's day. However that
day was back in the early to mid 90s and the package is still stuck there. I
agree that for today's market it is very "clunky". It can also get very
expensive when you start wanting any advanced features because you end up
having to buy so many additional high end modules in order to get the
features you actually want.

Signature

Sincerely,
Brad Velander.

>I am trying to evaluate some of the lower-end PCB design packages to
> select
[quoted text clipped - 5 lines]
> still be
> good for this, or expensive overkill?

Reply to this Message

dtm - 28 Mar 2006 06:47 GMT

Doug,

I use both Protel and Pcad from Altium and like either one. Each one has
it's own plus's and minus's. Protel is good if you want all packages in one
including FPGAs. Pcad takes a different approach and keeps each application
independent. You can order demos of each and try them as well.

>I am trying to evaluate some of the lower-end PCB design packages to
> select
[quoted text clipped - 15 lines]
> could
> get about the Altium software. Thanks.

Reply to this Message

Electronics Forum / CAD / March 2006

Question about Altium