Ivan, I haven't seen you asking so many questions. What makes you so nervous?
I've been playing around with Protel for some time and onthe other hand I'm a power PCAD user. I can't compare the CAD packages looking at their prices... I'm more interested in seeing what they can really do. Opening a discussion is not my intention here but as you asked... I may tell you what I like in PCAD, which is not present in Protel (as far as I can see). 1. PCAD2k has united libraries - a symbol and a pattern form the component. You may add any attributes you wish. You define the reference designator there and when you place a component in SCH or PCB it is automatically numbered. The advantage of having such a component is that you can assign many patterns to one symbol. For example I have a footprint SOIC14 (well known) for reflow and wave soldering. When I flip the component on bottom side of the PCB, I get the pattern automatically changed for wave soldering. More over I have the large pads oriented correctly to the wave direction no matter how I rotate the component. This saves me much time from thinking which pattern to use when I place the component on bottom side and to avoid problems with checking the PCBs when somebody else is doing it. I've seen Cadstar-5 and for the same situation they have only a text "wave" to remind you that you have to change the footprint on bottom side and then update the schematic. 2. The packaging of the components is also done when you create the library. It has options to define some pins as common (like power pins) if you have multi-gate components and don't want to use hidden pins. By defining the pins in different gates as common, you may place one gate in the SCH, assign a net to it and it will automatically assign the same net the all other placed gates of the same component. Even if you later on place some of the gates with the same reference designator, PCAD will automatically add the same power net to the power pins. Saves a lot of cheching, believe me. 3. You can specify some pins in the component as jumpers and then you have one pin of your symbol connected to more than one pin in the pattern. I mean automatically connected. When you route it, you see all jumper pins highlighted. 4. Dimensioning tool in PCAD has always been nice. If associated with the objects, it's updated automatically if you move them. I heard you have this feature now in Protel DXP. 5. Netlist in the schematic is created automatically when you place the wire. I mean each wire gets a name assigned to it. You can give a specific name as well. It's not simply a drawing. 6. PCAD has power split planes, which allow you to draw copper areas one within the other attached to different nets just for seconds. I don't think you could overlap polygons in Protel. Copper pours in PCAD get automatically poured when you draw one inside the other that has different net properties. What I don't like here is the graphical view of the pours. They look bad in comparison with Protel. 7. There is a set of buttons assigned for the most used commands as R-rotate, F-flip, O-changing the route mode 90/45/arc/any, P and Shift-P for controlling forth and back the reference designators before plasing the complonent, L-changing the current layer, +/- for zoom in/out... All you have is easy to access. You can have your schematic and PCB opened at the same time next to each other. A simple drag and drop can open the schematic or PCB files if the editors are opened. Highlighting a component in the schematic lets you see it on the PCB. You can add components in the PCB and then update the schematic. The new components will be added on a separate sheet for you with proper net names. Ah, yes... you can flip (mirror) the whole PCB as you can see it from bottom side and it's a real design. You can work with it as a normal design. You have all layers swapped. I was not able to do the same thing with Protel. The manual router in PCAD2k needs improvement. PCAD MD was much better. But at least you don't need a learning curve to just place components, make connections and route them. There are some features that I wish to be better... but nothing is perfect. I hope my explanations could help you to have a general view of PCAD as a product if you haven't had time to play with it. I think it deserves to have its place on the market. Regards, Mira --- Bagotronix Tech Support <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > Hello, all: > > I just got a brochure from Altium with all their > *limited time only* new and > upgrade offers. I see that they are offering (until > Dec. 31, 2002): > > 1) new Protel DXP for $7995 > 2) new Protel 99SE with free upgrade to DXP as soon > as you change your OS > from Win98/NT to 2000/XP, for $7995 > 3) new Protel DXP '2 for 1' for $7995 to users of > full Protel suite or > eligible competing design systems > 4) PCAD 2002 for $9995 > > But they fail to say what the *regular* price is. > So I have no idea of how > much I would be saving by buying before Jan. 1. > Anyone know what the > regular price for these is supposed to be? > > Why is PCAD higher? Better yet, why is it still > around? I thought the > whole purpose of consolidation was to reduce costs > by streamlining product > lines. What can PCAD do that Protel cannot? And > vice versa? > > They are also offering what seems like a better > deal, Protel 99 XTRA, which > is just 99SE SCH, PCB, and the autorouter, for > $4995. Now that I think > about, that's what full Protel used to cost! > > nVisage DXP schematic capture, Spice sim, VHDL sim > and synth. Guess which > ONE of these features folks will buy it for? $2995 > is way too much IMO for > that ONE feature. > > Best regards, > Ivan Baggett > Bagotronix Inc. > website: www.bagotronix.com > > > > > * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * > * * * * > * To post a message: > mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] > * > * To leave this list visit: > * http://www.techservinc.com/protelusers/leave.html > * > * Contact the list manager: > * mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] > * > * Forum Guidelines Rules: > * > http://www.techservinc.com/protelusers/forumrules.html > * > * Browse or Search previous postings: > * > http://www.mail-archive.com/[email protected] > * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * > * * * * __________________________________________________ Do you Yahoo!? Yahoo! Mail Plus - Powerful. Affordable. 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