The cheapest and best for the layout guy
would be a pencil and a piece of paper (napkin even) :-)

Dirk Bruere at NeoPax wrote:

Hi

I'm looking for a cheap (or free!) schematic capture package that can
output in PADS format. I'm not the layout guy but it will certainly
save him time compared with me drawing out the circuit in a normal CAD
package. Pin count around 1000 at present.

Dirk

Dirk Bruere at NeoPax <dirk.bru...@gmail.com> writes:

I'm looking for a cheap (or free!) schematic capture package that can
output in PADS format. I'm not the layout guy but it will certainly

Do you need a PADS schematic, or just a PADS netlist?

gschem has a PADS netlister if you just need a netlist, and gschem
(part of gEDA) is free (beer-wise and speech-wise). (and no, it won't
force you to distribute your schematics)

http://www.geda.seul.org/

Hi

I'm looking for a cheap (or free!) schematic capture package that can
output in PADS format. I'm not the layout guy but it will certainly
save him time compared with me drawing out the circuit in a normal CAD
package. Pin count around 1000 at present.

Dirk

I'm looking for a cheap (or free!) schematic capture package that can
output in PADS format. I'm not the layout guy but it will certainly

However, it's got to be Windows. That's all we have here. I've tried
using Linux in the past but its a real pain.

On 12 Feb, 15:38, FrankW <fw...@norpak.ca> wrote:
The cheapest and best for the layout guy
would be a pencil and a piece of paper (napkin even) :-)

Dirk Bruere at NeoPax wrote:

Hi

I'm looking for a cheap (or free!) schematic capture package that can
output in PADS format. I'm not the layout guy but it will certainly
save him time compared with me drawing out the circuit in a normal CAD
package. Pin count around 1000 at present.

Dirk

Not at $60 and hour it wouldn't, since I would already have done the
work.
Can I have some sensible answers please.

Dirk

I've not used PADS, but have used Protel almost daily for the last 8
years, and OrCAD before that. If PADS works in a similar fashion, then you
won't really be helping.

I've also had people generate schematics for me in Protel thinking they
were saving me time. It doesn't. Not unless you have my libraries.
Regardless of how pretty the schematic is, I will always have to
completely redraw it to work with my existing libraries which are usually
not drawn is the same way as the client would have. Since the library part
defines the footprint it'll always need redone. Incidentally, I can import
schematics from several other CAD packages, but would never use it for
anything other than a template to help redraw the schematic. Imported
schematics never seem to work in the same way as a natively drawn one.

Seriously, just give him what you have and let him do his part without the
constraints of a crappy imported schematic.

Chris

Hi

I'm looking for a cheap (or free!) schematic capture package that can
output in PADS format. I'm not the layout guy but it will certainly
save him time compared with me drawing out the circuit in a normal CAD
package. Pin count around 1000 at present.

Hi

I'm looking for a cheap (or free!) schematic capture package that can
output in PADS format. I'm not the layout guy but it will certainly
save him time compared with me drawing out the circuit in a normal CAD
package. Pin count around 1000 at present.

Dirk

Dirk Bruere at NeoPax wrote:
Hi

I'm looking for a cheap (or free!) schematic capture package that can
output in PADS format. I'm not the layout guy but it will certainly
save him time compared with me drawing out the circuit in a normal CAD
package. Pin count around 1000 at present.


You really need the schematic program that he's using, along with the
libraries. Otherwise the components almost certainly won't match up, and
he'll have to spend a lot of time converting them. It's a real pest that
there's practically zero interoperability between different CADs, and one
place where a European directive would be useful, if they could be trusted
not to screw it up.

Hi

I'm looking for a cheap (or free!) schematic capture package that can
output in PADS format. I'm not the layout guy but it will certainly
save him time compared with me drawing out the circuit in a normal CAD
package. Pin count around 1000 at present.

Dirk

I wouldn't concur with your statement of needing the same program. For
many years I used OrCAD schematic with PADs...

"Paul Burke" <paul@scazon.com> wrote in message
news:61flubF1v425sU1@mid.individual.net...
Dirk Bruere at NeoPax wrote:
Hi

I'm looking for a cheap (or free!) schematic capture package that can
output in PADS format. I'm not the layout guy but it will certainly
save him time compared with me drawing out the circuit in a normal CAD
package. Pin count around 1000 at present.


You really need the schematic program that he's using, along with the
libraries. Otherwise the components almost certainly won't match up, and
he'll have to spend a lot of time converting them. It's a real pest that
there's practically zero interoperability between different CADs, and one
place where a European directive would be useful, if they could be trusted
not to screw it up.

Paul,
I wouldn't concur with your statement of needing the same program. For
many years I used OrCAD schematic with PADs, then Protel for Windows
replaced the OrCAD, still with PADs. Many years ago I used OrCAD with
Maxi-PC. You do need a progam that will export a simple compatible netlist
of one form or another. The more critical part is the synergy between the
schematic symbols and the PCB footprints. That synergy is buitl itno the
symbols simply by exchange of information and the standards used for pin
numbering on any devices not already covered by an accepted standard. (i.e.
SOT-23s, DPaks, SOT-223s, etc. The parts where some pin numberings differ.)
For the OP to learn the package he obtains, apply all the standards
correctly, get matching symbols and a compatible netlost output would be a
tall order. Not impossible but surely a lot slower and riskier process than
just having the PCB designer do it. The PCB designer is undoubtedly familiar
with his own tools bringing much more sped and value to the process.

Hi Brad,

"Brad Velander" <bveland@SpamThis.com> wrote in message
news:fnPsj.43674$FA.8801@pd7urf2no...
I wouldn't concur with your statement of needing the same program. For
many years I used OrCAD schematic with PADs...

OrCAD/PADS seems to be a popular combination, at least on the west coast
here.

Let me add to your informative post: While it certainly is viable to use a
different schematic capture and PCB package, what you normally lose
includes:

-- The ability to "trivially" (quickly) swap equivalent gates within a
package or equivalent pins within a gate. Most PCB/schematic capture
packages can do this with "is/was" files *and the PCB guy having knowledge
of what the allowable swaps are* (this information is in the schematic
library files but not a PCB netlist), but this makes it somewhat klunkier
(slower) to get done.

-- The ability to apply various layout rules based on net class. E.g.,
your have your clock net class, your differential pair net class, your
power net class, etc. and the PCB package automatically sets the right
defaults (clocks might need to be routed point to point rather than in a
home-run topology, power nets are far, diff. traces have matched lengths,
etc.) This can sometimes be overcome with 3rd-party software -- for
OrCAD/PADS Prescience (http://www.precience.com/pages/PCBNavigator.asp)
seems to be the well-known, get-out-your-checkbook-and-weep solution. For
small designs going around and defining a bunch of net classes usually
isn't that big of a deal since the PCB guy can just go around and do the
same thing in his tool... for big designs schematic capture and PCB layout
are potentially far enough removed that you'd really prefer to have the
schematic "drive" the layout with such rules.

---Joel