PCB Software Guides
Introduction to the Three User-friendly PCB Design Software
As the saying goes: "Good tools are prerequisite to the successful execution of a job". For PCB engineers, a suitable and user-friendly PCB design software, to a large extent, can help them complete the PCB design more efficiently. The choice of PCB design software will directly affect the progress of learning and work.
Which software is suitable for beginners? What software can greatly help savvy PCB designers? There are many kinds of PCB design software in the market, including paid software and free software. Through the PCB Software Guides, I know that there are three kinds of software with high popularity rate at present: Altium Designer (AD), PADS and Cadence allegro. What are their advantages and disadvantages? Let's take a look.
1. Altium Designer (AD)
For most PCB engineers, the first design software they used is AD. As the basic and entry-level hardware design software, AD is suitable for drawing up the simple single- and double-sided boards and four- and six-layer boards. Through the perfect combination of various technologies including schematic design, circuit simulation, PCB drawing, and signal integrity analysis, engineers can easily conduct the PCB design. If engineers can be proficient in this software, the quality and efficiency of the circuit design will be greatly improved.
2. PADS
More people use this software, which is user-friendly, simple, and easy to use. Relatively speaking, it is more convenient and easy to operate than Protel. This software is more suitable for low-end design, which can be called the king in this level. Its characteristic is it’s easy to interact with schematic, unlike Allegro, which sometimes fails to connect the schematic and PCB. In addition, it also supports real-time modification of the network, which is suitable for little changes or simple board wiring.
3. Cadence allegro
The biggest advantage of this software is that it is very convenient to repair the wiring, and tends to be intelligent. It can display DRC in real time. In addition, line sticking, wiring and winding are also very convenient. Nowadays, the advantages of teamwork are more and more obvious, and Allegro has more advantages in multi-person cooperation than other PCB software.
PCB learning is a long process, and each software also has its own characteristics and advantages. PCB engineers should choose the right software according to their own design needs, so that PCB design will be more efficient and convenient.
