[volt-nuts] Design Spark PCB Design Package

Neil Gruending neil at gruending.net
Mon Jan 5 12:03:59 EST 2015


I think DesignSpark works pretty well for the pricetag. The only way to know if you will know for sure is to try it for yourself. IMHO, there isn't one ideal free/low cost program, they all have their issues.

BTW, DesignSpark easily handles multiple gates per component.

Cheers,
Neil

________________________________________
From: volt-nuts <volt-nuts-bounces at febo.com> on behalf of David C. Partridge <david.partridge at perdrix.co.uk>
Sent: January 5, 2015 8:23 AM
To: 'Discussion of precise voltage measurement'
Subject: Re: [volt-nuts] Design Spark PCB Design Package

When I tried Design Spark PCB I wasn't impressed, though I'm told it has got better in the intervening year or so.

An example: most PCB design packages put down multi opamps/logic chips as individual pieces with 1 gate/opamp per piece (e.g. U16A, U16B, U16C, U16D), but DS PCB placed a single glom of all four opamps in a rectangular lump with all the pins and I had to sort out the mess.  When I complained I was told - well it's easy to design your own component/footprint/package to do it your way - but I don't wan't to do that sort of basic stuff.

That said I use Multisim/Ultiboard, and despair over Ultiboard's autorouting - it doesn't seem to understand that a straight line is the shortest route between two pins that have the same X or Y coordinates, and regularly fails to route when there is a blindingly obvious route (same layer, no obstructions etc.) that won't break any design rules.

Regards,
David Partridge

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