PCB News - Introduction of several PCB EDA software

Not only for electronic engineers, but for people from all walks of life, it is necessary to be more familiar with the tools they use.

This article compares several EDA companies we are familiar with:

PROTEL from Altium, Australia

PADS of Mentor Graphics, USA

OrCAD of Cadence, USA

EWB of Interactive Image Technologies, Canada

When it comes to electronic design automation, we have to start with the introduction of electronic CAD (Computer Aided Design) software for microcomputer systems by many companies in the world in the 1980s. Many companies in the world have launched CAD software with their own company characteristics in order for their CAD software to gain a foothold in the fierce market competition. After years of practical testing, continuous modification and improvement, or survival of the fittest, or mergers and acquisitions, Or powerful combination, CAD technology has matured day by day.

CAD is a general technology. In addition to being widely used in many other industries such as machinery and construction, with the help of SPICE3.5/XSPICE of the University of California at Berkeley as a simulation engine, many companies in the world have also launched a variety of electronic Excellent EDA software in the industry; from another perspective, CAD (Computer Aided Design) is the physical primary stage of electronic design; CAE (Computer Aided Engineering) is the circuit-level design stage; EDA (Electronic Design Automation) is an advanced electronic system design phase.

One of the most realistic criteria for measuring the pros and cons of a software is to look at its market share, that is, its popularity and popularity. As Mr. Lu Xun said: “There is no road on the ground. If there are more people walking, it becomes a road.” Speaking of EDA software, OrCAD from Cadence in the United States, EWB from Interactive Image Technologies in Canada, and PROTEL from Altium in Australia., The PADS of Mentor Graphics of the United States is one of the representative outstanding.

1. PROTEL software from Altium, Australia

Protel integrates circuit schematic drawing, analog circuit and digital circuit mixed signal simulation, multilayer PCB board design, programmable logic device design, chart generation and other functions. It has rich and diverse editing functions, powerful and convenient automated design capabilities, a rich schematic component library, extremely comprehensive tools, documents and design project organization capabilities. The good reputation of Protel software and its outstanding performance will soon become As the first choice and favorite software of many EDA users, Protel has abundant software resources, and it is easy to learn and get started. It is very suitable for beginners to design some relatively simple circuits and plate making. Protel later launched Protel 99 SE (Second Edition), mainly adding some more practical functions in PCB plate making. Now Protel has changed its name to Altium. After entering the new century, Altium launched Protel DXP. Protel DXP is a new generation of board-level circuit design system. Compared with Protel 99 SE, in addition to more complete functions, its interface style is more mature and flexible, especially in terms of simulation and PLD circuit design. Because of its powerful functions, rigorous design, and requirements for the operating system, it makes it difficult for beginners to get started, and it can also simulate circuits.

2. PADS software of Mentor Graphics, USA

PADS (Personal Automated Design Systems) software is a product of Mentor Graphics, USA. PowerLogic 5.0 is a powerful, multi-page schematic design input tool. It has the characteristics of quick access to each page, online component editing, convenient library management, etc., all of which provide PowerPCB with an efficient circuit board design environment, Improve the conversion efficiency from the schematic design link to the PCB plate making. PowerPCB 5.0 is a complex, high-speed printed circuit board design software. It has a fast interactive wiring editor (FIRE), which is unique among many interactive wiring modes. Because FIRE adopts a powerful algorithm, it rarely requires users to modify and adjust after wiring, which can save users when wiring. A lot of time to improve efficiency. PowerPCB5.0 software is impeccable for functions such as surface mount components and other fine pad spacing, setting of constraints on high-speed wiring, and customization of graphical user interfaces. Due to the fast running speed of PowerLogic5.0 and PowerPCB5.0 software, combined with powerful functions, some simple operations can achieve the advantages of complex functions, convenient shortcut keys, and wide windows.

3. OrCAD software from Cadence, USA

Cadence's OrCAD software is one of the most widely used EDA software in the world and a prominent representative of EDA software. OrCAD software is powerful, and its interface is friendly and intuitive. It is widely used abroad. A considerable number of electronic engineers in Europe and the United States are using it.

As OrCAD software entered our country relatively late, but with the rapid development of my country's electronics industry, the number of users using OrCAD software is increasing year by year. From the early version of OrCAD 4.0 that worked in the DOS environment to the latest OrCAD 10.5, OrCAD software integrates electrical schematic drawing, printed circuit board design, digital/analog circuit simulation, programmable logic device design and other functions. It The component library is also the most abundant of all EDA software, and it has always been the first choice for EDA software in the world. Cadence has become one of the most powerful companies developing EDA software in the world.

The OrCAD software system mainly includes: OrCAD /Capture CIS (circuit diagram design); OrCAD /PspiceA/D (digital/analog hybrid simulation); OrCAD /Layout Plus (PCB design), etc., each of which can be used separately as needed, and Can form a complete EDA system together.

Several main software functions and characteristics of OrCAD software system:

OrCAD /Capture CIS: It is the common software in the OrCAD software package and the basis of the other two software. It is a powerful circuit schematic design software. In addition to generating various circuit schematic diagrams, compared with other circuit diagram drawing software, the Capture CIS software also has a distinctive component information system module CIS (Component Information System). In addition to the efficient management of more than 40,000 components in the component library, the information system module also has the ICA (Internet Component Assistant) function, which can be consulted in other component databases on the Internet during the process of designing circuit diagrams. There are more than one million components, and they can be transferred into the circuit diagram or added to your own library file according to the drawing needs; after the circuit diagram drawn by the Capture software is completed, you can also directly call the OrCAD/Pspice software for simulation, or enter OrCAD/Layout Plus software for board design; OrCAD/Capture CIS has a friendly, intuitive and easy-to-use interface; powerful and flexible operation, scientific and effective project management, strong adaptability, and supports a variety of international standards.

OrCAD / PspiceA/D: This is a general-purpose circuit simulation software. In addition to digital circuit and digital/analog mixed circuit simulation, it also has the function of optimizing design. The Probe module in the software is equivalent to a "virtual oscilloscope" which can not only display the result signal waveform after the simulation, but also perform various calculations on the waveform, including extracting circuit characteristic parameters, analyzing circuit parameters and component parameters The relationship makes the analysis process more convenient and intuitive.

OrCAD /Layout Plus: This is a printed circuit board PCB design software, which can directly convert the generated circuit diagram into PCB design through manual or automatic layout and routing. OrCAD/Capture software has high-level design indicators: the maximum designable circuit board size is 68 (inches)2; the level can reach 30 layers; the highest resolution of wiring is 1 micron; the rotation angle can be accurate to 1 minute when placing components . In addition, there are functions such as automatic pushing, matrix layout, intelligent copper coating, and data exchange with a variety of PCB design software, including data exchange with a variety of mechanical CAD software, and generating 3D contour graphics. Its component package library is very rich, and the package library can be edited, modified and added new packages through the Library Manager. OrCAD/Layout Plus software is famous for its powerful functions in the PCB board industry. A veritable high-end, professional PCB design EDA software.