Re: PCB CAD Options (was: Re: Is it at all possible?)

From: silverdr_at_wfmh.org.pl
Date: Wed, 15 Feb 2017 10:20:08 +0100
Message-Id: <6909E95A-3C48-4F39-AB20-6DD33284DB74@wfmh.org.pl>
> On 2017-02-15, at 08:54, Per Olofsson <magervalp@fastmail.fm> wrote:
> 
>> Only if you haven't heavily used the real-time forward and
>> back-annotations as known in EAGLE. Even with relatively simple boards it
>> pays. With more complex stuff, especially chips with hundred(s) of pins
>> the ability to see the potential routing possibilities changing in real
>> time becomes invaluable.
> 
> Have you tried the interactive push & shove router in KiCad?

Not yet. I tried to switch two times so far but either it wasn't still there when I tried last time or I haven't gotten that far. It was the typical thing like "let's do this board over this weekend, now with KiCAD". Then the weekend is almost gone and I am nowhere close to have the results. So back to EAGLE and in a few hours the thing is ready. Usually before Monday morning lights.. ;-) I guess if I spent at least a week learning KiCAD and its best practices, then it would be a different story.

> It's really quite fantastic to work with:
> 
>  http://kicad-pcb.org/discover/pcbnew/

I checked the video there - looks impressive, indeed!

> If you're doing design changes in the schematic while laying out your
> board it's a few more clicks compared to EAGLE, but the interactive
> router more than makes up for it imho. The only thing I really miss in
> KiCad is a decent autorouter - not for actually routing traces, but as a
> quick way of judging different board layouts.

I am not sure what you mean by that... The autorouter in EAGLE sucks as much as every other I've seen (not that I've seen dozens of them). If I ever use it, it is for checking if I haven't missed something obvious when I am stuck with routing at some point. Maybe..   Do you mean something like "if even autorouter can route this layout then this layout is better than the other one I tried before"?

-- 
SD!


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Received on 2017-02-15 10:00:02

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