Re: PCB Layout / Autorouter software

John Larkin wrote:
On Fri, 05 Dec 2008 07:36:12 -0800, D from BC
<myrealaddress@xxxxxxxxx> wrote:

On Fri, 05 Dec 2008 05:46:28 -0800, John Larkin
<jjlarkin@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:

On Fri, 5 Dec 2008 02:10:36 -0800 (PST), kmillar <kenny@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
wrote:

Hi,

I'm looking for some PCB Layout / Autorouter software for PC and/or
Mac.
I've got the 'not for profit' version of Eagle, but in order to 'go
professional' is very expensive, so before committing to that I'd like
to evaluate some alternatives.

What do you suggest?

The basic requirements are:
1. Schematic
2. Board Layout
3. Auto router

I could possibly live without the auto-router if the board designer
was easy enough to use.

Thanks in advance.
Bad auto-routers are worse than none, and most routers are bad. We do
8-layer boards with over 1000 parts, including fine-pitch and bga's,
parts on both sides, and we don't auto-route.

John
Not even a little bit of auto-routing?
I use the auto router for ideas and then route it my way.
Kinda like having help from Egor from Frankenstein.
I get the brains but it may not be the right one.


We usually pre-plan the placement and fpga pinouts so that things flow
nicely, with minimum crossovers. For critical stuff, like precision
analog or picosecond things, an engineer will do the placement and
connections for one channel or whatever, and give that to our layout
guy as a model. Placement is 70% of the battle. We also give him a
design with FPGA or ram pins unassigned, and let him use the ones that
route best. I think people are still best with mixed-signal or really
high-speed stuff.

I've never tried a really high-end, like $50K, autorouter. They may
make sense in extreme situations, like a sea of digital parts.

Heck, routing is the fun part.

John

I've really enjoyed pin-to-pin one-wire interactive
autorouters, where you tell the computer "run a wire
from here <click> to here <click>."

Since you've placed the parts already--and maybe even boxed
in the path with other traces--they get it pretty close to
right. Then you can tweak it. A big timesaver.

Cheers,
James Arthur
.

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