Gerber - PCB Layout Software??
Hey all. This is off topic but everyone here is so helpful.
We've got a few products in production now. We've always let our contract manufacturer lay out our boards for us based on our schematics and requirements but it's time to do that on our own now.
I'd much appreciate suggestions on software packages and their average price points. We are already (probably) getting a base version of SolidWorks to handle design of the enclosures and plastic parts that go with our products, but their CircuitWorks looks a bit overkill for what we're doing.
Usually our products are done on standard double sided boards .064 or .040, the boards are fairly small (under 8 square inches) and normally involve under 100 individual surface mount components with a few through hole. Pretty simple stuff - the kind of thing that will probably shorten development cycles and lower costs to just have a simple PCB layout package in house. We can lay that stuff out about as quick as it takes to verbally discuss it with our current 3rd party contractor.
Software Requirements:
Basic stuff - setting pads and traces, but most importantly, we need it to spit out Gerber files we can send straight to our board house. I understand most PCB software is buggy at best when converting to Gerber, so we want something that will do that conversion clean, as well as providing a Gerber editor we can do back and "touch up" and conversion errors manually on the end files.
Advanced stuff we'll probably move toward in the near future is designing with ultra small components and flexible types of circuit boards. We have a few projects lined up which involve adding complex logic in very small spaces - some of which are flexible.
Some PCB software I know will automatically calculate the best and tightest layout of parts and figure the traces for you - we'd be willing to pay for that feature.
We're considering options everything from basic software in the $100'ish range all thew way to the full blown electronics version of AutoCad and others - just have to consider the pros and cons of each but would like a handful to begin to study.
Thanks in advance!!
Re: Gerber - PCB Layout Software??
I have used P.C.Gerber for many years. It is DOS program that is graphics only, so it does not relate the layout to the schematic, but has the advantage of being excellent for microwave layout or chemical milling where the exact pattern is as important as the schematic. It works in the old Gerber 273 format, not the newer 273X. It outputs Gerber files directly so no conversion is required. It is very user friendly once you get the hang of it. Unfortunately I know of no instruction book so it's trial and error. It has two versions, a small one that is free (or it was free when the company still existed) and limits the size and a large version that requires a "dongle" on the parallel printer port. If someone wanted to create a software dongle, it is probably possible since those devices were relatively simple. Being a DOS program has the advantage that old DOS computers are easily obtainable for a few dollars. And since they aren't connected to the WEB they never have a virus, and the program has never hung up. It has a few minor bugs that are irritating, but not serious, and encountered very rarely. It makes files that are extremely small, for example I just created a step and repeat program for making some chemical milled sheet metal parts, and there were over 200,000 draws and the total file was 1.5 Megabytes, that zipped to 400 kilobytes. AutoCad converted to Gerber couldn't come close to doing that.
I've tried to get another copy and dongle on the web, but have had no luck so far. I have seen some versions for sale a few years ago, but not now.
Do you know anyone who can make a software dongle? That could make it available on the web.
Best of luck in your search.
FredStorke
