Which EDA design software should Altium Allegro pads choose

Don't talk nonsense , Just like before “ Learn mathematics and chemistry well , I'm not afraid of anything in the world ” equally , In today's rapidly developing electronic age , Master an electronic design EDA Software tools , I'm not afraid to travel all over the world in the workplace . It's possible that everything has something to do with electricity , Heel control , Signals and so on , Then you need a circuit board . then , There is no easy-to-use tool for drawing circuit boards ？

It is well known that the world is catchy EDA Software manufacturer , In terms of market share and user utilization , There are three main ones . There are other niche software , But the utilization rate and popularity are relatively low , No discussion here . although ,EDA The most critical functions of software tools are pcb Design part , But you always need to use every part of a set of weapons and equipment well , To be flexible in all directions , Efficient collaboration , invincible . therefore , Choose one EDA Software , It also needs to be comprehensively measured from all aspects , Compare , Find the best solution .

At present, there are three mainstream companies EDA Software , The most commonly used schematic diagrams and PCB Combine ：

1,   Altium The company's AD Software

2,Cadence The company's orcad+allegro

3,Mentor The company's Dxdesigner+pads

The author has dabbled in these three softwares , Here are many aspects for the officials to carry one by one .

Introduction and analysis of software product function system

One ,Altium The predecessor of the company is a well-known company in China Protel. More than thirty years ago Protel 99SE Almost everyone who studies electricity knows , The usage rate and popularity are very high . With the progress of the times and the development of the electronic industry ,Altium Continuously improve and integrate various functional modules into one , Probably 06 Launched in the Chinese market in altium designer6, Every year after that, we will learn from others , And widely solicit the needs of engineers and users , Constantly expand and improve , The current version should be Altium Designer21.Altium Designer The biggest feature of the series is the unified environment , Schematic diagram ,PCB, Simulation , The functions of each stage such as plotting are in a familiar interface environment . On the one hand, it makes users familiar with , Handy , On the other hand , The data transmission between different stages is seamless , Flexible, simple and error free . Over the years , From my student days to now in the electronics industry 18 Years of experience , so to speak AD It is the easiest to use PCB Design tools . Not one of them. .

Two ,Mentor Schematic diagram and PCB The design module is the most complex among the companies . Add your own original product modules and modules that are integrated by purchasing products from other companies , A multitude of names . In terms of schematic module , Yes Pads Logic（Pads Schematic part of the series ）,Design Capture, as well as DxDesigner Three major . Just PCB For design modules , The more common one is Pads and Expedition.Pads Many people use it. , Quite common ,Expedition More powerful , The people who use it are relatively Pads a little bit less .

        PADS Series is the acquisition of the original PowerPCB Products launched after . The schematic tool is PADS logic,PCB The tool is PADS layout, It also comes with automatic wiring tools and encapsulation Library making tools .PADS The series is simple and easy to use , Quick start . The main market share is among domestic middle and low-end customers . Later, their Expedition EnterPrise The series is Mentor The company's star products . It mainly faces the needs of medium and high-end customers . Among them, the schematic tools mainly push Dxdesigner,PCB yes Expedition PCB.Mentor The company's three series PCB Design tools , Namely ：Mentor EN series , namely Mentor Board Station, Personally, I think it is an enterprise version ;Mentor WG series , namely Mentor Expedition, That is, the working group version ; also Pads series , Current general version . There are many modules anyway , It's more complicated , This also increases the choice , The difficulty of learning and using .

3、 ... and ,Cadence The company's original schematic design tool is Concept HDL, The functional design is too weak , Not very popular with users . Later I bought OrCAD after , main OrCAD Design the schematic module ,PCB The design tool is Allegro.Cadence Automatic routing tool for PCB Router It's also powerful , When the rules are well set , The distribution rate is very high .Cadence Other functions are provided by each module , Respectively ：1) Concept HDL Schematic design input tool （NT & Unix）,2) Check Plus HDL Schematic design rule checking tool （NT & Unix）,3) Allegro Expert Expert level PCB Layout editing tools (NT & Unix),4) SPECTRA Expert AutoRouter Expert level pcb Automatic routing tool ,5) SigNoise Signal noise analysis tool ,6) emcontrol Electromagnetic compatibility check ,7) Synplify FPGA / CPLD Integrated tools ,8)  HDL Analyst HDL analyzer ,9)  Advanced Package Designer advanced MCM Package design tools . Some of them FPGA Related design tools , stay PCB Not much is used in board design .FPGA The average user of the chip design still tends to use the tools provided by the original chip manufacturer . therefore , Schematic diagrams and PCB The matching of tool modules is ： Schematic diagram OrCAD+PCB Tools Allegro.

         Conclusion ： In terms of software uniformity and integration ,AD Software should be a winner , All functional modules are integrated in the same software environment , Schematic diagram ,PCB, Simulation ,DFM, All links such as database building transfer data seamlessly .

Analysis of functional coverage

One ,Altium The company's AD series , stay 30 Years ago, Protel Time , The function is relatively simple , Mainly used for industrial control board design . Mainly because it is based on windows operating system , Strive to let engineers and users get started as soon as possible , Therefore, it is easy to use . Later Altium Deisgner namely AD series , The function is complex and deep . especially 14 Years later, ,Altium The senior level of technology R & D starts from Mentor and Cadence We have dug up several technical giants , Introduce the expertise of integrating the two companies , Such as complex high-speed design （Xsignal Intelligent cabling , Length adjustment , Impedance control , Push to avoid obstacles , Micro hole back drilling ） as well as AD21 The overall improvement of the rule setting in . I am very sorry that some people in the market say that they want to sell training AD The rumor that software can only be used as medium and low-end tools misleads many beginners , Now use AD Make multi-layer mobile phone motherboard , High speed design , Complex communication equipment is no problem .PCB The function is basically the same as Mentor and Cadence on an equal footing .AD Its advantage is that it is easy to learn , Easy to use , High integration , It has a Chinese interface , Suitable for beginners . Good promotion in Colleges and Universities , Rich information . The government also often does some promotion and training activities , High market share , Most of the electronic skills competitions in the market are also based on AD For a given EDA Tools .

Two ,Mentor Of PADS series , There are few menus in this software interface , It's not too hard to get started . Therefore, it is also more popular with public users . Especially the market share of consumer electronic products is very high . For example, from the early VCD,DVD,MP3 ,MP4,U disc , So far, tablets , Car recorder , Car electronics , Navigator , Digital set top box , Android smart TV box, etc .Pads It also has a Chinese version . But there is no simulation in itself , When making a high-speed board , It should be combined with other special simulation tools , Such as hyperlynx.Mentor Of Expedition Series do PCB Designed tool function ratio Pads stronger , But the interface is not easy to use , The user is not like Pads So common .

3、 ... and ,Cadence The company's Allegro, The advantage of this software is powerful , The disadvantage is that it's not easy to learn , It's not easy . High speed board design Allegro Take advantage of , Wiring is convenient . Simulation is also very good , Have their own simulation tools . Follow AD equally , It can also perform signal integrity analysis , Power Integrity simulation . Doing it PCB The high-speed board is very powerful . The disadvantage is ,Allegro This software is not very friendly to newcomers . The creation of its encapsulation Library , It can be said that it is extremely troublesome ,PAD and Symbol You need to create... In different tools . and Allegro Poor compatibility with other software , Other EDA It's drawn by tools PCB Documents can't be in Allegro Open directly in , Multiple conversions are required . View aspect , Its 3D The display effect is poor , It's no match for AD Of 3D. This is in 17.2 Greatly improve , But still less than AD.

       a verbal statement without any proof , There is no intuitive feeling for officials . Here is a table , It is the surrounding several people who have used these three software to draw boards at the same time , I have been an experienced engineer for many years , Comparison on the use of specific functions . The table lists some functions , The main software involved is AD,Cadence Of Allegro and Mentor Of Pads These three software . among A representative Altium Designer,C representative Cadence Of Allegro,P representative Mentor Of Pads.

         The general feeling is operating flexibility , Interface friendliness AD And PADS almost , Breadth and depth of functionality AD Follow Allegro almost . Don't blow not black ,AD It is a combination of the strengths of the two families . User usage and market share

         These three software are widely used in the domestic market , In terms of market share , You can refer to Altium The company is officially in AD20 A market share chart published at the time of release . Blue represents AD, Red stands for Mentor, Of course, there are more than Mentor Of PADS series , also Expedition series . Yellow for Cadence.

         Choose to learn or use a software , I don't know how to choose , There's another way , Is to search to see which software is used by many people on the market at present , Mentioned frequently . More companies , It's easy to find a job . If it is not clear which software is in great demand , It is suggested to take a look at the recruitment website , Requirements for jobs related to electricity . See what software employers need to master , I have a clear idea . For example, search for keywords in Baidu Index baidu index , Here I took Altium Designer, Allegro and PADs As a keyword to do the search for two years , Of course, you can also try cadence or mentor, Be sure to look at your own judgment , There will be various pits on the road , Hearsay is not as good as your own rational analysis .

          Through the above aspects, we can roughly screen , We can include the most cost-effective options into our favorite objects ！