Hi Caslav,



My suggestion is that you not concern yourself with other packages. If you didn't already own DXP I would not say this. And in the future if you find yourself having to purchase another package I would advise otherwise then too. But for now you own DXP so there is no choice to be made.

Become proficient with what you have. Some people prefer Quattro Pro, others prefer Excel, and still others once preferred 123. It has nothing to do with which spreadsheet is the best. It has to do largely with which one they're familiar with. If someone learns on Wordperfect they're less likely to want to switch to MS Word.

But if you learn to use a spreadsheet, or if you learn to use a wordprocessor, if you really become proficient, switching from one program to another is a relatively simple matter. The same thing is true with EDA software.

Learn how to build a library part. Learn how to build a land pattern for that part. Learn how to include pad stack definitions so your part will work on any board no matter how many layers are involved. Learn to define the solder mask and the paste mask so you don't have to go back and deal with them manually everytime you use the part. Learn how to define Electrical and Design rules (ERC and DRC). Learn how to read netlists. Things like this must be done in every EDA package. Learning which keys to press and which buttons to click is trivial once you know what it is that you need to accomplish.

That's why I say become proficient with what you have. Don't concern yourself with which package gives you the most bang for your buck until you actually need to buy a new package. And then, when that day does come, you'll also know best which features matter to you and which don't.

And one more thing. If you really aren't using the autorouter, start. Yes, this is the voice of experience. Years ago I used AutoTrax for board layout. And I quit using the autorouter because it would invariably leave the last 5% undone, for me to do manually. And, as you probably know, the last 5% of the routing takes 95% of the time. By just doing the whole thing manually I at least had an idea about what was going where when I got down to that last 5%. Then one day I got Protel 99SE. Just for giggles I let it take a shot at routing the board. I wanted to see if it had been improved over the years. It did in 45 seconds what would have taken me something like a day to do by hand.

Use the autorouter.