Which of the three commonly used PCB design software should I learn? Choosing the right direction is sometimes more important than hard work!

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Which of the three commonly used PCB design software should I learn? Choosing the right direction is sometimes more important than hard work! [Copy link]

There are many PCB design softwares, and the mainstream ones are: Altium Designer, PADS and Allegro . If I want to learn, which one should I start with? Or do I need to learn all of them?

Before learning, it is necessary for us to have some understanding of the similarities and differences between Altium/PADS/Allegro and their actual application scenarios.

What are the specific differences between the three commonly used PCB design software?

Let's talk about Altium Designer first.

Altium Software Analysis:

Altium software is positioned in the market for some simple boards, such as single-chip microcomputers, simple industrial boards, and some relatively simple boards. This software is used more often, and is relatively low-end product design, most of which are simple boards. Most companies that use this software have relatively simple products. Generally, they are mainly 2-layer and 4-layer. In the Chinese market, it is more commonly used in inland cities and less in developed cities. Basically, it can be said that in developed cities, it is difficult to find a job if you use this software. However, this software has a high usage rate in inland cities.

Why is this software so popular in mainland cities? I personally think it is mainly because the software is well promoted in schools, because every student studying electronics or electromechanical related majors is taught this in school, or is required to learn this. So I am sure that more than 80% of the engineers who are still using this software are because they used it in school and continue to use it after entering the society. So it can be said that if this software did not have the market of Chinese college students, this software should be very rare in the Chinese market.

The second is PADS software, which is now used by many large and medium-sized enterprises and developed coastal cities.

PADS software analysis:

The predecessor of PADS is POWER PCB, which has few menus in the software interface and is easy to use. I guess this is also the reason why it has been recognized by the market. In particular, the market share of consumer electronic products is very high. In the early days, it can be said that it almost had a monopoly position in consumer products. For example, from the early VCD, DVD, MP3, MP4, U disk, LCD TV, to the current tablet computer, driving recorder, car electronic products, navigation, digital set-top box, Android smart TV box, mobile phone, etc., all have an absolute market share. Especially for mobile phone PCB design, PADS software has almost a monopoly advantage.

PADS occupies a large share in almost all consumer electronic products. In particular, the market share in the past few years was absolutely high. In recent years, the software Allegro has gradually become popular. The market share of PADS seems to be declining.

However, in developed coastal cities, PADS still occupies the mainstream market, especially in Shenzhen, most companies still use PADS, followed by Allegro. It is easy to find a job for PADS in Shenzhen.

Then there is Allegro, whose market share is increasing year by year.

At present, digital integrated circuits are developing towards high-speed, high-density multi-layer boards and high-efficiency circuits. Compared with Altium and PADS, Allegro has significantly improved design efficiency.

Allegro software analysis:

The advantage of Cadence Allegro is its powerful functions, but its disadvantage is that it is not easy to learn and use. Therefore, the market share of this software was relatively low 10 years ago or 7-8 years ago. Generally, it was only used by large companies, especially those that make computer motherboards, because this software is powerful and has advantages in drawing large boards. For example, computer motherboards, large industrial control boards, server motherboards, and other large boards, its efficiency and advantages are very obvious. Therefore, its market is currently mainly on computer motherboards, large industrial control boards, server motherboards, and other large boards, as well as some tablet computers and mobile phone boards, which are also used by a small number of companies or large companies. From a long-term perspective, Allegro has a relatively large market prospect.

How to choose the right PCB design software?

1) When choosing a software, you need to study it carefully.

For example: If you want to draw simple boards, then learn Altium. If you want to draw consumer electronics, learn PADS. If you want to draw large boards, learn Allegro.

If you learn PADS and Allegro, you will basically work in developed cities such as coastal areas. It is not so easy to find a job in inland cities. If you learn Altium, you will mainly work in inland areas. Not many people in coastal cities use it... Of course, this is just a relative proportion. For example, PADS is very popular in Shenzhen, but there are still companies that use AD, but they are very few. In addition, if you want to learn Altium, don't think about drawing consumer products.

For example, if you learn AD to draw dashcams and want to find a job drawing dashcams, you can't find one at all. No company that makes dashcams uses AD software to draw boards. The same is true for tablet computers, LCD TVs, and mobile phones. If you learn AD and want to draw such products, it will be very difficult to find a job or you can't find such a job at all.

2) Choose software based on learning purpose

Learning is mainly for work, so you should learn the right things. For example, if you learn AD, you should learn to draw some simple boards and relatively simple industrial boards. Few companies use more complex boards. If you want to draw an LCD TV or a dashcam, you can choose the relatively complex PADS software. In addition, if you want to learn to draw a computer motherboard, a large industrial control motherboard, a host server, etc., then it is recommended that you learn Allegro.

3) Choose from employment issues and personal positioning

At present, PCB design is divided into cities in China, and there are still regional choices. For example, in most mainland cities, the market share of Altium software is relatively high. If you want to work in the mainland and draw some basic 2- and 4-layer boards, it is recommended that you learn Altium software, and it is relatively easy to find a job in these places.

If you want to work in a coastal city, especially in Shenzhen, and want to draw consumer products, it is recommended to learn PADS. This software is easy to use, and it is very easy to find a job in Shenzhen. Many companies use it.

If you want to draw large product boards, it is recommended to learn Allegro. This software currently has a high market share, especially in large boards. Most people learn PCB design for work. Everyone expects to find a good job after learning. So you have to decide which design software to learn, because there are several factors that affect this, such as which city you want to work in the future and what products you want to design.

generalcircuits

Thanks for sharing. I learned a lot. In school, teachers teach AD and proteus.

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