What software is needed for PCB design?

Today's society cannot do without circuit engineers to protect the design of our various equipment. Today we will discuss an issue that many beginners are concerned about. This is also a question that many friends have been asking recently: There are so many PCB design software at present, which PCB design software should I learn? (For reference only)

There are currently three major PCB design software that are mainstream, and I will not mention those that are not mainstream at present.

1. Altium Designer (hereinafter referred to as AD). It can be said to be an upgraded version of PROTEL.

2. PADS

3. Cadence allegro

Don’t mention Protel99. That is already an antique. I can't draw complicated boards.

In addition to these 3 software, there are many software, such as Cadstar, CR5000, PCAD, Mentor EE, Mentor WG, Mentor en, PADS Professional Edition, etc., and some of these software have very powerful functions, which are better than those mentioned above. All 3 major software have powerful functions. But the market share is not high, so I won’t talk about it here. The current market share is not high, so it doesn't make much sense for you to learn it. For a beginner, it is estimated that it will be difficult to find a job after learning it. It's of no use to the company.

So we mainly discuss these 3 major software.

1. AD software analysis

AD (including PROTEL99) The market positioning of this software is for some simple boards, such as microcontrollers, simple industrial boards, and some relatively simple boards. This software is mostly used. It is relatively low-end product design. Most are simple boards. The products of most companies using this software are relatively simple. Generally, there are 2 and 4 floors. In the Chinese market, inland cities use it more often, while developed cities use it less. Basically, it can be said that in developed cities, it is difficult to find a job using this software. However, this software has a high share of use in mainland cities. Why is this software so popular in mainland cities? I personally think it is mainly because this software is promoted better in schools, because every student majoring in electronics or mechanical and electrical related majors is taught this in school, or is required to go there. Learn this. So among the engineers who are still using this software, I can be sure that more than 80% used it in school and continued to use it after they left the society. Therefore, it can be said that if this software did not have a market for Chinese college students, this software would probably be very rare in the Chinese market.

2. PADS software analysis

The predecessor of PADS is POWER PCB. This software interface has few menus and is not difficult to get started. I estimate that this is also recognized by the market. In particular, consumer electronics products have a very high market share. In the early days, it can be said that they almost had a monopoly position in consumer products, such as from early VCD, DVD, MP3, MP4, U disk, LCD TV, to the current tablet computer. , driving recorders, vehicle electronics, navigators, digital set-top boxes, Android smart TV boxes, mobile phones, etc. all have absolute market share. Especially in mobile phone PCB design, PADS software has almost a monopoly advantage. PADS accounts for almost all consumer electronics products. Especially in the past few years, the market share has been absolutely high. In recent years, the software Allegro has slowly become popular. PADS share seems to be on a downward trend. However, in developed coastal cities, PADS still accounts for the mainstream market. Especially in Shenzhen, most companies still use PADS, followed by allegro. PADS It is easy to find a job in Shenzhen.

3. allegro software analysis

The advantage of Cadence allegro is that it has powerful functions, but the disadvantage is that it is difficult to learn and use. Therefore, this software had a relatively low market share 10 years ago or 7 to 8 years ago. It was generally only used by large companies, especially companies that made computer motherboards, because this software was powerful and had advantages in drawing large boards. Such as 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 in computer motherboards, large industrial control boards, server motherboards, and other large boards, as well as some tablet computers and mobile phone boards that are also used by a small number of companies. Used by large companies. From a long-term perspective, the allegro market prospect is relatively large.

Learning software conclusion:

If you want to draw simple boards, learn AD. If you want to draw consumer electronics, learn PADS. If you want to draw large boards, learn allegro. If you study 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 AD, you will mainly work in the mainland, not much in coastal cities. Of course, this is only a relative ratio. Just like Shenzhen uses a lot of PADS, but there are still companies using AD, but it is just that there are very few.

In addition, for example, if you want to learn AD, don’t think about drawing consumer products. For example, if you learn AD to draw driving recorders, you can use P. If you want to find a job drawing driving recorders using AD software, you will not be able to find it at all. Come on, there is no company that makes driving recorders that uses the AD software sketchpad. Who wants you? The same goes for making tablet computers, LCD TVs, mobile phones, and other products. If you want to learn AD and draw such products, it will be very difficult for you to find a job, or you may not find such a job at all. Some people may object to this. I am currently using AD to draw tablets. It is not wrong to use AD to draw tablets, or it is not wrong to use AD to draw mobile phones. But go and see how many are used in the entire market? But no matter what Few people use it, and some companies should still use it. There are not many companies using it, and it is even more difficult for a novice who has just learned to find a job.

In terms of salary, using different software and drawing different boards can result in huge salary differences. For example, there are now some mainland city drawing boards, with more than 3K. There are some places where you can get more than 2W. This depends on what kind of board you draw. If the boards are similar, I personally feel that the salary with ALLEGRO is slightly higher than that with PADS. This is my personal opinion based on the income of many friends around me. personal opinion.

Learning is mainly for work, so you should learn appropriate things when studying. For example, if you learn AD, you should learn to draw some simple boards and relatively simple industrial boards. No matter how complex the board is, few companies use AD. Learning PADS, if you want to learn to draw computer motherboards, or large industrial control motherboards, it is useless, and you can't find a job even if you learn. Basically no company uses PADS to draw computer motherboards. If you want to draw LCD TVs or dash cams using Allegro, there is no use for it. If you want to find a job painting LCD TVs or dash cams using Allegro, you can't find a job, and there is no company at all.

Let’s discuss the current employment issues and positioning:

Employment is an issue that everyone who wants to enter this industry is concerned about, that is to say, after I learn this PCB design software. Can you find a job? If you can't find a job, then your studies will be in vain. These software are currently divided into cities in China. It seems that there are still regional divisions. For example, in most mainland cities, AD (PROTEL) has a relatively high share.

1. If you want to work in a mainland city and draw some simple 2-layer or 4-layer boards, then I suggest you learn AD software. It is easier to find a job in mainland cities using this software, but because companies using this software generally have It is relatively simple, so the salary is generally not high.

2. If you want to work in a coastal city, especially 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. There are many companies using it.

3. 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, where it has an absolute advantage. Most people study PCB design for work. After studying, they can find a good job. This is everyone's expectation. So which design software you want to learn, you have to position yourself well, because there are several influencing factors, such as which city you want to work in in the future and what products you mainly want to design.

The above is my personal opinion on these software.

How can I know which PCB design software is used in my city?

The method is: Go to some recruitment websites and look at the city where you are located. Most of the people recruiting for positions in this field ask for which software to use. This way you will know which software is used more frequently in your city.

Some company recruitment information will say this, requiring proficiency in PADS9.5 and proficiency in allegro, PROTEL and other design software. When you see this kind of information, you can actually immediately know which design software the company mainly uses. According to human psychology, the one written first is the commonly used one. Or the one that requires proficiency is the one they mainly use. So you find 100 job postings and make statistics. You will know which software is mainly used in your city. You only know how much share this software accounts for.

Maybe this is not absolutely accurate, but it is very close to market data.

Software is just a tool. In fact, it doesn’t matter which software you use. If you are the boss, or you have the final say on what software the company uses, then it doesn’t matter which software you learn. But if you want to find a job more conveniently, you still need to look at which software is used by more companies to find a job. The above are recommendations for some software for learning PCB, for reference only.