Comparison of commonly used EDA software ORCAD, EWB, Protel and PADs

Comparison of EDA software such as OrCAD from Cadence of the United States, EWB from Interactive Image Technologies of Canada, PROTEL from Altium of Australia, and PADS from Mentor Graphics of the United States

　　When it comes to electronic design automation, we have to start from the 1980s, when many companies in the world launched electronic CAD (Computer Aided Design) software for microcomputer systems. In order to gain a foothold in the fierce market competition, many companies in the world have launched CAD software with their own company characteristics. After years of practical testing, continuous modification and improvement, or survival of the fittest, or mergers and acquisitions, or strong alliances, CAD technology has become more mature. CAD is a general technology. In addition to being widely used in many other industries such as machinery and construction, with the help of SPICE3.5/XSPICE of the University of California, Berkeley as a simulation engine, many companies in the world have also launched various excellent EDA software for the electronics industry; from another perspective, CAD (computer-aided design) is the physical level primary stage of electronic design; CAE (computer-aided engineering) is the circuit level design stage; EDA (electronic design automation) is the advanced electronic system design stage. One of the most realistic standards for measuring the pros and cons of a software is to look at its market share, that is, its popularity and popularity. As Mr. Lu Xun said, "In fact, there is no road on the ground. When more people walk on it, it becomes a road." When it comes to EDA software, OrCAD from Cadence of the United States, EWB from Interactive Image Technologies of Canada, PROTEL from Altium of Australia, and PADS from Mentor Graphics of the United States are all representative leaders.

　　1. OrCAD software from Cadence, USA

　　Cadence's OrCAD software is one of the most widely used EDA software in the world and a prominent representative of EDA software. OrCAD software is powerful, and its interface is friendly and intuitive. It is widely used abroad, and a considerable number of electronic engineers in Europe and the United States are using it. Since OrCAD software entered my country relatively late, with the rapid development of my country's electronics industry, the number of users using OrCAD software has been increasing year by year. From the early version of OrCAD 4.0 working in the DOS environment to the latest OrCAD 10.5, OrCAD software integrates functions such as electrical schematic drawing, printed circuit board design, digital/analog circuit simulation, programmable logic device design, etc. Its component library is also the richest among all EDA software. It has always been the first choice for EDA software in the world. Cadence has become one of the most powerful companies in the world to develop EDA software. The OrCAD software system mainly includes: OrCAD/Capture CIS (circuit diagram design); OrCAD/PspiceA/D (digital/analog mixed simulation); OrCAD/Layout Plus (PCB design), etc. Each part can be used separately as needed, and can form a complete EDA system together.

　　Functions and features of several main software in the OrCAD software system:

　　OrCAD /Capture CIS: It is a common software in the OrCAD software package and is also the basis of the other two software. It is a powerful circuit schematic design software. In addition to being able to generate various circuit schematics, compared with other circuit diagram drawing software, Capture CIS software also has a distinctive component information system module CIS (Component Information System). In addition to being able to implement efficient management of more than 40,000 components in the component library, this information system module also has the ICA (Internet Component Assistant) function. In the process of designing circuit diagrams, more than one million components can be consulted through other component databases on the Internet, and they can be transferred into the circuit diagram or added to their own library files according to drawing needs; after the circuit diagram drawn by Capture software is completed, OrCAD /Pspice software can be directly called for simulation, or OrCAD /Layout Plus software can be entered for board design; OrCAD /Capture CIS has a friendly, intuitive and easy-to-use interface; the operation function is powerful and flexible, the project management is scientific and effective, and it is highly adaptable and supports multiple international standards.

　　OrCAD / PspiceA/D: This is a general circuit simulation software. In addition to simulating digital circuits and mixed digital/analog circuits, it also has the function of optimizing designs. The Probe module in this software is equivalent to a "virtual oscilloscope" that can not only display the result signal waveform after the simulation, but also perform various operations on the waveform, including extracting circuit characteristic parameters and analyzing the relationship between circuit parameters and component parameters, making the analysis process more convenient and intuitive.

　　OrCAD /Layout Plus: This is a printed circuit board PCB design software that can directly convert the generated circuit diagram into PCB design through manual or automatic layout and wiring. OrCAD /Capture software has high-level design indicators: the maximum designable circuit board size is 68 (inch)2; the number of layers can reach 30; the highest wiring resolution is 1 micron; the rotation angle when placing components can be accurate to 1 minute. In addition, there are automatic pushing, matrix layout, intelligent copper plating, data exchange with a variety of PCB design software, including data exchange with a variety of mechanical CAD software, and generation of 3D contour graphics. Its component package library is very rich, and the package library can be edited, modified and new packages can be added through the library manager. OrCAD /Layout Plus software is well-known in the PCB board industry for its powerful functions. It is a truly high-end, professional PCB design EDA software.

　　2. EWB software from Canadian Interactive Image Technologies

　　EWB (Electronics Workbench) is a distinctive EDA software launched by Interactive Image Technologies (IIT) of Canada in 1988. With its outstanding advantages such as intuitive interface, convenient operation, powerful analysis function, easy to learn and use, it has been rapidly promoted in my country as early as the 1990s. Many colleges and universities have included EWB5.0 in their textbooks as an auxiliary means of teaching and experiment in electronic professional courses. At the beginning of the 21st century, EWB5.0 was updated and replaced with EWB6.0, and renamed Multisim2001. It was upgraded to Multisim7 in 2003 and Multisim8.0 in 2005. Its functions are very powerful and can handle virtual simulation of various aspects such as circuit analysis, analog circuits, digital circuits, high-frequency circuits, RF circuits, power electronics and automatic control principles; and it provides up to 18 basic analysis methods. At present, the official website of IIT of Canada is still continuously releasing Multisim10, which has been perfected.

　　The main features of the electronic simulation software Multisim7 are as follows:

　　There are two columns with a total of 23 component boxes on the left side of the basic interface, which concentrate various simulation components in different categories for use; there are 17 virtual instruments on the right side that can be used without quantity restrictions; in the middle is the circuit construction and simulation operation platform.

　　Multisim9 software provides 15 basic circuit analysis methods.

　　Multisim software has several virtual instruments that are not available in any other simulation software, such as the "4-trace oscilloscope" and the "real-time measurement probe" that can dynamically measure the voltage of each node of the circuit online, and the measuring instruments of Agilent, a world-leading multinational company: "Agilent function signal generator", "Agilent 6.5-digit digital multimeter", and "Agilent oscilloscope". The panel and knob operations of these three instruments are exactly the same as those of actual Agilent instruments.

　　Introduction to Ultiboard7

　　As another aspect of MultiSIM technology, IIT of Canada also provides users with the supporting plate-making software Ultiboard7. The electronic circuit content after simulation design with Multisim7 can be directly and seamlessly linked to Ultiboard7 for printed circuit board design. An obvious advantage of the plate-making software Ultiboard7 is that its component package library is very rich. There are more than 4,000 pin-type component packages, which is more than 10 times that in the Protel component package file PCB Footprints.lib. Under normal circumstances, it is always possible to directly find the appropriate component package from its large number of package forms, eliminating the pain of modifying and creating component packages. However, it takes a lot of effort to master its PCB design rules, automatic wiring and other operations, and the acquisition of software and the lack of information have limited its promotion to a certain extent. However, under amateur conditions, using Ultiboard7 to make simple circuit printed boards can be free from its design rules. Direct manual component layout and line drawing can be used. Because of its rich component package library, it is still a simple and convenient plate-making option.

　　4. PROTEL software from Altium Australia

　　Protel integrates circuit schematic drawing, analog circuit and digital circuit mixed signal simulation, multi-layer circuit board design, programmable logic device design, chart generation and other functions. It has rich and diverse editing functions, powerful and convenient automated design capabilities, a rich schematic component library, extremely comprehensive tools, documents and design project organization capabilities. The good reputation of Protel software and its excellent performance have quickly become the first choice and favorite software for many EDA users. Protel software is rich in resources, and it is relatively easy to learn and get started. It is very suitable for beginners to design some relatively simple circuits and plate making.

　　Protel later launched Protel 99 SE (Second Edition), which mainly added some more practical functions in PCB plate making. Now Protel has changed its name to Altium. After entering the new century, Altium launched Protel DXP. Protel DXP is a new generation of board-level circuit design system. Compared with Protel 99 SE, in addition to more complete functions, its interface style is more mature and more flexible, especially in simulation and PLD circuit design. Due to its powerful functions, rigorous design, and requirements for the operating system, it brings certain difficulties to beginners. In addition, it can also simulate circuits.

5. PADS software from Mentor Graphics, USA

　　PADS (Personal Automated Design Systems) software is a product of Mentor Graphics, USA. PowerLogic5.0 is a powerful, multi-page schematic design input tool, with features such as fast access to each page, online component editing, and convenient and concise library management. All of these provide PowerPCB with an efficient circuit board design environment and improve the conversion efficiency from schematic design to PCB plate making.

　　PowerPCB5.0 is a complex, high-speed printed circuit board design software. It has a fast interactive wiring editor (FIRE), which is unique among many interactive wiring modes. Since FIRE uses a powerful algorithm, users rarely need to modify and adjust after the wiring is completed, which can save users a lot of time and improve efficiency during wiring. PowerPCB5.0 software is impeccable in terms of functions such as small pad spacing for surface-mount components, setting constraints for high-speed wiring, and customization of graphical user interfaces. Because PowerLogic5.0 and PowerPCB5.0 run fast and have powerful functions, some simple operations can achieve complex functions, convenient shortcut keys, and wide windows.

　　6. About the selection of EDA software and matters needing attention in amateur plate making

　　Each EDA software has its own characteristics. The specific choice of which EDA software is the best depends on your purpose. As far as professional PCB design is concerned, you might as well choose PowerPCB and OrCAD. PowerPCB is more suitable for designing professional, advanced and complex circuits. OrCAD has strong simulation and plate-making functions and is one of the mainstream tools for high-end circuit design and plate-making, but its component packaging is more troublesome; if you are a beginner, you may as well choose Protel DXP. Since Protel entered the Chinese market early and has a high penetration rate, especially with many books and reference materials, it is particularly suitable for beginners. At present, a considerable number of people in China are using Protel for circuit design and plate-making, while most foreign drawings are designed with OrCAD.

　　The selection of EDA software is also affected by regional factors. For example, electronic engineers in Taiwan Province generally use PowerPCB and OrCAD to design PCBs. Taiwanese businessmen have many joint ventures in Jiangsu, Zhejiang and Shanghai. In Guangdong and Shenzhen, it is popular in the south to design PCBs with PowerPCB and OrCAD. People in the north may prefer to use Protel to design PCBs. However, as time goes by, PowerPCB and OrCAD to design PCBs will become more and more popular.

　　The choice of EDA software is also related to personal preferences, interests, and habits. In fact, as long as you are used to and proficient in any excellent EDA software, you are a talent and expert in a certain field. Of course, students who are determined to develop in southern regions such as Guangdong, Shenzhen, and Shanghai in the future should give priority to learning OrCAD or PowerPCB, or learn more to meet the recruitment needs of enterprises and manufacturers.

　　The selection of EDA software should also consider the PCB file formats that the local plate-making manufacturers can support. For PCB files designed with Protel, any plate-making manufacturer, no matter how small, can generally process circuit boards designed with Protel. Regarding the selection of electronic circuit simulation software, in addition to the very powerful and ideal simulation function of OrCAD, Multisim9 is also a very excellent EDA software. Understand and master the usage of this latest excellent EDA software.

　　7. Electronic Circuit Design Process

　　EDA is the abbreviation of "Electronic Design Automation". The technology has been widely used in the field of electronic design. Manual design of electronic products basically does not exist in developed countries. The design process of an electronic product, from the establishment of the concept to the physical level design including circuit principle, PCB layout, single-chip program, internal structure, FPGA construction and simulation, appearance interface, thermal stability analysis, electromagnetic compatibility analysis, and then to the PCB drilling diagram, automatic patch, solder paste leakage printing, component list, general assembly drawing and other production materials, etc., are all completed on the computer. With the characteristics of large computer storage capacity and fast running speed, EDA technology can perform simulation evaluation, design inspection, design optimization and data processing on the design scheme that are difficult to complete manually. EDA has become the main technical means for the design of integrated circuits, printed circuit boards, and electronic complete machine systems. Multisim 9 software from NI (National Instruments) of the United States is a good tool in this regard. Moreover, Multisim 9 computer simulation and virtual instrument technology (LABVIEW 8) (also from NI of the United States) can well solve the long-standing problem of the disconnection between theoretical teaching and practical hands-on experiments.