Issue link: https://iconnect007.uberflip.com/i/1285883
SEPTEMBER 2020 I DESIGN007 MAGAZINE 85 their documentation available online. Look for YouTube tuto- rials and websites that might be offering solutions to common problems. If there is a phone number for support, call and ask some questions. Those last two suggestions— checking the tool's documenta- tion and looking for video tuto- rials— can also help you evalu- ate a CAD tool without even downloading it. If there are too many people reporting prob- lems, that might mean the tool is too difficult to use. Likewise, a YouTube tutorial that takes the viewer through too many convoluted steps can be a red flag toward usability. Final Thoughts on Finding the Right CAD Tool CAD software is almost always highly cus- tomizable with design rules, favorite libraries, shortcuts, and modules to increase productiv- ity and make the design process personalized and special. Designers add their own libraries of specific ICs, parts catalogs, and components to make sure the right pieces are available. Getting all of these customizations just right can take a long time, so a designer doesn't want to invest a lot of effort in one CAD tool just to abandon it and start over with another. Pay attention to limitations, such as board size, and the number of pins or layers a tool can support. Watch for limits on minimum component pitch and the supported sizes for traces, spacing, and vias. Once you have nar- rowed the field, download the CAD tools that look the most promising, and try them out. Fifteen minutes or so should be enough to tell if the tool is intuitive and will fit your PCB project. The most important part about picking a CAD tool, though, is that it shouldn't make design- ing too much of a chore. You want designing to be productive and efficient, and in the end, maybe that's the most important element to evaluate when you're trying out different tools. Design Tip: Double-check your components and ensure they have proper mechanical draw- ings. Be sure the physical dimensions of your components fit your design, not just the pins, and make sure your library parts match the datasheets; don't just trust them out of the box. DESIGN007 References 1. Trey Hooper, "Top PCB Design Software Tools for Elec- tronics Engineers: 46 Must-Have Tools to Streamline PCB Design," Pannam Imaging. Bob Tise is an engineer at Sunstone Circuits, and Matt Stevenson is the VP of sales and marketing at Sunstone Circuits. To read past columns or contact Tise and Stevenson, click here. Bob Tise Matt Stevenson Figure 2: CAD software should be customizable.