Looking for simple Schematic Editor
bill...@agilent.com
I'm looking for something to draw schematics, not
necessarily PC related.
The ideal program would handle wiring harnesses and connectors
& switches really well--from a library. It would be easy to label
stuff.
I don't need PCB layout. I might want to draw an occasional electronic
schematic, tho. I don't even need connectivity lists.
Should run on a PC
I would need several hundred nodes.
Price is not as important as ease of use and no screwy
behavior.
What do the intelligentsia think? Bill Hale
Charlie Edmondson
Charlie
Peter Bennett
>I was using IVEX. It was OK.
>
>I'm looking for something to draw schematics, not
>necessarily PC related.
>
>The ideal program would handle wiring harnesses and connectors
>& switches really well--from a library. It would be easy to label
>stuff.
>
>I don't need PCB layout. I might want to draw an occasional electronic
>schematic, tho. I don't even need connectivity lists.
If you don't need netlists or PCB layout, then most any general CAD
program would do - a cow-orker frequently uses AutoCad for schematics
and wiring diagrams because he also uses it for mechanical drawing. I
tend to use Protel (a professional electronic CAD program) for
anything vaguely electrical, because I also use it for schematics
leading to PC boards - but the electronics features are not needed for
simple wiring diagrams.
All you really need is a drawing program that allows you to create
symbols or blocks that you can re-use - so you don't have to re-draw a
switch or resistor from scratch every time you need one. Many
drafting programs will include a library of electrical/electronic
symbols.
--
Peter Bennett, VE7CEI
peterbb4 (at) interchange.ubc.ca
new newsgroup users info : http://vancouver-webpages.com/nnq
GPS and NMEA info: http://vancouver-webpages.com/peter
Vancouver Power Squadron: http://vancouver.powersquadron.ca
JeffM
>>Price is not as important as ease of use and no screwy behavior.
>
>One word - Visio
> Charlie Edmondson
Another word: NO.[1]
http://groups-beta.google.com/group/sci.electronics.design/browse_frm/thread/7b9faecdf6591892/b21ea0ffb71e90ee?q=Visio-is-totally-unsuitable-for-wiring-diagrams+no-concept-of-wires+partial-understanding-of-connections+When-you-move-things-around+lots-of-rework
http://groups-beta.google.com/group/sci.electronics.design/browse_frm/thread/290760dca4bceba3/7b69c1d5b3a752bc?q=avoid-it-like-the-plague+clueless+wires+components
Click on the OP's twenty-two.htm link to see Visio-like screwy
drawings.
I would look for something that supports *.DXF format.
AutoCAD has lots user groups and many ready-made libraries.
The CAD programs here have trial versions:
http://web.archive.org/web/20041125090332/http://www.caddepot.com/dcd1/CAD_Demos/PC/CAD_Programs/index-6.html
(My real bookmark went bad within the last month or 2; this is from Nov
'04.)
http://web.archive.org/web/*/http://www.caddepot.com/dcd1/CAD_Demos/PC/CAD_Programs/index-6.html
[1] Why did the moron say he was hitting himself with a hammer>
Because it felt so good when he stopped.
Peter Bennett
>>>I'm looking for something to draw...wiring harnesses
>>>Price is not as important as ease of use and no screwy behavior.
>>> bill_hale @ agilent.com
>>
>>One word - Visio
>> Charlie Edmondson
>
>Another word: NO.[1]
>http://groups-beta.google.com/group/sci.electronics.design/browse_frm/thread/7b9faecdf6591892/b21ea0ffb71e90ee?q=Visio-is-totally-unsuitable-for-wiring-diagrams+no-concept-of-wires+partial-understanding-of-connections+When-you-move-things-around+lots-of-rework
>http://groups-beta.google.com/group/sci.electronics.design/browse_frm/thread/290760dca4bceba3/7b69c1d5b3a752bc?q=avoid-it-like-the-plague+clueless+wires+components
>Click on the OP's twenty-two.htm link to see Visio-like screwy
>drawings.
I don't think you can blame that mess entirely on Visio - the main
problem is the author's failure to follow normal electronic drafting
conventions.
If I really put my mind to it, I could probably do something just as
bad with Protel. (but it would be hard work!)
--
Peter Bennett VE7CEI
email: peterbb4 (at) interchange.ubc.ca
GPS and NMEA info and programs: http://vancouver-webpages.com/peter/index.html
Newsgroup new user info: http://vancouver-webpages.com/nnq
JeffM
>>Click on the OP's twenty-two.htm link
>>to see Visio-like screwy drawings.
>
>I don't think you can blame that mess entirely on Visio
>- the main problem is the author's failure
>to follow normal electronic drafting conventions.
You're missing an important point about Visio:
When you move a component, Visio REPOSITIONS THE LINES connected to it
(not wires--LINES; Visio has no concept of wires).
This is NOT rubberbanding; it redraws the lines THROUGH components,
leaving you with a lot of rework to do
--which you will have to do again when you move the next component,
and AGAIN when you move the NEXT component, etc.
Visio is unsuitable for electrical drawings.
Because it is unsuitable for the task,
you waste too much time trying to use it.
To conclude: Choose a better tool.
john jardine
<bill...@agilent.com> wrote in message
news:1116452152.5...@o13g2000cwo.googlegroups.com...
http://tinycad.sourceforge.net/
Clean and straightforward. Bereft of the usual windows programmer
moronocities. (and it's free!).
Jim Thompson
PSpice Student Version...
http://www.electronics-lab.com/downloads/schematic/013/
PSpice Schematics is excellent!
...Jim Thompson
--
| James E.Thompson, P.E. | mens |
| Analog Innovations, Inc. | et |
| Analog/Mixed-Signal ASIC's and Discrete Systems | manus |
| Phoenix, Arizona Voice:(480)460-2350 | |
| E-mail Address at Website Fax:(480)460-2142 | Brass Rat |
| http://www.analog-innovations.com | 1962 |
I love to cook with wine. Sometimes I even put it in the food.
EN
"Jim Thompson" <thegr...@example.com> wrote in message
news:839v815jbvfrcjjrv...@4ax.com...
> On 18 May 2005 14:35:52 -0700, bill...@agilent.com wrote:
>
> >I was using IVEX. It was OK.
> >
> >I'm looking for something to draw schematics, not
> >necessarily PC related.
> >
> >The ideal program would handle wiring harnesses and connectors
> >& switches really well--from a library. It would be easy to label
> >stuff.
> >
> >I don't need PCB layout. I might want to draw an occasional electronic
> >schematic, tho. I don't even need connectivity lists.
> >
> >Should run on a PC
> >
> >I would need several hundred nodes.
> >
> >Price is not as important as ease of use and no screwy
> >behavior.
> >
> >What do the intelligentsia think? Bill Hale
>
> PSpice Student Version...
>
> http://www.electronics-lab.com/downloads/schematic/013/
>
> PSpice Schematics is excellent!
Here's PSpice 9.2
Paul Rako
from 90 bucks to 300 in various flavors is FAR superior
to Autocad and does everything Autocad does except all
the legacy LISP programs. It comes with symbol libraries
and can not only do nice 2-D drawings, it actual has a
3-d modeler that works pretty well too. After dropping
Autocad after release 14 I will never use that arcane
evil junk again.
Turbocad is far and away the best of the mechanical
cad clones-- Cadalyst magazine hipped me out to it
years ago and I have saved over 10k not upgrading
that evil autocad.
Paul
Ken Smith
Paul Rako <s_p_m...@yahoo.com> wrote:
[...]
>Turbocad is far and away the best of the mechanical
>cad clones-- Cadalyst magazine hipped me out to it
>years ago and I have saved over 10k not upgrading
>that evil autocad.
Turbocad is very good.
Intelicad was in the past also good but I haven't played with it in years.
Intelicad had the lisp built in so you didn't strand your old macros.
Qcad wins on the performance/cost ratio, but it only works on DXF files.
Qcad also seems to be able to handle a file on near infinite size without
trouble.
I expect very soon there will be an OpenOffice cad program. The OO Draw
program speaks in terms of DXF files and seems to be able to handle most
or all DXF constructs.
--
--
kens...@rahul.net forging knowledge