Electronics WorkBench

[Jules Ryckebusch]

> 
> Your post attracted my immediate attention because I have been working with
> Electronics Workbench (the new version) and wanted to use it as the layout
> tool it claims to be. If anyone out there feels my claims are false, please
> contact me and I'll stand corrected.  But it should be stated that all
> these problems I report come straight from Interactive's tech help line
> (and they are very helpfull! - excellent staff!)
> 
> While EW is a great simulator for the price (and I highly reccomend it as
> such), as a layout package it is a TOTAL DOG!  Why?  The the "schematic
> capture" (which is part of the simulator) had several main problems that
> render it TOTALLY USELESS:  A) You cannot create a part from scratch.  You
> can sort of fudge a part using it's sub-circuit feature but this doesn't
> really work well.  Certainly not like any real schematic capture - you
> can't even label pins properly! B) For whatever reason, you cannot import a
> netlist of the schematic capture into the layout package!  How crazy is
> that?.  C) You cannot define a net or port name!  Completely unacceptable.
> That's right, your schematics/simulations have power supply lines running
> all over the place!  How they even get off calling it "schematic capture"
> I'll never figure out.  These are the three biggies that kept me from
> buying the layout part of the package.
> 
> Now I must say, that for the price, I've been very happy with EW as a
> simulation design tool.  But the advertisements touting the "integrated
> schematic capture and layout package" are rediculous.  Interactive's tech
> support says they won't have some of these basic features implemented for
> some time!  I have to mention that I have not even seen the layout part of
> the package.  I'm told it works by itself just fine - but if it can't
> import a netlist from their own "schematic capture" forget it!
> 
> On a positive note:  EW has been very helpfull as a simulator!  And their
> tech support staff is fantastic!!!!  Free support and they're very cool.
> 
> Now I realize you asked what was good, not what wasn't good.  So I'll say
> in closing that I'm currently evaluating IVEX schematic capture and layout
> and will be posting my results to the list.  So far, it seems pretty good
> but if there's anyone out there with IVEX experience, please don't hesitate
> to contact me.
> 

I checked out EW and actually bought it. I ended up returning it and 
getting Circuitmaker for the same price. It is an excellent design 
tool but does not have a circuit board layout program with it (They 
make another product called Trackmaker  which imports the netlists) I 
haven't checked that one out but have heard that it is "the bomb". 
The other issue is that EW and Circuit maker both generate waveforms 
from spice models. There is a VERY big difference in getting enough 
data points to display a waveform and enough data points to 
generating an audio equivalent of the waveform for playback. I don't 
think EW or Circuitmaker are up to the task.

Jules "Still Soldering" Ryckebusch