Homebrew PCBs

On 14/11/2007, Markus Zingg <homebrew-pcb@...> wrote:
> but I'm actually also ready to spend the
>  money for a more professional package supporting high speed simulation,
>  digital bus routing and things like that. Should gEDA arrive at this
>  level by this time - well, one has the right to dream - right? :-)

Bus routing's a bit of a contentious issue with me. It's a sure-fire
EMC horror, and a signal integrity nightmare waiting to happen, too.
It may look all neat and tidy, but all those current loops, all going
in the same direction, with their wavefronts all arriving at the same
time? Nightmare. Give me matched(ish) length scattered tracks any day.
High speed simulation is also a bit contentious, until models stop
sucking so badly. Again, following sane design guidelines seems to
deliver tolerable results. A bit of maths for the stripline stuff,
where necessary, and careful placement and pinouts, delivers tolerable
results. Full simulation seems to be pissing in the wind.

Steve