DipTrace has by far one of the easiest and best methods for adding custom components. It is not perfect but I often spend very little time lookign for parts if they are not already made.
Pedro you are doing a "Selling Job" on me.
I don't have much in the way of experience working with PCB Cad Software. A couple of forays with Eagle about 10 years ago for a couple of simple projects but I did not even make an attempt at mastering it. But I have been involved with electronics for close to 45 years. People that come to Diptrace from a professional background of experience with Orcad, PCad, Altium Designer and the like obviously have a much shorter learning curve than myself. Nonetheless the experiences I have are frustrating because I know these problems are of a basic nature and should be resolved quickly without having to resort to formal inquiries. I am appreciative for the time DerekG takes to answer my questions. And his answer cleared up a big issue for me. I have downloaded and printed out both the Training Manual and the Tutorial Guide. I have used both to answer some of my questions. I find the Tutorial Guide more helpful than the Training Manual. But the Tutorial is over 200 Pages long and more important it is written in a fashion that covers every segment of the software in intimate detail in a sequential manner. Which means when I run into a problem I have to sift through a tomb the size of "War and Peace" in order to find an answer to a simple question. If the Tutorial was written in a Layered Format it would go a long ways to making the information more presentable and would save myself a good deal of time
Its just not worth the time, especially since you can bang out most parts in a matter of minutes.
"It's not worth the time" ? I certainly hope the folks at NOVRAM don't share that attitude. That statement fails on 2 counts. Yes the component design tools may very well be easier to use than other PCB CAD Tools on the market but it is not perfect and some of the problems that result can take considerable time to surmount for the uninitiated. But far more important when you give the user the power to design and define components you give the user the power to install unique properties in those components files. Before you know it Board Shops will be able to recognize PCBs created in DIPtrace strictly by the Gerber Files handed to them. That's not a reputation an Applications Developer wants to foster. Along these same lines outside Component and Pattern Libraries produced by independent sources are now showing up on the Internet. Specifically I'm referring the Libraries available from Adafruit and SPARCFUN. In the spirit of open sourcing this may seem like a great idea but it also represents an excellent avenue for injecting viruses into the Application Program. It would seem to me that Component, Pattern, and 3D Files should undergo a major update every 3 years and bad files corrected with each revision. It would also seem apparent that NOVRAM should require all User Created Files be submitted to them for review BEFORE being incorporated into the Software Package.
I am not saying NOVRAM is neglecting its Component Libraries. I understand perfectly well that they are in the formative stages of developing their software package. It is a stage where NOVRAM is compelled to bring as many new features into their software as quickly as possible in order to gain market acceptance. They are doing this with limited resources and a small staff. So it stands to reason that priorities will have to be set and certain parameters will have to sit on the back burner while more pressing needs are met.
It sounds like the crew at NOVRAM has bitten off quite a mouth full with the latest batch of additions. I would imagine the Differential Pairs feature was no small lot of coding that had to be written. No doubt it also involves a fair bit of testing. In the end this update will come a few months later than we have become accustom in the past.
Now that Circuitmaker has been released and we have a good idea what it is about the fact that it requires Cloud Sharing of files makes it little if any threat to existing PCB CAD programs on the market for Hobbyist through to Small Business. I would hope that going forward NOVRAM would reevaluate it goals for Diptrace with an eye towards reducing the new user's learning curve and enhancing security. Obviously upgrading the native Autorouter will loom large as the platform grows. I hope NOVRAM doesn't fall into the trap of dropping everything to pursue that one goal.
They have not mentioned uniting with any suppliers or parts warehouses.
Octopart is neither a component supplier or a warehouse. It is an Electronic Parts Search Engine that allows the user to call up a part number and get a list of the Suppliers that carry the part, the quantities they have in stock, their prices as well as links to spec sheets. Most of the major industrial suppliers participate. Arrow, Avnet, Newark, Mouser, Digikey, Verical, Farnell, Rochester Electronics and Element 14 to name a few. Having this search engine linked directly to the PCB CAD program gives the user the ability to generate a BOM that will include pricing for the product based on current prices that could take hours to do if performed manually. Altium incorporated this into Circuitmaker. Its a nifty feature, Too bad the user has to make everything public when using CM.
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