Author Topic: What Software is Right for Me? KiCAD or Altium?  (Read 34897 times)

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Offline jmcdonald

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Re: What Software is Right for Me? KiCAD or Altium?
« Reply #25 on: March 01, 2016, 11:40:15 am »
At work we were using Altium but 12 months ago i started using kicad at home and now we are using it at work. I find it adequate and any way to boss would not buy a legal copy of Altium :palm:.

So far i have completed 5 different pcbs and produced 59 individual pcbs (6 from oshpark) with on problems.   8)
 

Offline Rutger

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Re: What Software is Right for Me? KiCAD or Altium?
« Reply #26 on: March 01, 2016, 06:39:51 pm »
I have tried many different PCB softwares, I find Kicad ok, but it has some pitfalls ( I can't remember what happened, but the PCB I got back from the fab had mistakes, and they were not showing up in Kicad).

I have settled on Altium (not a quite legal copy though, see pirate bay, but it is only for hobby stuff) after using the free version of altium called http://circuitmaker.com/.

I would recommend you download the circuitmaker version and play around with it, you can do anything you can in Kicad, but ones you get serious you can transition easily into Altium. 
Save often with circuitmaker, because I have heard that once it fails (and it still has some bugs) you can loose your days work.

One of the best features of Altium I like is the 3D viewer, it can really help you with PCB design, think of mechanical issues like the size of components and how they interfere with other components.
« Last Edit: March 12, 2016, 04:38:29 am by Rutger »
 

Offline Obi_Kwiet

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Re: What Software is Right for Me? KiCAD or Altium?
« Reply #27 on: March 02, 2016, 11:19:50 pm »
Quote
I have the money and the will to pay for Altium if it's worth it

It is worth it if you are serious about design.   

Why eat dog food when you can have filet mignon?   Buy Altium if you have the money and have fun.    You will be spending the same amount of money with KiCAD getting it working when you factor your time to deal with it's GUI and its primitive workflow.   

Also, if you are wanting to build skills with a tool that is good for a resume, etc.  Go with Altium (or another professional tool such as PADS, allegro, Zuken, etc).    For example, if you ever want a consulting gig and have to interoperate with others,  KiCAD is useless.    Outside of the hobby world,  no one uses it.   

 

Serious in this case would need to mean owning a company where you design a significant number of boards. 8k$ isn't a financially practical investment to get a little extra side experience for a job interview. Doing a couple of jobs on any layout software will familiarize you with the process. Let the company pay to train you on the specific tool.
 

Offline uncle_bob

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Re: What Software is Right for Me? KiCAD or Altium?
« Reply #28 on: March 12, 2016, 01:25:55 am »
I have tried many different PCB softwares, I find Kicad ok, but it has some pitfalls ( I can't remember what happened, but the PCB I got back from the fab had mistakes, and they were not showing up in Kicad).

I have settled on Altium (no a quite legal copy though, see pirate bay, but it is only for hobby stuff) after using the free version of altium called http://circuitmaker.com/.

I would recommend you download the circuitmaker version and play around with it, you can do anything you can in Kicad, but ones you get serious you can transition easily into Altium. 
Save often with circuitmaker, because I have heard that once it fails (and it still has some bugs) you can loose your days work.

One of the best features of Altium I like is the 3D viewer, it can really help you with PCB design, think of mechanical issues like the size of components and how they interfere with other components.

Hi

Ok so in the context of the OP who is looking for something on his resume:

Big Boss: I see you have experience with Altium?

Poor victim: Yes, I have a copy and have done a lot of work with it.

Big Boss: Have you ever done this this and this?

Poor victim: Yes, indeed I have.

Big Boss: Great, that's what we use if for.

Big Boss: One last question .. where did you get your copy of the software?

Poor victim: I stole a a copy because I figured I would not get caught.

Big Boss: End of interview, please wait here while we call the software police.

Bottom line, no matter what benefit you *might* get from having experience with this vs that package .. it's nothing compared to the automatic disqualification you get for stealing it. Worse yet, the kind of place that *won't* disqualify you is *not* the kind of place you would ever want to work (assuming you care about paychecks bouncing and that sort of stuff ...).

Bob
 

Offline uncle_bob

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Re: What Software is Right for Me? KiCAD or Altium?
« Reply #29 on: March 12, 2016, 01:38:40 am »
I have tried many different PCB softwares, I find Kicad ok, but it has some pitfalls ( I can't remember what happened, but the PCB I got back from the fab had mistakes, and they were not showing up in Kicad).

I have settled on Altium (no a quite legal copy though, see pirate bay, but it is only for hobby stuff) after using the free version of altium called http://circuitmaker.com/.

I would recommend you download the circuitmaker version and play around with it, you can do anything you can in Kicad, but ones you get serious you can transition easily into Altium. 
Save often with circuitmaker, because I have heard that once it fails (and it still has some bugs) you can loose your days work.

One of the best features of Altium I like is the 3D viewer, it can really help you with PCB design, think of mechanical issues like the size of components and how they interfere with other components.

Hi

Ok so in the context of the OP who is looking for something on his resume:

Big Boss: I see you have experience with Altium?

Poor victim: Yes, I have a copy and have done a lot of work with it.

Big Boss: Have you ever done this this and this?

Poor victim: Yes, indeed I have.

Big Boss: Great, that's what we use if for.

Big Boss: One last question .. where did you get your copy of the software?

Poor victim: I stole a a copy because I figured I would not get caught.

Big Boss: End of interview, please wait here while we call the software police.

Bottom line, no matter what benefit you *might* get from having experience with this vs that package .. it's nothing compared to the automatic disqualification you get for stealing it. Worse yet, the kind of place that *won't* disqualify you is *not* the kind of place you would ever want to work (assuming you care about paychecks bouncing and that sort of stuff ...).

Bob

You can get a copy for as low as $124 (academic license).

Hi

Ok so:

......

Poor victim: I bought an academic copy from "Bob's Discount Software".

Big Boss: Were you a student at the time?

Poor victim: No i was not.

Big Boss: End of interview

-----

At least in the countries I am familiar with hiring in, the process is much more finely tuned towards issues like integrity and trust than towards technical details. At least in the US and Europe, the "stolen software" issue is much more likely to trip you up than anything else.

Bob
 

Offline uncle_bob

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Re: What Software is Right for Me? KiCAD or Altium?
« Reply #30 on: March 12, 2016, 02:27:40 am »
At least in the countries I am familiar with hiring in, the process is much more finely tuned towards issues like integrity and trust than towards technical details. At least in the US and Europe, the "stolen software" issue is much more likely to trip you up than anything else.

No one can live without IP infringement, I'm afraid. Buying anything from a small company bears the risk of (un)knowingly violate one patent or another.
So far, I've never seen any companies, except for the top 500 ones, pay for commonly seen patents, such as SD license, MPEG4 license and more.
FOSS is another very good example. It's hard to find any big enough FOSS that does not infringe any patents.

Most companies managed to struggle to keep themselves from license issues, but doing one step further to keep away from patent issues is virtually impossible.

Hi

We are not talking about patent issues here. In that case, you take a risk and pay up when you loose in court. In this case we are talking about a job interview. It is not a "get your day in court" process where your lawyers argue with their lawyers. It's a short simple process. You get no appeal on the decision. It just comes to an abrupt end and nobody tells you why.

You are applying for a job that gives you direct access to a companies IP. If they have anything worth protecting, they *are* going to be very sensitive to the "trust" issue. Any red flags in this area are not something you want to have. If it's a point system, you get +1 for experience on a package from the tech guy. You get -100 points on "trustworthy" from the rest of the interview group.

Bob
 

Offline uncle_bob

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Re: What Software is Right for Me? KiCAD or Altium?
« Reply #31 on: March 12, 2016, 02:48:30 am »
Hi

We are not talking about patent issues here. In that case, you take a risk and pay up when you loose in court. In this case we are talking about a job interview. It is not a "get your day in court" process where your lawyers argue with their lawyers. It's a short simple process. You get no appeal on the decision. It just comes to an abrupt end and nobody tells you why.

You are applying for a job that gives you direct access to a companies IP. If they have anything worth protecting, they *are* going to be very sensitive to the "trust" issue. Any red flags in this area are not something you want to have. If it's a point system, you get +1 for experience on a package from the tech guy. You get -100 points on "trustworthy" from the rest of the interview group.

Bob

Depends on culture and education. Most of my friends think I need to see a doctor after knowing I spent $8k+ on Altium.

Hi

I am *not* suggesting that spending $8K on a software package for personal use is a good idea. What I suggesting is that (at least over here) you should avoid things on your resume that lead to "is this guy a crook?" sort of doubts or questions. There are a lot of comments in this thread about "I have a not quite legal copy ...". That is not the sort of thing you want to have come out in a job interview.

Bob
 

Online nctnico

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Re: What Software is Right for Me? KiCAD or Altium?
« Reply #32 on: March 12, 2016, 06:12:55 pm »
I am *not* suggesting that spending $8K on a software package for personal use is a good idea. What I suggesting is that (at least over here) you should avoid things on your resume that lead to "is this guy a crook?" sort of doubts or questions. There are a lot of comments in this thread about "I have a not quite legal copy ...". That is not the sort of thing you want to have come out in a job interview.
That depends on where you are living indeed. In the NL nobody will think less of you if you use a cracked copy for your hobby projects or to hone your skills in your spare time. Ofcourse Altium, Cadence, etc will never ever endorse this publicly but I'm sure they very much prefer hobbyists to use cracked copies of their products instead of Kicad. Installed base and people knowing your product are very important for a wide adoption. At some point many of these people will have a voice in what a company should buy.
There are small lies, big lies and then there is what is on the screen of your oscilloscope.
 


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