Free Altium is Coming

[ludzinc]

Alright, let's see if we can get some not so interesting technical details:

• RAM requirement, HDD requirement, 3D requirement
• Does it require continues connection to Altium Cloud? or maybe only on Save/Open/Syncing with the Cloud? In other words, is it possible to work with it on a flight from Sidney to London?

System requirements is irrelevant for professional/enthusiast, yet important for a hobbyist who wants to tweak some Arduino shields rapidly. Many hobbyist do not have access to a system which currently Altium recommends for AD:

• 8 GByte RAM
• 10 GByte hard disk space (Install + User Files) - Oh, that is too much for your average Macbook Air toy
• NVIDIA® GeForce® GT 640 series or AMD® Radeon® HD 7770, 1024MB (or more) graphics card or better - Minimum requirement is Intel HD4000
• Dual monitors with at least 1680x1050 (widescreen) or 1600x1200 (4:3) screen resolution

That's what they *recommend* , but for my home / hobby projects I'm running AD14 on an old compaq nc8430 (3BG RAM, on board graphics, 2GHZ CPU) and it's fine.  Takes a few minutes to open, and some times the first 3D is painful, but it works.

Probably wouldn't cut it for big designs, but 150 x 100 mm stuff, no worries.

I expect Circuit Maker to be of the same ilk.

[T3sl4co1l]

^ That's laughable actually, because AD14 (at least .2 or so) is still 32 bit single thread... so it's never going to use more than 4GB, ever.  The most I've ever used was 3.some GB in AD09 (a little too much simulator run time..), and I've seen AD14.2 leaking up over a gig before crashing terribly.  (And yes, AD14.2 leaks, like a sieve.  Doesn't appear to be any other explanation.)  At least they don't claim it needs a multi-core processor.

Tim

[GK]

Now, don't get me on the database system that first came out with Protel 98/99. Pure cr*p I reckon.

I recall running out of hard disk space before I found the "repair and compact" function and enabled it, which admittedly, is simple enough and solves that hassle.

"As you create and remove documents from a design database it can become fragmented and use disk space inefficiently."

Given how quickly a reasonably modest project database file can blow out to one hundred Mb or even several, that is certainly a major understatement.

I stuck with Protel "Schematic" and Autotrax (both DOS) until 99SE was essentially cured of most of it bugs with service pack 6, I seem to recall. I once did have Circuitmaker installed on one of my machines. I used a limited student version of the simulation package, which at the time was much better than Multisim (previously Electronics Workbench) and light years better than the user interface of Protel's simulator functions. I recall sitting through a Protel DXP day course and the instructor informed us that the simulation "software engine" in Protel was the Circuitmaker code. Pity that in the integration they transformed the user interface into to something unrecognizably unintuitive and thoroughly tedious to use.

[GK]

That Circuitmaker introduction page is the most cringe-worthy thing I've read all month! Altium are making a special software package just for ME because I am totally AMAZING and SPECIAL and make AWESOME things??? Really????Awwweeee.......  I think I am going to embrace the Altium cloud and the Maker community afterall.....


NOT!


   

[BloodyCactus]

I live in the mountains, my internet can go up and down like a yoyo. being 'online' isnt reliable for me. i have source code projects from 10-15+ years old that I kept, I still have source code going back into dos days. will these be there in 10 years and available and usable?

too many questions and I have far too much lack of faith right now to trust this at all

[Rigby]

I live in the mountains, my internet can go up and down like a yoyo. being 'online' isnt reliable for me. i have source code projects from 10-15+ years old that I kept, I still have source code going back into dos days. will these be there in 10 years and available and usable?

too many questions and I have far too much lack of faith right now to trust this at all

I would think so.  We don't know everything, yet, and I don't think Altium does either.  That's why they're releasing information before release.  They're eyeballing feedback and weighing opinions and the outcome could change because of it.

If you're interested in this software, AND you have spotty Internet, say so on the feedback form on the site.  As entertaining as this all is, blathering on about it here probably won't accomplish much.

[zapta]

...As entertaining as this all is, blathering on about it here probably won't accomplish much.

So far you have 25 posts in this thread.  ;-)

(no, I didn't count manually).

[rbs_phoenix]

I will try it and then look if I can use it or not. Why hate it already??

I think a good/better option would be a credit-based system, like that:

The base version is very simple. Like 2 Layers, max. 5.000 mm^2 (or 0.5dm^2) and online-DRC. Everything else costs credits.
max. 1dm^2 - 10 credits
max. 2dm^2 - 20 credits
unlimited size - 50 credits

4 layers - 10 credits
6 layers - 15 credits
8 layers - 20 credits
unlimited layers - 50 credits

Multi-Sheet - 15 credits
Multichannel - 15 credits
Push'n'Shove - 30 credits
Lengthmatched Traces - 25 credits
BOM-Export - 10 credits
3D-View - 20 credits
Local-saving - 20 credits


So you can register at their page, download the base-package and get 100 free credits. Then you can choose whatever you want. If you don't need any extras but want to build big PCBs, then you can choose the unlimited size option and unlimited layer option and be happy. But if you don't need big PCBs but want the "fun stuff", you can choose the max. 1dm^2 option, the Push'n'Shove, Multichannel, Multisheet, BOM-Export and 3D-View option. For example I would rather like to have the Multichannel or Push'n'Shove instead of 3D or BOM option.
When your credits are empty/not enough for what you want, you can buy credits per month (1$/Credit or so). For the first example (unlimited size and layers), if you also want the Multisheet option, you would have to pay 15$ for every month you want to use it. Of course the creditcosts are only made up... But I really like the Idea...

[Precipice]

And credits for designs you make open that then get upvoted, to try to drive / pull content onto the ecosystem?
They've got to do something to get users keen (and stay, and be productive), I wonder if this would do?

[Rigby]

...As entertaining as this all is, blathering on about it here probably won't accomplish much.

So far you have 25 posts in this thread.  ;-)

(no, I didn't count manually).

Oh yeah, I know.  I have diarrhea of the fingers worse than anyone.

[s3t]

Another screenshot leaked, with limited functionality revealed.
3D looks much better, seems they are going for eye-candy thing.

[Precipice]

Good lord, someone made models for 1960s germanium transistors and those ancient rod resistors?
Hang on while I dig out my Ladybird book of Electronics... Ah, good times. But quite a while ago.

<rummage>
Yeah. Needs more screw terminals!

[Rigby]

I'll believe that is the output of the program when I see it running on my PC and not before.

[Kostas]

Good lord, someone made models for 1960s germanium transistors and those ancient rod resistors?
Hang on while I dig out my Ladybird book of Electronics... Ah, good times. But quite a while ago.

Not only that, but the copper traces look like someone smudged them with a soldering iron near the joins...

[Rigby]

Good lord, someone made models for 1960s germanium transistors and those ancient rod resistors?
Hang on while I dig out my Ladybird book of Electronics... Ah, good times. But quite a while ago.

Not only that, but the copper traces look like someone smudged them with a soldering iron near the joins...

that's because it's not Altium output.  Where in the schematic are the clipped leads defined?  Where in the board design do you indicate the bends of the wire leads and the shape of the speakers?  where do you get to define just how much the solderer screwed up the soldering?  where in Altium do you define the light source, and whether or not it's a point light, parallel rays (such as from the sun) or the color of the light?

this is a raytrace edited into the Altium GUI to trick people. 

Or it somehow has a plugin written for PoVRAY or something.

[george graves]

[zapta]

It sure looks pretty (it's a complement).

[Scutarius]

I have two complains, why only for Windows? sure, it takes a lot of resources to make that happen, and why not letting us to save files locally?     

[Rigby]

We have already had those conversations.

[Rigby]

By the way, if anyone thinks ribbons are bad UI, go load the Lattice Diamond FPGA software and run it.  That and the simulation tools.

Perfect examples of vomit-like UI chaos.

[EEVblog]

I have two complains, why only for Windows? sure, it takes a lot of resources to make that happen

You just answered your own question.

[george graves]

Can't help but to notice in the first picture I posted, it seems to be saving to a local drive(see the title bar)?  No?

[timb]

Another screenshot leaked, with limited functionality revealed.
3D looks much better, seems they are going for eye-candy thing.

Mmmm, sexy!

Looks suspiciously pre-rendered though.

As long as it provides 3D mechanical checking and the ability to import STEP files of enclosures and such, I would be fine if it looked like Doom running on a SNES.


Sent from my Smartphone

[george graves]

Looks suspiciously pre-rendered though.

Photoshopped.  The file name and cursor locations are the same as the second pic I posted.

[timb]

Looks suspiciously pre-rendered though.

Photoshopped.  The file name and cursor locations are the same as the second pic I posted.

Good catch! Neat rendering none the less. I should reverse image search it, see where it came from.


Sent from my Smartphone