From: blockedofcourse@foo.invalid   
      
   On 1/22/2026 5:10 PM, TTman wrote:   
   > On 21/01/2026 23:23, Don Y wrote:   
   >> On 1/21/2026 3:55 PM, TTman wrote:   
   >>> The converter won't work for me as I want to make new designs. All of the   
   >>> 'free' EDA packages I've looked at are way too complex for my old brain..   
   >>   
   >> How complex do you imagine those designs to be?  I.e., the harder   
   >> you push the tools, the better the tools you will need.   
   >>   
   >> The opposite also being true:  simpler tools for less stressed use.   
   >   
   > A few simple designs ATM... 2x 7 seg LEDs ( 3 sizes) 14 x sm leds. Doesn't   
   get   
   > much simpler than that. If I wanted to be a cheap skate, I'd just lay out the   
   > PCB without a schematic, but that's piss poor doing it that way. It has to be   
   > schematic, netlist,pcb.   
      
   If you are *starting* on plans for future usage, you may find a   
   zero-dollar solution like gEDA/KiCAD.  Any legacy tool that you   
   embrace will be frozen in time -- both in terms of new features,   
   bug fixes and support community.   
      
   [How many folks do you think can help with STRIDES/DASH-PCB?]   
      
   It's a different calculus if you are trying to maintain a   
   previous design and are bound to some legacy tool.  But,   
   a clean break going forward on "new work" may be your best   
   solution.   
      
   EDA has huge investment costs that make moving from one tool   
   to another difficult (schematic libraries, simulation models,   
   layout footprints).  I've built libraries for essentially   
   each contract I've taken as work done on some other client's   
   "favorite tool" was useless for another client's preference.   
      
   I've heard horror stories about Eagle (not sure if those   
   persist now that Autodesk is in the picture -- amusingly,   
   I used AutoCAD on some REALLY early board layouts, but   
   mainly as an etch-a-sketch).  Many sounded dubious but I   
   never (crashes, being locked out of a design, etc.)   
   investigated further.   
      
   STRIDES was the easiest schematic capture tool to use, IMO.   
   But, a dead-end other than DASH-PCB.  (and the symbol editor was   
   a royal kludge)   
      
   Protel, PADS, Altium, OrCAD, DIPTrace, etc. (and their various renamings)   
   all have their own "issues".   
      
   My point being, just PICK one that you can live with.  If low/no   
   cost is a criteria, then your choices are limited to open source,   
   student/evaluation (limited functionality) editions and warez.   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)