Homebrew PCBs

Just saw this this morning:

>Courtesy of EDA DesignLine 
>(01/27/2009 10:20 AM EST)  
 
>Venice, Florida — Zuken is inviting design engineers to experience 
>the latest CADSTAR Schematic Design Tool and Library Editor as a 
>free download for a limited period of time, commencing January 5, 
>2009 until 31 March 2009. This unlimited and non expiring copy of 
>CADSTAR 11 Schematic Design Tool will allow the whole design team to 
>explore the benefits of CADSTAR's integrated design flow 
>opportunities. 

>The designs themselves are becoming more and more complex, to the 
>extent that passing on critical design information between the 
>members of the design team, each often using individual design 
>tools, can be time consuming and allows design errors. 

>The major problem is that "right first time" design, communication 
>and data transfer are needed in a single environment. Zuken's 
>CADSTAR design tool operates so the design teams can process their 
>designs through one single design tool environment, and thus 
>maximizing their operational costs and efficiency. 

>One design Graphical User Interface (GUI) between the different 
>design tools provides important benefits including; ease of use, 
>programmable function keys, consistency between Schematics, PCB and 
>Library, re-use proven designs and passing of design constraints 
>such as impedance, length, delay, diff pairs, topology etc). 

>The free download is available at the company's website and to 
>download the software you will need to provide a MAC address 
>reference to obtain your license. 

>In conjunction with this latest release of CADSTAR Schematic 11 
>Zuken also created the 'Do-It-Yourself' manual to guide you through 
>the schematic design process and help you evaluate the potential of 
>CADSTAR Schematic. On the same website you will also find the latest 
>PCB design evaluation software CADSTAR Express 11. 

.....Seems too good to be true, but it may over come some of the 
limitations of the other free schematic software.

Cadstar can be found at: http://www.zuken.com/products/cadstar.aspx

Dave Miller wrote:
> Just saw this this morning:
> 
>> Courtesy of EDA DesignLine 
>> (01/27/2009 10:20 AM EST)  
>  
>> Venice, Florida \ufffd Zuken is inviting design engineers to experience 
>> the latest CADSTAR Schematic Design Tool and Library Editor as a 
>> free download for a limited period of time, commencing January 5, 
>> 2009 until 31 March 2009. This unlimited and non expiring copy of 
>> CADSTAR 11 Schematic Design Tool will allow the whole design team to 
>> explore the benefits of CADSTAR's integrated design flow 
>> opportunities. 
> 
>> The designs themselves are becoming more and more complex, to the 
>> extent that passing on critical design information between the 
>> members of the design team, each often using individual design 
>> tools, can be time consuming and allows design errors. 
> 
>> The major problem is that "right first time" design, communication 
>> and data transfer are needed in a single environment. Zuken's 
>> CADSTAR design tool operates so the design teams can process their 
>> designs through one single design tool environment, and thus 
>> maximizing their operational costs and efficiency. 
> 
>> One design Graphical User Interface (GUI) between the different 
>> design tools provides important benefits including; ease of use, 
>> programmable function keys, consistency between Schematics, PCB and 
>> Library, re-use proven designs and passing of design constraints 
>> such as impedance, length, delay, diff pairs, topology etc). 
> 
>> The free download is available at the company's website and to 
>> download the software you will need to provide a MAC address 
>> reference to obtain your license. 
> 
>> In conjunction with this latest release of CADSTAR Schematic 11 
>> Zuken also created the 'Do-It-Yourself' manual to guide you through 
>> the schematic design process and help you evaluate the potential of 
>> CADSTAR Schematic. On the same website you will also find the latest 
>> PCB design evaluation software CADSTAR Express 11. 
> 
> .....Seems too good to be true, but it may over come some of the 
> limitations of the other free schematic software.
> 
> Cadstar can be found at: http://www.zuken.com/products/cadstar.aspx

It's node-locked to the ethernet card. If that card gets lost or defunced,
you're screwed (unless you can change the card MAC address, which is possible
from what i've read about some cards).

This is only schematic, right? Not Layout?

ST

On Tue, Feb 3, 2009 at 12:52 PM, Dave Miller <dmiller45@...> wrote:

> .....Seems too good to be true, but it may over come some of the
> limitations of the other free schematic software.
>
> Cadstar can be found at: http://www.zuken.com/products/cadstar.aspx
>
>

--- In Homebrew_PCBs@yahoogroups.com, Stefan Trethan 
<stefan_trethan@...> wrote:
>
> This is only schematic, right? Not Layout?
> 
> ST
> 
> On Tue, Feb 3, 2009 at 12:52 PM, Dave Miller <dmiller45@...> wrote:
> 
> > .....Seems too good to be true, but it may over come some of the
> > limitations of the other free schematic software.
> >
> > Cadstar can be found at: 
http://www.zuken.com/products/cadstar.aspx
> >
> >
>

There is a free version of their PCB layout tool, but it seems to be 
limited to 300 pins & 50 components, it's CADSTAR Express 

In addition you are also able to "view" samples of CADSTAR Exchange*, 
a 230,000 component on-line library. 

So I guess it's not as good as it first sounded.

Funny, that's how it always is, if it sounds too good to be true, it 
generally is!

----- Original Message ----- 

From: "Stefan Trethan" <stefan_trethan@...>
To: <Homebrew_PCBs@yahoogroups.com>
Sent: Tuesday, February 03, 2009 12:56 PM
Subject: Re: [Homebrew_PCBs] Free CADSTAR Schematic Design Tool down load 
for a limited time


> This is only schematic, right? Not Layout?


It could be useful for someone who wants a PCB designed by someone who has 
CADSTAR, or a program that imports CADSTAR files like Pulsonix.

Leon
--
Leon Heller
Amateur radio call-sign  G1HSM
Yaesu FT-817ND transceiver
Suzuki SV1000S motorcycle
leon355@...
http://www.geocities.com/leon_heller

Still, i would be reluctant to do much of anything in a software i can
positively never ever afford to buy.

Clearly, they do this for a reason, which is _not_ to give us free software.

ST

On Tue, Feb 3, 2009 at 2:34 PM, leon Heller <leon355@...> wrote:

> It could be useful for someone who wants a PCB designed by someone who has
> CADSTAR, or a program that imports CADSTAR files like Pulsonix.
>
> Leon

> There is a free version of their PCB layout tool, but it
> seems to be 
> limited to 300 pins & 50 components, it's CADSTAR
> Express 
> 
> In addition you are also able to "view" samples
> of CADSTAR Exchange*, 
> a 230,000 component on-line library. 
> 
> So I guess it's not as good as it first sounded.
> 
> Funny, that's how it always is, if it sounds too good
> to be true, it 
> generally is!

anyone has an idea of what the 'real' program costs?
not funny to learn a product that NASA can't afford....

It's Zuken, one firstborn probably won't do, you'd need to give
several. However which way you'd manage that I'll leave you to figure
out.

ST

On Wed, Feb 4, 2009 at 12:47 AM, Herbert E. Plett <cachureos@...> wrote:

> anyone has an idea of what the 'real' program costs?
> not funny to learn a product that NASA can't afford....
>