Windows-based suite speeds PCB design

The Orcad Unison Suite from Cadence is a full front-to-back Windows-based flow that offers PCB designers improved productivity and reduced time to market through tool integration and task automation.

The Orcad Unison Suite from Cadence is a full front-to-back Windows-based flow that offers PCB designers improved productivity and reduced time to market through tool integration and task automation.

The Orcad Unison Suite includes Orcad Capture for design entry, PSpice A/D Basics for analogue and mixed signal simulation, Orcad Layout for board design, and Specctra 4U for high-density board autorouting.

Specctra is a new addition to the Orcad market space and is included in the new product suite to support the increasing number of high-speed, high-density PCBs that are being designed in this market segment.

Specctra gives designers a powerful shape-based router that completes complex designs with less user intervention.

"Orcad Unison Suite offers some great technology at a price that puts it within reach of everyone in the personal engineering market", said Jamie Metcalfe, vice president of strategic marketing, Cadence PCB Systems Division.

"With this software release Cadence is setting a new standard for price/performance in this segment".

"The four-layer Specctra autorouter bundled in the Orcad Unison Suite has allowed me to tackle high-density, high-complexity routing on small- to medium-sized designs.

The one-touch interface between Orcad Layout and Specctra automates the translation steps in both directions, which saves a lot of time", said beta customer Kris Nelson, PCB design consultant, Ridgefield, Washington.

"Add that to the full forward/back annotation path between tools and I don't have to lose much sleep worrying about scrapped boards".

In support of the personal engineering market, the company also launched a new online community at www.orcadpcb.com.

It is intended for designers and engineers to learn, discuss and collaborate on issues relevant to Windows-based PCB design.

A noncommercial site dedicated to the design community, it provides open discussion boards, user-contributed papers, models, tools, and utilities.

There are also technical articles and application notes produced by Cadence engineers and customers.

"A moderated informal forum will be valuable for Orcad users.

Being able to focus on specific topics is great, as so many of us work in isolation from other designers", said Jeff Lewis, president of Display Graphics, an engineering consulting firm.

"An online community will allow people to post problems and discuss solutions.

It will be good for everyone, from experienced engineers to students".

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