Why no OrCAD/Allegro Forum Section? - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / general

author: Pseudobyte
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: February 17, 2020, 03:33:09 pm
content: I am just curious as to why there isn't a section in EDA for Cadence products like OrCAD PCB, Allegro, or Sigrity? I can think of a few reasons, number one being that it is very expensive and you probably only use it if your employer provides you with the license.How many of you folks have experience with these tools? I work with Allegro on a regular basis and it would be nice to know there is atleast a few individuals on the forum that also use the tool.

author: nctnico
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: February 17, 2020, 04:37:36 pm
content: There are quite a few Orcad / Allegro users on this forum (including myself) and this question has popped up many times but never motivated Dave to create a sub-section. Rather odd because Orcad / Allegro is actually cheaper compared to Altium.

author: olkipukki
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: February 17, 2020, 07:38:43 pm
content: Quote from: nctnico on February 17, 2020, 04:37:36 pmWow, really? Any number to support this?A few years ago, I briefly enquired regarding OrCad and a proposed solution (Pro + couple options) was similar to Altium pricing.How do you compare an single all-in Altium package vs OrCad editions and modules?

author: jsessa
author_rank: Newbie
timestamp: February 17, 2020, 07:41:06 pm
content: I'm a newbie to OrCAD and the Cadence family and trying to learn 17.4; (most of the Utube stuff is about prior versions and only tracks about 75%.)I've got a quote for $4000 USD for the perpetual professional version with 6 months of the Ultra Librarian . Anybody else getting quotes?

author: olkipukki
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: February 17, 2020, 07:50:32 pm
content: Quote from: jsessa on February 17, 2020, 07:41:06 pmIs there any optional annual subscription / maintenance (aka patches, new release etc)?

author: AndyC_772
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: February 17, 2020, 08:36:45 pm
content: I've been using Orcad PCB Designer (standard) for years. It does everything I need and was well within budget for a self-employed, part time freelance engineer.I believe it's now available by subscription too, which may be even cheaper in the short term (though, of course, worse over a long period compared to buying it outright).

author: Pseudobyte
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: February 17, 2020, 09:34:52 pm
content: When I say too expensive I am talking about Allegro PCB Designer not OrCAD PCB. I think each one of the seats we have was in the $15k-$20k range.

author: olkipukki
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: February 17, 2020, 09:37:16 pm
content: Quote from: AndyC_772 on February 17, 2020, 08:36:45 pmDo you pay any maintenance?Altium standard subscription support / maintance cost over $2K each year ("traditional" 20% markup), so basically can rent OrCAD Pro without an initial investement for perpetual license.

author: nctnico
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: February 17, 2020, 09:43:28 pm
content: Quote from: Pseudobyte on February 17, 2020, 09:34:52 pmNowadays Orcad PCB designerisAllegro. In the past there was also Orcad Layout but that has been phased out a couple of years ago. Around 6k euro should get you setup with Orcad schematics, the CIS component (I strongly recommend that) and PCB Designer professional (which is one step up from the entry level PCB package). If you are into high-speed PCB design for FPGAs and SoCs I recommend getting the professional version because it can do impedance calculations, phase & length matching. Ofcourse they want to upsell other add-ons like the online librarian and PDF to part converter but you have to decide whether that is worth the money. Altium is quickly adding up to around 8k to 10k euro. Then again you can extend Orcad with a whole lot of other modules which could get you into much higher prices.For an annual maintenance fee you can get updates but I decided not to go that route and stick with the one-time buy license. I did opt for a physical dongle so I can run the software on any PC.Quote from: olkipukki on February 17, 2020, 07:38:43 pmI have made a comparison for a customer a bit over a year ago. The 'problem' with Orcad is that their pricing strategy is not very clear when it comes to their modules. If you are careful you can get a complete package for significantly less compared to Altium. Or put it differently: with Altium you also get a lot which you may not need at all. Feature wise both packages are pretty much on par except that Orcad PCB Designer can run on Linux natively.

author: olkipukki
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: February 17, 2020, 10:42:31 pm
content: Quote from: nctnico on February 17, 2020, 09:43:28 pmIn case of OrCAD, I guess need to spend a lot of time to go through all modules and make sure everything are included that required now and what options left and how much it would be cost later. Altium - straightforward process, buy everything regardless needs.Quote from: nctnico on February 17, 2020, 09:43:28 pmA bit risky strategy... Looks like you on pre 2019-17.4 version, right? If you decide to upgrade one day, what are consequences? Do you pay 'catch up' fees? Or something else?Quote from: nctnico on February 17, 2020, 09:43:28 pmI'm using a roaming license that allows me to lock a license usage on any computer accessible the internet. For travel or out of office activities, I will 'roam' license on my laptop for a number of days, so access to the internet is not required. No physical devices, on another side - if Altium will f*$up their servers, migh be in a trouble, but as far as today, never happened.If you lost your dongle, any issues?Quote from: nctnico on February 17, 2020, 09:43:28 pmOrCAD has 3 suits: Standard , Professional and Allegro, am I correct?Is it 'Allegro' mentioned above?

author: nctnico
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: February 17, 2020, 11:00:47 pm
content: Quote from: olkipukki on February 17, 2020, 10:42:31 pmI have 17.4 and the first update + the license to run it. However I'm using 17.2. I still have to try version 17.4 but version 17.2 works just fine for me. IMHO it is not worth chasing the latest version of a software package because there usually are very few new features. However I did buy the 17.2 license when it was relatively new and I got a few updates. If I ever decide to upgrade I'll probably have to pay a catch up fee or full price which will or will not be worth it. I'll cross that bridge when I get there. Meanwhile I have a working schematics and PCB design package so I'm OK.QuoteI'll probably need to pay for a new dongle in that case. The advantage of a dongle is that it doesn't depend on an internet connection and third party services. Basically I want to be able to run this software 10 years from now. Somewhere down the line I expect there will be a hacked version available too; in that case I no longer need the dongle.QuoteAll these suits use the Allegro PCB design software; there is one PCB design package. The licensing options determine which features are enabled.

author: AndyC_772
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: February 19, 2020, 11:59:39 am
content: Quote from: olkipukki on February 17, 2020, 09:37:16 pmNo.I did for a while, really just for the technical support (which was excellent - thumbs up for Parallel Systems).After a few years I figured I'd been able to design a few PCBs without needing to call for help, and that I was on a version of PCB Designer (16.6 - 30th Anniversary release) that didn't have any major bugs that got in the way of getting the job done. At that point I stopped paying for updates.Installing 16.6 on Windows 10 was challenging, but I did manage to do it, and it's working fine.

author: CadenceAE
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: March 08, 2020, 03:36:27 pm
content: Thank youCurrently EMA is having a killer offer, schematic PCB and simulation for $750https://store.ema-eda.com/

author: olkipukki
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: March 15, 2020, 04:54:18 pm
content: Quote from: CadenceAE on March 08, 2020, 03:36:27 pmUSA only?

author: mstevens
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: April 15, 2020, 02:52:19 pm
content: It is odd that there is no OrCAD/Allegro, considering the forums for other packages. None of the real Altium competitors have dedicated sections.

author: CadenceAE
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: May 24, 2020, 01:42:55 pm
content: If you want a Cadence chat forums or information you can go to the sourcehttps://resources.cadence.com/https://community.cadence.com/cadence_technology_forums/f/pcb-design

author: nctnico
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: May 24, 2020, 04:22:23 pm
content: You're wrong. The source ishere.

author: asmi
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: May 26, 2020, 01:08:43 pm
content: Quote from: mstevens on April 15, 2020, 02:52:19 pmI strongly suspect this is not a coincidence.

author: mstevens
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: July 13, 2020, 12:27:12 am
content: There should be an Orcad forum. I suspect there are far more sold licenses of Orcad than there are of Proteus or Diptrace, or Eagle, or Circuit Studio, etc.

author: nctnico
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: July 13, 2020, 10:44:13 am
content: Quote from: mstevens on July 13, 2020, 12:27:12 amI'm not sure about the sold licenses but there are definitely many users of Orcad