Software Compatibility

for PCB Layout and Schematic Capture


Our know-how embraces many software tools for electronics schematics and PCB layout:  CAE, CAD and CAM.  Our policy has always been to provide you with your copy of the final database (final PCB file), not just Gerber files.

PCB Software

Through our team of colleagues, we have the capability to design PCBs in the following software:

  • Altium Designer 21, 20, 19, 18, 17 or earlier  -  Far and away our preference at Golden Gate Graphics.  (Evolved starting from Tango, Accel EDA, Protel, Protel 99SE and Protel DXP.)
  • Specctra Autorouter - Expert constraints-based autorouting (evolved from Cooper and Chan)
  • Cadence Allegro
  • Mentor Graphics Board Station
  • Mentor Graphics Expedition     (evolved from Cadnetix, DAZIX, Intergraph, then VeriBest)
  • Mentor Graphics PADS PCB     (evolved from PADS PCB, PADS Perform, then PADS Power PCB)

You can have your finished printed-circuit-board database in any of the above formats, thus you can maintain and edit future revisions of your PCB in the software you have in-house.

We can also create output of your CAD database in older versions. Contact us with your specific needs.

If you have no software preference, we will use Altium Designer 21, a superior tool with great integration between schematic and layout.

Schematic Software

Our current capability in schematic capture includes the following software:

  • Altium Designer 21, 20, 19, 18, 17 or earlier
  • Cadence OrCAD Capture
  • Mentor Graphics DxDesigner
  • Mentor Graphics Expedition
  • Mentor Graphics PADS PCB and PADS Logic

Older Databases

If you have old databases which you need edited, but don't need the resulting database in the same format, we can import many other database formats into Altium Designer 21, where we will update the schematics and lay-out the board. We would then provide you with Gerber and NC Drill files, as well as an Altium Designer 21, 20, 19, 18, 17 or earlier database for archiving (safekeeping). In addition to the software listed at the top of this page, below is a list of additional formats we might be able to read in or import and design within Altium Designer 21. (We qualify that because a just-released software version of Orcad might not have the import capability ready.) :

Importable PCB Design databases:

  • Protel 99SE DDB files (*.DDB)
  • OrCAD PCB (*.MAX) and PCB libraries (*.LLB)
  • PADS ASCII PCB (*.ASC) and PCB libraries (*.D)
  • P-CAD PCB (*.PCB) and libraries (*.LIA, *.LIB)  (PCAD software is no longer sold)

Note: If you want us to import and fix up your recent-version Orcad design, we will be glad to test the import functionality of that.

Importable Schematic databases:

  • CircuitMaker 2000 Schematics and Libraries (program no longer sold)
  • DxDesigner Schematics and Libraries
  • OrCAD Schematics (*.DSN) and libraries (*.OLB)
  • PADS ASCII Logic (*.TXT)
  • P-CAD Schematics (*.SCH)  (the PCAD programs are no longer sold)

   Next   Capabilities in Streamlined PCB Design.

If you need help with electronics project design terminology, please check out our
Glossary of electronics schematics and printed circuit boards:  design and manufacturing.

CONTACT US   for more information


phone
Golden Gate Graphics, Aurora, Colorado 80014, USA

Golden Gate Graphics resides in Aurora, a suburb of Denver located in the middle of the Rocky Mountain Front-Range High-Tech Corridor , which includes the following Colorado cities from south to north:
Fountain, Colorado Springs, Monument, Palmer Lake, Castle Rock, Highlands Ranch, Centennial, Englewood, Littleton, Denver, Golden, Aurora, Broomfield, Louisville, Lafayette, Boulder, Niwot, Longmont, Loveland, Ft. Collins and Greeley.