The EE Compendium

 

 

The EE Compendium is relocating to a new home!


The EE Compendium

The new site has been completely redesigned for easier navigation, and contains many new categories, including more microcontroller information and an expanded projects section. Please visit the the redesigned site and update your bookmarks. The new address is: http://ee.cleversoul.com/

 

 

Development Tools

Device Programmers

  • Needham's Electronics - Needhams has a number of programmers ranging from simple PC plug-in cards to more sophisticated stand-alone programmers. There tools are reasonably priced, well built, powerful, and free updates are available on-line. Click here for a review.

    Emulators

  • Advanced Transdata - Emulators for the Microchip PIC microcontroller family. Click here for a RICE16 review.

  • TechTools - TechTools has an extensive line of ROM emulators, ranging from the low-end EconoROM to the high-end UniROM. Great stuff. Click here for a UniROM review.

  • E.E. Tools - Manufacturer of low cost EPROM and Universal device programmers.

  • UMPS - Universal Microprocessor Program Simulator, a low-cost Windows-based simulator for Microchip, Motorola, Intel, and SGS-Thomson microcontrollers.

    CAD (Schematic & PCB Layout)

  • Orcad - A few years ago Orcad made a name for themselves by offering good-quality CAD tools for a decent price. They've betrayed that heritage in recent years, with packages that now cost as much as the big workstation tools, but their quality has remained high. Their schematic-capture program is still somewhat reasonably priced (~$1000). I used it in its previous DOS incarnation. It worked well, but had an interface that could charitably be called "unique". I haven't used the new Windows version, but understand that it's decent.

  • Protel - Protel offers mid-range schematic capture and layout tools. I currently use their schematic package, and have found it to be a worthwhile program. Ease-of-use and the consistancy of the interface could certainly be improved, but it does the job. A major problem for me is that the text for vertical pins is rotated sideways and cannot be normalized (but I hear this is a problem with most Windows-based CAD programs). Another gripe is all the extra crap the installation throws onto your hard disk (a spreadsheet??? -- yeah, real useful).
    Also check out the Association of Protel EDA Users.

  • ULTImate Technology - Makers of ULTIcap schematic capture, ULTIboard PCB layout, and ULTIcam manufacturing software.

  • CadSoft - Home of the EAGLE PCB design software.

  • Visionics - Makers of EE Designer and EDWin. They also have a non-commercial version called EDWin NC.

  • Mental Automation - Home of SuperCAD schematic editor and SuperPCB layout software.

  • AMS - Advanced Microcomputer Systems is the maker of the EZ-Route family of electronics CAD tools. New!

  • PADS - PCB layout, autorouting, and schematic capture packages. New!

  • GerbTool - Gerber file viewer. New!

    PCB Manufacturers

  • Alberta Printed Circuits - Quality prototype PC boards at a reasonable price, and a great web site.
  • Murrietta Circuits
  • NexLogic Technologies
  • PCB Express
  • Sierra Proto Express

    Programming Tools

  • Programmer's Paradise

    Miscellaneous Tools

  • Cimetrics - Cimetrics offers a nice library for RS-485 networking. The "Nine-Bit Network" contains modules for most major processor and controller families. I've used the HC11, 6805, and PIC libraries, and have found them to be robust and bug-free. High cost is a major disadvantage, and support for the PC is also relatively weak, but if you're looking for a networking protocol that is well-designed, small, fast, and time-tested, this is a good choice. Be prepared to spend some time integrating it with your application code, though -- it's not as easy as they'd have you believe.

  • B&B Electronics - An extensive line of interface converters and data acquisition tools. Their online RS-485 tutorial is excellent.

  • Trilogy Design - Makers of "Parts & Vendors", a Windows-based program for managing parts lists, bills of materials, and supplier contacts. Looks very promising, and is reasonably priced at $99 ... if only they had a demo.

    This page is Copyright © 1997 by Randy Rasa.
    Last updated 09-21-97.