--- In [email protected], "profi...@..." <profi...@...> wrote:
> See UltraLibrarianHelp/BReader.html <http://UltraLibrarianHelp/BReader.html>
> Dose anyone know of a conversion
> utility (to kicad) for one of these formats?
Netlist formats?
>
> Accel 15 / PCAD 2XXX
> Cadence Allegro (all versions)
one of my favorites because it includes footprint references!
which KiCad supports, if I'm recalling correctly.
> ...
> PowerPCB / PowerLogic 4 (or newer)
>
I have code for a UltraLibrarian ASCII format code parser as a
start of a converter to KiCad which I can share to an developer
who would be interested in taking this forward. Which would
import more than just a netlist. This format is a good candidate
for a KiCad Native Library format, but the KiCad Developers are off
re-inventing the wheel.
UltraLibrarian (http://www.accelerated-designs.com)
has an agreement with National to use the binary version of the
Vender Netral file (VNF) on there web site to download a
symbol/footprint for their parts. http://www.national.com/cad/
where you can also give the demo Ultra-librarian version a spin.
Other part vendors may follow Nationals lead. I find this would
be a good alternative to what is typically found (an OrCad
schematic symbol and the user is required to find or construct
a footprint)
Frank Frank, Accelerated Designs has a reasonably priced tool
for creating a footprint library with a neutral database, a library
manager with revision control, edit symbols/footprints entered
once then can be exported to the PCB design package of choice.
This would be real handy for PCB designers that have to re-design
boards across different EDA platforms, adding new parts,
referencing/designing/importing symbols, footprints as their
primary design function, doing that one time.
Frank Frank's provide a document of the ASCII Library version
and using his software allows the binary parts from a vendor's
site to be imported, then exported as ASCII from his database.
He mentions his database follows an IPC-7351 standard for
footprint quality.
I mention this primarily as references for ideas. The world got
into this mess from the history that schematic and PCB lay packages originated
from separate proprietary binary sources.
Frank Bennett
