Since the early days of connecting carbon and silicon chips to create functional electronic products, PCBs have been the backbone of the electronics industry. As the field evolved from manual drawing to sophisticated PCB design, advancements such as larger component libraries and more powerful automated layout and routing functions have made it increasingly easier for engineers to design circuit boards.
PCB design can be broken down into several stages, including schematic design, PCB layout, circuit simulation, CAM engineering software, and copy board software. Typically, PCB design software consists of two primary modules: schematic design and PCB layout. Some advanced PCB design tools even integrate all of these features into one comprehensive package.
**PCB Design Software: Altium Protel Series**
1. **Introduction to PCB Design Software**
PCB design software encompasses two main components: schematic design and PCB layout.
2. **Altium Protel Series**
One of the most reliable indicators for evaluating the strengths and weaknesses of a software is its market share—its popularity and adoption rate. In this regard, Altium Protel deserves recognition as one of the leading PCB design tools, ranking highly among many others.
3. **Widespread Use in China**
The Protel series gained early adoption in China. Nearly all electronic engineering programs in universities offer courses on it, and many large companies often list the requirement of Protel proficiency when recruiting electronic design talent. Altium once claimed that 73% of engineers and 80% of electronic engineering students in China were using their solutions. However, the actual legitimate usage rate is closer to 3%. The piracy issue has been a persistent challenge for e-works, which remains disheartened by the lack of a more effective solution. Nonetheless, it is clear that the software has widespread use in China.
4. **Software Evolution**
Initially released in 1985, the software evolved from Protel for DOS to Protel for Windows. In 1998, Protel 98 debuted, followed by the groundbreaking Protel 99 and its enhanced Protel 99 SE version in 1999. In 2002, Protel DXP was launched, marking the transition from fixed-point software releases to continuous updates, with new versions released annually. Later, versions named after the “Altium Designer+ seasons” were introduced, with the latest being Altium Designer 10, launched in March 2011.
5. **Legacy of Protel 99 SE**
Protel 99 SE continues to be widely used for PCB design today. Its contribution to the PCB design industry is immense. Protel 99 and its subsequent versions provided an integrated design environment that combined schematic design, PCB layout tools, design document management, and network-based collaborative design capabilities. Beginning with Protel DXP/DXP2004, a new FPGA design feature was introduced. From Altium Designer 6.0 onward, it integrated PCB design with programmable device (e.g., FPGA) design and processor-based embedded software development. With Altium Designer 6.8, 3D PCB visualization and navigation were introduced, allowing designers to view detailed board models at any time and collaborate with team members more effectively. When Altium Designer 10 was released, Altium Vaults and AltiumLive were also introduced. Altium Vaults became central to Altium’s intelligent data management system, securely storing and managing electronic design data, while AltiumLive provided an online platform for downloading, trading, and sharing electronic design content.
6. **Challenges and Criticisms**
Despite its many strengths, some engineers have raised complaints about the Protel series. These include the software’s high resource consumption during operation, its demanding system requirements, complex menus, limited suitability for high-speed PCB design, and its relatively low adoption among companies, particularly foreign firms. However, Protel remains the “first intimate contact” software for many domestic engineers. As a result, there are still numerous engineers who, for reasons of nostalgia or familiarity, may be reluctant to switch to newer versions of Altium, even though Altium frequently releases updates. In conclusion, Altium Protel remains a powerful and versatile PCB design tool suitable for both individual users and businesses.
