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Copper Pour problems in 10.0.5

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[quote][i]Originally posted by gootee[/i]
[br]I recently upgraded from Easy-PC 1000 8.0.8 to Easy-PC 2000 10.0.5.

First, let me say that I think that Easy-PC is a truly-great piece of software, which I continue to recommend to many people.  I did software development, maintenance, and support, for many years.  So I think I understand how difficult it can be, to write, maintain, enhance, and support a large, complex software package, which makes me dislike being one of the users who has to ask about a problem.

I have read the other forum messages, here, related to Copper Pour problems.  One of them implied that v10.0.5 might fix some of the re-broken copper pour behaviour.

However, in upgrading from 8.0.8 to 10.0.5, I find it to be worse with 10.0.5 than than it was with 8.0.8.  And I cannot remove and re-pour some of the pours I did with 8.0.8, even using the "tricks" I used to get it to work, back then.

I am in a bind, with a deadline passing.  And I apparently cannot revert to 8.0.8 with boards that have been modified with 10.0.5.

I have two types of questions:

For the Number One Systems people: Is there any word on when a fix might become available?  And, for the moment, I certainly wouldn't mind even a partial fix, or even a beta-test version, or a very slow version, etc.  Is there any chance of anything like that being made available?

For everyone:  Since Copper Pour does sometimes work properly, and can sometimes be made to work properly (even when it at first fails and either pours nothing or pours the entire area regardless of net names), by varying the size or placement of the pour area, I am wondering if anyone has any better hints, for getting it to work more often.  i.e. Has anyone noticed any patterns, or does anyone have any method that seems like it might get it to work more often?

Also, can anyone think of ANY possible workaround, besides placing lots of tracks?

Thanks.

- Tom Gootee
http://www.fullnet.com/~tomg/index.html
[/quote]

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T O P I C R E V I E W
gootee	Posted - 30 Apr 2007 : 18:43:07 I recently upgraded from Easy-PC 1000 8.0.8 to Easy-PC 2000 10.0.5. First, let me say that I think that Easy-PC is a truly-great piece of software, which I continue to recommend to many people. I did software development, maintenance, and support, for many years. So I think I understand how difficult it can be, to write, maintain, enhance, and support a large, complex software package, which makes me dislike being one of the users who has to ask about a problem. I have read the other forum messages, here, related to Copper Pour problems. One of them implied that v10.0.5 might fix some of the re-broken copper pour behaviour. However, in upgrading from 8.0.8 to 10.0.5, I find it to be worse with 10.0.5 than than it was with 8.0.8. And I cannot remove and re-pour some of the pours I did with 8.0.8, even using the "tricks" I used to get it to work, back then. I am in a bind, with a deadline passing. And I apparently cannot revert to 8.0.8 with boards that have been modified with 10.0.5. I have two types of questions: For the Number One Systems people: Is there any word on when a fix might become available? And, for the moment, I certainly wouldn't mind even a partial fix, or even a beta-test version, or a very slow version, etc. Is there any chance of anything like that being made available? For everyone: Since Copper Pour does sometimes work properly, and can sometimes be made to work properly (even when it at first fails and either pours nothing or pours the entire area regardless of net names), by varying the size or placement of the pour area, I am wondering if anyone has any better hints, for getting it to work more often. i.e. Has anyone noticed any patterns, or does anyone have any method that seems like it might get it to work more often? Also, can anyone think of ANY possible workaround, besides placing lots of tracks? Thanks. - Tom Gootee http://www.fullnet.com/~tomg/index.html
4 L A T E S T R E P L I E S (Newest First)
gootee	Posted - 02 May 2007 : 17:07:40 (Sorry this is all so off-topic.) Rogers6775, you have made some excellent points. I completely agree. I didn't mention, yet, that when upgrading to v10, a month or two ago, Donna Optican, of Adept Scientific in Baltimore, MD (adeptscience.com), was astoundingly helpful and went way above and beyond the call of duty, for me. It's extremely difficult to find the level of diligent attention to customer convenience and satisfaction that she so-adeptly provided. I have also heard, in an on-line forum somewhere, good things being said about a guy at an Easy-PC distributor in Ohio, IIRC. I haven't noticed any similar personal-level "testimonials" about any individual personnel, arising in on-line discussions related to any other PCB packages. So it seems that Easy-PC has a very high-quality sales and support structure, already in place, that has a good reputation and is well-respected, but could benefit from a lot more or better publicity. I have also seen many positive opinions and recommendations expressed, in on-line discussions about Easy-PC, by respected members of groups such as Homebrew_PCBs and Electronics_101, both at http://www.yahoogroups.com , and the sci.electronics.cad Usenet group, probably best-accessed, through http://groups.google.com , where the searchable archive lives. One of those recommendations was what originally prompted ME to try and then buy Easy-PC. It might be very beneficial for Easy-PC to have someone regularly contributing in such groups, to have a presence there. The real problem might be the pervasiveness of Eagle. Favorable comparisons of Easy-PC vs Eagle need to be well-disseminated. It might also be good to give Easy-PC to some major PCB-fab houses, and to try to get them to state on their websites that they accept files in Easy-PC format. I don't use Easy-PC's spice software. But it couldn't hurt to make it more-conversant with other packages, including LTspice, for the import/export of schematic netlists, models, etc. Probably anything that could be done to enable importing other popular software packages' formats, of all types, would be a big plus. For example, being able to convert Eagle layouts and libraries to Easy-PC, if you don't already have it, might be tremendously helpful to sales. Sorry to have blathered-on about all of that, for so long. It's also probably a very good sign, when you have users who are motivated to want to evangelize on your behalf. :-) Keep up the good work. - Tom Gootee http://www.fullnet.com/~tomg/index.html
Rogers6775	Posted - 02 May 2007 : 09:29:48 Tom, I agree with your comments regarding the product and the support. I have had a distributor of EPC here in the US call me and ask if other people interested in the Easy PC package could call me and get my recommendations regarding it. I have recommended it to several people, and really would like to see it catch fire here in the US. David, Peter, there is a BIG market here in the US for Easy PC, but very few here have ever heard about it. I only read about it in some obscure forum and have never seen it advertised. It was simply an accident that I stumbled across it while searching for a package that wasn't from Cadence, Mentor Graphics, or Altium. Some targeted marketing/advertising could pay big dividends.
gootee	Posted - 01 May 2007 : 17:22:51 Peter, WOW! You guys provide REALLY-good support!!! I did email the PCB design to you. But as I said in my email, at this point my individual problems aren't worth diverting your programmers over. I spent most of the night coaxing the copper pours to do most of what I wanted them to do. And the rest wasn't too much to finish by hand. I'm in the process of running the board through the excellent freeDFM utility, at http://www.4pcb.com , as I write this, and will place a prototype order for twenty boards or so within the next few minutes. I want to say again that your support offer has tremendously impressed me! I mean, I used to run MY software company that way. But I didn't think anyone else still did! In gratitude, but mainly because it will benefit my audience, I intend to generate some first-class PR for your company, on line, because of this. And I happen to have a PCB-making webpage that gets about 20,000 hits a month, with which to do that. (I will have to wait until the end of this week, probably, because of this project deadline I'm fighting.) I call them as I see them. And I'm going to call you and your company, "Astonishingly Great" (or, words to that effect). Thanks again, Peter! Highest regards, - Tom Gootee http://www.fullnet.com/~tomg/index.html
Peter Johnson	Posted - 01 May 2007 : 07:14:17 Tom, if you can get your design in to me at support as fast as possible, I'll get the programmers to look at it with crash priority. Unfortunately, the major problem with copper pour problems is that they are VERY geometry specific, so it's not really possible to give advice, much less a fix, without seeing the design.