A new series of EDA/CAD tools emerging from a collaborative effort between Digi-Key and Mentor Graphics help expand the available resources supporting the concept-to-prototype-to-production process. With Designer Schematic and Designer Layout, engineers can complete circuit and printed-circuit-board (PCB) designs on their own or by leveraging third-party PCB layouts. The tools will start at under $200 in the hopes of providing a foundation for long-term product design.
The software—a reliable, scalable platform—combines Digi-Key’s inventory of components with Mentor Graphics’ PartQuest, a fully integrated website that merges Digi-Key’s part numbers into symbols and footprints. This helps reduce manual errors, which in turn saves time and cost. To validate the products’ viability, the companies completed thorough beta testing of the tools with more than 300 participants.
Designer Schematic and Designer Layout are currently available for $199 and $449, respectively (a 30% discount for a limited time.) Product licenses will be sold as an annual subscription from Digi-Key. Customers can also partake of a 15-day, free-of-charge trial period for the software.
