[SI-LIST] Re: Which tool is the best

  • From: Kellee Crisafulli <kelleecrisafulli@xxxxxxxxxxx>
  • To: si-list@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
  • Date: Wed, 14 Apr 2004 10:10:20 -0700

Hello all,

I often hear comments like the one below which seems to be based on here-say
heard from a sales person as opposed to real user feedback on the current 
version of the tool:

" I would have said that Hyperlynx is a low-end tool as well, although I 
understand that it's come
a long way in the last few years"

For example to say the Hyperlynx Si tools are low-end may have been true in 
1991
but saying that today is like saying Harley Davidson makes low end motorcycles.

Many features in Hyperlynx are "best-in-class" for example I feel the 
cross-talk feature may be more
advanced than any other tool in the market because of it's ability to 
automatically
identify the net's that need to be included in the simulation.  Most other 
tools in the market require
the user to "guess" which nets needs need to be included by specifying a 
distance around the signal
being analyzed.  Even the best SI engineers cannot "guess" correctly all 
the time.  Having a tool with the
expert system built in to determine the required nets is very powerful.

All SI tools have dozen's of settings that determine the details of how the 
simulation will be created.
Many people forget about these settings when they use the tools.  As a 
result some times the results are not as accurate as desired.  HyperLynx 
has expert-system automation for many of these settings resulting in much 
more accurate
simulations by people that do not use the tools every day.

Since being acquired by Pads then Innoveda, and now Mentor the HyperLynx 
tool has been improved each time it was acquired by choosing some of the 
best technologies available within the new parent company.

I don't believe there is "best tool" in the market some tools have better 
batch mode features
some have better user interfaces, some have complex automation which 
safe-guards the user (like HyperLynx).
Some tools are only 2D or 2.5D while others are full 3D analyzers.
A 2D tool uses a 2 dimensional field analyzer to create the simulation.  A 
full 3D tool (when enabled for 3D)
will use a full 3D analysis (generally VERY SLOW) and very accurate.
Still other tools have features for power supply or RF analysis that are 
best in class.
And to complicate matters even more the tools are constantly evolving.

1) I urge people to refrain from comments about tools based on 3 to 10 year 
old information received from
      a competing sales person.
     If you have concrete information based on your own work with a tool 
than by all means share it.
2) A "best tool" is the one that reliably get's your job done in a timely 
manor.
3) If only HyperLynx had that nice Harley Davidson rumble driving out of 
the parking lot it would be really great :)

My bias (for those who do not know me):
This is is a biased comment from one of the author's of the HyperLynx tool 
and a founder of the IBIS group.

best regards,
Kellee Crisafulli

At 12:37 AM 4/14/2004, you wrote:
>I would have said that Hyperlynx is a low-end
>tool as well, although I understand that it's come
>a long way in the last few years.
>
>I'm most familiar with SpecctraQuest, and I highly
>recommend it. It's my impression that ICX is comparable
>in every way.
>
>SpecctraQuest is particularly recommended if you
>are using Allegro for board design, since there is no
>translation procedure required for moving the board
>database into SpecctraQuest in that case.
>
>
>On Apr 13, 2004, at 10:51 PM, Dan Bostan wrote:
>
> > Hyperlynx, ICX and Spectraquest.
> > Protel is a low end tool, good only for small PCB
> > designs.
> > /dan
> >
> > --- Tayyab Jamil <tayyab@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
> >> Hello,
> >>
> >> Can any one seggest me the good and reliable tools
> >> for signal integrity
> >> simulations? Also how do you people rate PROTEL 99
> >> SE for PCB designing and
> >> signal integrity simulations?
> >>
> >> Tayyab Jamil Qureshi
> >>
> >> Sr. Design Engineer
> >> CARE Pvt. Ltd.
> >> 19 Attaturk Avenu, G-5/1
> >> Islamabad, Pakistan
> >> Phone: +92 51 2874794
> >>        +92 51 2874115
> >> Fax:   +92 51 2874614
> >> Cell:  +92 300 9506986
> >> email: tayyab@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx


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