Electronic – EAGLE for 10 layer boards with 337-ball BGA

allegroaltiumeaglepadspcb-design

I have been using EAGLE for some years. The boards I have designed had the following specs:

  • up to 4 layers
  • 6mil spacing
  • densest package: QFN, 0.4mm pitch
  • only "ordinary" vias
  • mainly (low frequency) digital domain (CAN, IO, …)

The new project has this specs:

  • up to 10 (or even 12) layers
  • densest package: 337-ball BGA (ARM-Cortext-R5)
  • potentially blind and/or buried vias

My concern is: Is EAGLE sufficient for the new project? Or should I consider to switch to a more "advanced" PCB design tool, like Altium designer, Mentor Graphics Pads or Cadence Allegro?

Best Answer

I would switch, however I only know Eagle up to Version 6 and don't know how much V7 improved upon that.

I only know Altium from the other tools you mentioned, but I am far more confident with my designs, because I have far better control about what I want to achieve.

Some features that could be of use to you:

  • Define power planes and use impedance matching capabilities
  • Specify restrictions what signals to route on what layer
  • Review your Layout in 3D - what you see is what you get
  • Much better routing tools than Eagle

From what I can tell it is just a far superior tool (with superior pricing) in every way. However, it takes some time/practice to use it efficiently. In the beginning I was swearing a lot ;)

Doing a 10 layer design with 337-ball BGA and buried vias is a level where you probably will find Eagle very cumbersome to use.

Related Topic