Remove ultiboard from multisim 14.1 update#
Remove ultiboard from multisim 14.1 software#
Remove ultiboard from multisim 14.1 license#
Remove ultiboard from multisim 14.1 download#

With intuitive and interactive learning features, student understand foundational electronics topics and can then transition to circuit design and layout with the NI Ultiboard printed circuit board development environment. That would have been sweet.NI Multisim is an analog, digital, and power circuits teaching environment, enabling student exploration of electronic behavior through pedagogical features built upon industry-standard SPICE simulation. Or, finally, perhaps KiCad could have been used as a platform. Maybe Mouser had no other viable options, but I wish the outcome had been different.

Remove ultiboard from multisim 14.1 software#

Why not have a full-featured CAD program that is integrated with Mouser? I suspect that Mouser does not have many software engineers, and so they relied on NI to do the Mouser integration - work that was similar to what NI had done earlier for Analog Devices, and therefore probably did not cost a lot. It is not meant to replace an existing, full-feature solution from another supplier. The only unique feature it offers is the integration with the Mouser catalog. The fact that changes to a schematic cannot be propagated to an existing PCB layout is very annoying, but some hobbyists working with small circuits might be willing to tolerate it. Mouser has the ability to alleviate this shortcoming by adding parts to the Mouser database. NI Multisim Student Edition Circuit Design and Simulation Software 14.0

The restrictions on custom components are more serious.

There are two types of free CAD programs: limited versions of commercial software, and unlimited, generally open-source, software. You drop components on the schematic, drag them around, wire them up, transfer the schematic to the PCB layout program, drag them around some more, draw traces manually or autoroute, and export the Gerber. You cannot get prices for components that do not have Mouser part numbers - you would need to go back to the schematic, replace the part with something from the Mouser database, then re-generate the BOM. Instead, you must save the BOM in a file, then open it by clicking the View Project BOM button in the first dialog box from the beginning of this review. The integration between the BOM and Mouser is a little clumsy. Components with a footprint show up in the Bill of Materials. Many components in the Master database have footprints, but of course none have Mouser part numbers. When you add a component to your schematic, you can add it from the Master database or the Mouser database assuming the part is in either of the databases.Д®verything in the Mouser database has a footprint and a Mouser part number. How serious is the restriction on creating custom components? Lots of basic logic ICs, like 74LSxxx chips, are missing too.

Remove ultiboard from multisim 14.1 download#

Despite that, the parts download did, indeed, work.

The download progress bar displayed behavior I have never seen before. The notification I saw was that there were parts to download.

Remove ultiboard from multisim 14.1 update#

Of course, it remains to be seen whether Mouser and NI will renew their contract in This strikes me as poor design: the error reporting server should run only when MultiSIM is running, and the update service should run only when you launch MultiSIM.

Remove ultiboard from multisim 14.1 license#

I contacted Mouser and they said their contract with NI extends to Until then, they expect to get updates that will extend the license on Ultiboard. While installing, you need to accept two licenses. There, you need to create an account to access the download. So when it became available, I eagerly downloaded it. You can enter the size, layers, and quantity of your board and get prices from 23 different PCB manufacturers instantly.