The Shop > Electronics & IC Programing

Layout software?

(1/4) > >>

Brass_Machine:
So..... I am going to attempt designing a circuit for a Christmas present I have in mind for my kids, nieces and nephews. Since I am used to designing my models/parts etc in CAD, I kinda want to do this on the PC.

What is a good FREE design program for laying out a schematic?  I have started looking, but I am not sure which one is good.

Eric

Country Bubba:
I use Eagle and they have a "lite" version that is freeware. Fully function for up to a 2 sided board and I forget the max size.
You can then use an ULP (user language program) to make isolation cuts to a G-code file (again freeware). The ULP can be found at either the Eagle site or there is a yahoo group (http://groups.yahoo.com/group/pcb-gcode/).
At this point in time, I recommend you do a google and find a 5.x version of Eagle as they changed the numerical calculations in V6 and the ULP is not completed at this time!  :zap:

sparky961:
I'll second the vote for Eagle.  I don't use it much anymore, but I used it a lot before 2005.  Some parts of the interface take a bit of getting used to, but once you do it will do pretty much anything you need for a PCB and schematic.

Some tips from memory...

- Learn how to create your own library of parts/symbols/devices early on.  This will save you from using components that aren't really meant for what you're trying to do and it isn't that hard.
- Make sure that your board and schematic stay in sync.  I remember there are some things that you can do that will screw that up, but can't recall exactly what.
- Learn to route your boards by hand.  I have seen many "auto-routed" boards that not only look horrible but they're way more complex than they need to be.
- Don't make your traces any smaller than they need to be and if you're making the boards yourself you may want to modify the library to have bigger pads/lands to make etching and manufacture easier.

I'd be glad to try and answer any questions you may have if you take this route.  I even have a few libraries and examples that may be useful.

-Sparky

Bluechip:
Hi Eric
 
Not quite sure what you're after ..  :scratch:
 
I use Eagle for schematics but never got to grips with the autorouter .. so I do the PCB layout manually.
 
So, for the actual PBC I use this one: Free download, no size restriction AFAIK, does 2-sided but never tried it.
 
http://expresspcb.com/
 
Very easy, it has to be for me to get my head around it.
 
Made quite a few PCB's with it. OK for me.
 
Dave

clivel:
Eagle is an excellent program. I used it in earnest for about six months a number of years ago producing some large multi-layered boards jam packed with surface mount components. The weakest link was the component library (but that may have improved by now), so if you do decide to try it, definitely do as Sparky suggests and learn to create your own components. They are very quick to create once you get the hang of it, far faster than trying to find a suitable component in the included library which turns out to never be quite right.

Prior to purchasing Eagle I also used http://expresspcb.com/ it was great for simpler double sided boards that were only going to be needed in small quantities, but very restrictive in that one was locked into having to order the boards from ExpressPCB, although at the time I found their prices not too unreasonable and their service very good.

Another program that I have heard good things about is KiCad http://www.kicad-pcb.org open source and completely free with no restrictions. Although I have not personally used it, as I no longer have access to a commercially licensed version of Eagle, I would seriously consider giving KiCad a try if I need to design a board that exceeds the limitations of the free version of Eagle.
Clive

Navigation

[0] Message Index

[#] Next page