What are low cost circuit and PCB design software?

Question

Do you know of any freeware or low cost circuit / PCB design software?

I know a few which I have listed below but I was wondering if there were more of its kind. Please mention the good features and issues you've faced with the software.

Answer 1

Eagle seems to be the most popular free PCB tool.

Answer 2

Kicad is free and open source, and it is a relatively well-integrated package of schematics and layout editor.

gEDA is free and open source. It is older than Kicad, has more tools which produce nicer output, but is less well integrated.

Since they are open-source packages there are no arbitrary restrictions on the free version (like e.g. board size in Eagle) and no license hassles.

Answer 3

This may not count as a PCB design software, but it takes a new, creative approach to circuit and PCB design, and lets you prototype around with a breadboard view.

It's called Fritzing and there are versions for Windows, Linux and Mac.

View screenshots of the main feature modes:

• Breadboard view (see below)
• Schematic view
• PCB view

Answer 4

I personally prefer using Diptrace

http://www.diptrace.com/

It is available for non-commercial use in a limited form (250 pins) for free and then hasd a scale of different costs depending on use and scope.

I have tried Eagle and find diptrace easier to use with a fairly extensive library and more importantly an easy to use parts designer.

I have used this to create gerbers which I had turned into PCB's with no issues whatsoever.

I would thoroughly recommend giving it a try, I think it is as powerful as Eagle and simpler to use...

Answer 5

I use gEDA/PCB. The file formats are open an ASCII. The open file formats make a wide variety of EDA automation tasks possible. The ASCII format makes them easy.

I have switched from Eagle to gEDA/PCB. I have found gEDA to be a more productive tool. The schematic capture is better but the PCB layout seems more difficult. The scriptability is what has made the difference. There are also tools for simulation.

Be careful of choosing a free version of an EDA tool that is crippled or a tool that locks you in to a specific PCB vendor. There is a learning curve associated with any EDA tool or other complex piece of software. It will be very time consuming to switch tools.

The footprint library that I use is available at http://www.luciani.org Also I have a variety of EDA automation scripts on my site.

As an example of gEDA/PCB I did a remix of the Drawdio circuit design that ladyada did. The remix includes the EDA files and documentation. All of the files are at http://tinyurl.com/bq8pq4

Answer 6

Easy PC from Number One Systems works really well for small/medium sized projects, it supports multi-layer PCBs, includes a Schematic editing tool, and has an entry level Autorouter, or you can buy the pro Autorouter as an addon. Grab a free demo from their site.

PCB routing by hand is quick and intuitive, and you can create the netlist right in the PCB editor itself, by simply wiring any pin to another. All unconnected wires show up as a ratsnest. Then as you connect wires with tracks, the ratsnest line disappears.

Answer 7

Mentor PADS is another one with a free eval. It has unlimited size and 8 layers. Its limitation is the number of devices: 30.

Answer 8

PCB123:

The latest version of our free PCB design-tool has an intuitive CAD interface that lets you create new PCB designs quickly; offering freedom and flexibility in your schematic and layout editing.

Features:

• New board wizard.
• Ability to import net lists from multiple CAD vendors.
• 145,000+ parts in the library.
• Fast, accurate DRC/DFM.
• Two-, four-, and six-layer support with soldermask and silkscreen.

Link to comparison with other products: Compare PCB Design Tools

Answer 9

If you don't need gerber output, the demo of omnyglyph (formerly circad) at http://www.holophase.com/ should be enough. I've used this almost unknown software from the very first version for MS-DOS.

Answer 10

You can also get DesignSparkPCB which is a unlimited package given away free by RS Electroincs - www.designspark.com

Answer 11

I have now tried Eagle and Fritzing. Fritzing does not yet have a library big enough for me, so I am sticking with Eagle. I found an Eagle library from Sparkfun that made it a lot easier to use. A footprint for nearly every part I use is in this library. It is here. It has made Eagle redeemable for me. There is also a shortcut script they make that I intend to try.

Answer 12

I use ExpressPCB, which is a free unlimited software package that allows you to design schematics and PCBs. You can also send off your design to ExpressPCB and they'll manufacture the board for you.

Screenshot:

Answer 13

It's still in its infancy, but Upverter is an online schematic editor website that's free as long as you don't mind making your projects open source (they charge a fee for private projects). As of this writing they don't have a PCB layout tool but it looks like that's in development and might be deployed soon.

I've found upverter to be a bit clunky and unwieldy but they're still young and the team is very responsive so I'm happy to put up with the quirks of their online schematic editor for now. I'm looking forward to the PCB editor. So maybe not a complete tool chain now, but it has a lot of potential.