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PCB Design Software

spiderspider
edited April 2012 in Chit chat
Anyone have any (free please) recommendations ?

I tried the free / personal version of Cadsofts Eagle PCB Designer although I found it difficult to use, it may well be me though. :) Mainly in actually finding components / sockets to add to the design.

Not really doing any "designing" as such although I do have a few ideas.

Any thoughts please ? :)
Post edited by spider on
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Comments

  • spectrumlinuxspectrumlinux
    edited April 2012
    spider wrote: »
    Anyone have any (free please) recommendations ?

    I tried the free / personal version of Cadsofts Eagle PCB Designer although I found it difficult to use, it may well be me though. :) Mainly in actually finding components / sockets to add to the design.

    Not really doing any "designing" as such although I do have a few ideas.

    Any thoughts please ? :)

    Not sure which platform you are using but why not give gEDA a go on GNU/Linux?

    Website is here: http://www.geda-project.org/
  • guesserguesser
    edited April 2012
    You can also run the geda suite on windows with a bit of fiddling (there are binaries available you just have to set up a few environment variables and whatnot)

    I heartily recommend it :)
    My rubbish website including the redrawn Amstrad schematics and the Sinclair Wiki.
  • WinstonWinston
    edited April 2012
    gEDA PCB is probably the only good one. It's proper Free software (as in software libre, not merely gratis) and has no restrictions, unlike Eagle. The file formats are also text based and properly documented so you can do things with scripts to designs. Most other pcb packages use undocumented, opaque file formats.
  • spiderspider
    edited April 2012
    Thanks all, I'll have a play with it later. :)

    I just wanted something that I could drop a few components onto really, draw tracks etc and see how it looked.

    The Eagle one is OK but as above I struggled to even find various connectors to add.
    Please visit the JetSet Willy & Manic Miner Community
  • STeaMSTeaM
    edited April 2012
    Late entry here - but I know of this...

    Vutrax

    ...not sure of the pricing/freebiness of it any more though.
  • HairyHairy
    edited April 2012
    PCB Designer :)
  • mel the bellmel the bell
    edited April 2012
    one or two people on here can let you have a copy or two of make a chip?
    Professional Mel-the-Bell Simulator................"So realistic, I found myself reaching for the Kleenex King-Size!" - Richard Darling
  • spiderspider
    edited April 2012
    mel the bell wrote: »
    one or two people on here can let you have a copy or two of make a chip?

    I thought that was still MIA :-o :D
    Please visit the JetSet Willy & Manic Miner Community
  • murtcepsmurtceps
    edited April 2012
    mel the bell wrote: »
    one or two people on here can let you have a copy or two of make a chip?

    That was the single most predictable reply.

    And you beat me to it.
  • mel the bellmel the bell
    edited April 2012
    well i was shocked it got to 7 replies with no mention
    Professional Mel-the-Bell Simulator................"So realistic, I found myself reaching for the Kleenex King-Size!" - Richard Darling
  • MrCheeseMrCheese
    edited April 2012
    spider wrote: »
    I thought that was still MIA :-o :D

    Didn't Fog say he may have spotted one under a pile of Mire Mare?
  • spiderspider
    edited April 2012
    MrCheese wrote: »
    Didn't Fog say he may have spotted one under a pile of Mire Mare?

    Possibly although what with Mire Mare being given away with 90% of 48K speccy's who'd want a copy now ? :p

    MakeAChip, hmm I don't think a PCB design house would appreciate me mailing them something in a .sna :-o
    Please visit the JetSet Willy & Manic Miner Community
  • MrCheeseMrCheese
    edited April 2012
    spider wrote: »
    Possibly although what with Mire Mare being given away with 90% of 48K speccy's who'd want a copy now ? :p

    MakeAChip, hmm I don't think a PCB design house would appreciate me mailing them something in a .sna :-o

    How about .tap?
  • Jonathan HarstonJonathan Harston
    edited April 2012
    spider wrote: »
    Anyone have any (free please) recommendations ?
    I just use a paint package, Paint Shop Pro 4, with gridlock set on. I create the layout as a GIF, and save it as an uncompressed JPEG to email it to my PCB fabricators who convert it to the data they need to feed into their fabircation machines.
  • spiderspider
    edited April 2012
    That's a thought. I'd have to see I can find something suitable to draw the actual components to the correct scale with.
    Please visit the JetSet Willy & Manic Miner Community
  • guesserguesser
    edited April 2012
    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electronic_symbol#Gallery_of_common_electronic_symbols might be a good place to start with that.
    My rubbish website including the redrawn Amstrad schematics and the Sinclair Wiki.
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