PCB layout software

What is a good reliable PCB layout software, open source or freeware,if not the best, that is available?

last posting on this was in early 2008, things might have changed - just wanted to be up to date.

Reply to
Adam Smith
Loading thread data ...

Search for gEDA and PCB. They are gnu-licensed and run under Linux - free but not all that easy.

formatting link

-- Bill Sloman, Nijmegen

Reply to
Bill Sloman

Take a look at:

formatting link

Haven't tried this yet, but the comments on the web site seem positive. Effectively subsidised by RS components. Seemingly no limitations on layers or size.

--
Michael Karas
Carousel Design Solutions
 Click to see the full signature
Reply to
Michael Karas

It is marginal. Source is not available and there is no developers community behind it. It will cease to exist as soon as funding got dry.

I suggest gEDA/PCB. It is a community open source project and as such it does not rely on anybody funding it. It works well and getting better and better every day. And there is no entity to fail behind it.

Freeware != Open Source. It does not even assume source. There is nobody to pick up the torch once the original holder dropped it.

--
******************************************************************
*  KSI@home    KOI8 Net  < >  The impossible we do immediately.  *
 Click to see the full signature
Reply to
Sergey Kubushyn

Adam Smith wrote in news:eIedneHoi4kdT- fRnZ2dnUVZ snipped-for-privacy@speakeasy.net:

Check out what's on RS Component's site. They're makign a version of a program free to encourage enterprise. I can't remember offhand what it is but it was a full set of tools of the kind normally costing a lot of money. This is a very new arrangement, they started advertising it only about a month back.

Reply to
Lostgallifreyan

In addition you could try FreePCB and Kicad, both free and open source.

Cheers

Ian

Reply to
Ian Bell

Why does it insist on a stupid activation code for something that is free? To get this you have to give your name, company and email details. What a scam.

Cheers

Ian

Reply to
Ian Bell

Does not run well under wine and not a single tube or tube socket on the libraries.

Not for me.

Cheers

iIan

Reply to
Ian Bell

Oh, please. While I'm all for open-source software, and while gEDA is a fine movement, for someone just looking to rapidly crank out a board the free-as-in-beer solutions such as DesignSpark's there (which is an OEMed version of WestDev's Easy-PC), is generally far faster and easier than diving into gEDA.

The closest open-source package would be KiCAD, I expect.

There's also absolutely zero guarantee of support or bug fixes either.

---Joel

Reply to
Joel Koltner

Those WestDev guys are using a reasonably recent version of Visual Studio .Net (possibly 2007?), and very few things compiled with it "run well under WINE." :-)

Reply to
Joel Koltner

If you have KiCAD, you don't need FreePCB.

OTOH, if you have FreePCB, you *will* need a schematic capture app; the usual one mentioned is TinyCAD (also GPL'd). FreePCB and TinyCAD are Windoze-only but both work using WINE under Linux or OS X.

It would also be good if folks asking about software would state what platform they are running.

...and before someone applauds Cadsoft's non-free[1] DRM'd crippleware demo:

formatting link
. . [1] "Free" means that source code is available and that you can alter it and redistribute that.
formatting link
If you mean zero-cost but proprietary, use the term "freeware".

Reply to
JeffM

Good luck getting the masses to adopt that usage of the word.

How's Stallman doing on getting the masses to talk about "GNU-Linux" rather than just "Linux" these days? :-)

Reply to
Joel Koltner

Not entirely true. I have both but prefer to use FreePCB for simpler designs.

Not entirely true. The simple designs I knock up on FreePCB I do from a hand drawn schematic and not net list (unless you wnt to call a pencil and 'app').

TinyCAD is problematic under WINE. It can be done but it takes a while to find the right answers on the net - unless that has been fixed in a newer version.

Cheers

Ian

Reply to
Ian Bell

e

.Net

NE."

Yes, I use Visual Studio 5.0 for my BGA designer. Works on Win98, XP, Vista and Win7 without special DLL installations. I haven't find a good reason to upgrade so far.

Reply to
linnix

I have a friend who works as a programmer and they stayed on Visual Studio 6 from the time it came out (1998) until just a year or two ago now when they switched to Visual Studio 2008 -- many of the interim versions were pretty poor, being far less usable than VS6 was.

So you haven't missed out on much. :-)

Reply to
Joel Koltner

There is no problem using Eagle for free with 2 layers and a board less than 4" x 3"

--
Dirk

http://www.transcendence.me.uk/ - Transcendence UK
 Click to see the full signature
Reply to
Dirk Bruere at NeoPax

Dirk Bruere at Ne>There is no problem using Eagle

...if you don't mind some damned corporation punishing you by locking you out of your work product for something YOU weren't even aware of. Cadsoft's infection which can spread to YOUR copy of EAGLE is the classic definition of malware.

If you are going to be so foolish as to use Cadsoft's crap, the first step is learning how to use software like a pirate would. Once you know how to get your content back after that damned corporation pulls their underhanded shit, ONLY THEN should you consider using their crap.

In his post, Marcus laid out how this land mine can screw you. Marcus was a fully-paid-up user and he still got screwed. Follow the link and read the details.

...and, again, it's not "free"; it's gratis

--but only if your work product has no value. Now that they have DRM in their junk, Cadsoft EAGLE is the antithesis of "free".

Reply to
JeffM

Joel Koltner wrote:

...as with any other software.

If you want support for software, pay separately for a support contract. (Having the source code available greatly expands your pool.) ...and if you think that the purchase price for the ones and zeros entitles you to reliable support, you're dreaming. ...and if there is only a single provider for support for your item, good luck.

Reply to
JeffM

Actually lots (not all) of commercial software does come with a guarantee of support. And while it might not be written into the license agreement, there are plenty of commercial companies that at least have internal policies to fix or provide a workaround for any "showstopper" bugs within, e.g., 48 hours.

Know of anyone offering paid gEDA support?

---Joel

Reply to
Joel Koltner

How much are you offering? :-)

Reply to
DJ Delorie

ElectronDepot website is not affiliated with any of the manufacturers or service providers discussed here. All logos and trade names are the property of their respective owners.