PCB Layout software - what to use?

How about Eagle? The lite version is free; completely functional, but restricted to 4" X 6" (I think); this should suffice for most hobbyist projects.

Available at

Regards,

Anand

See my notes and links to some 60 ECAD programs at

Terry Pinnell Hobbyist, West Sussex, UK

Congratulations! You're #784.

*+PCB+software

Google is your friend.

have

Hi Keith,

I use pcbexpress also, but you have to save the pcb traces file ( I use a screen capture program-saves it as a bitmap) and then go into a photo editor (I use paintshop pro) and using a pixel resize command, change the density from 24 pixels per inch to 150 pixels per inch. Then I crop at the yellow guide lines and resize the image to 3.8"wideX2.5"high (using bilinear resample). I don't have a laser printer, so I print it out on my inkjet and take it to staples where they laser copy it to staples picture paper (sku

471861, I know it says inkjet paper, but it works the best) in their black and white copier set to maximum darkness. If you have a laser printer you can skip the staples step. With my small circuits, I can usually have anywhere from 4 to 8 on the same page and they only charge 14 cents per page. It's a good deal. Now, if only I had a laser printer...

hth, Joe

have

Thank you all for the replies Still using ExpressPCB then a graphics program to clean up after. Wishing it had more features, but it is the easiest one i've found, and also the cheapest (free). I will want something more for future designs, so I will try out more of the programs from the lists (thanks). Tried out Eagle, still working through the tutorial. Seems a bit complex for me right now (eg. I want to put a simple resistor here - I want the pads to be spaced 500mil apart - I want the pad to have 40mil hole, 60mil diameter --- i must be stupid? because i spent 10 minutes wading through ui and didn't figure it out) Anyways, it seems like i will be demoing a stack of software for the next week or so! Back to work... Keith creekchubbAThotmailDOTcom (replace AT with @, DOT with .)

Free is nice, but isn't this a lot of work just to save a few bucks? Brad PC Logic

Schematic entry and PCB design software

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For me, free is very important until my needs are better determined. In the past i have wasted thousands of dollars on software packages that looked like they were exactly what i needed. This ended up in a ton of work changing my workflow to suit the developer's vision, or a useless box sitting on a shelf. Electronics is a new hobby for me, and I don't want to spend a lot of money unless I find a product that I really love. As I am just getting started in computer pcb layout, I expect that my workflow will be strongly influenced by the software package. There are a ton of layout programs out there, with prices ranging from free to insane. I'm pretty sure, for my basic needs, there is something out there for me for free or cheap. I just need to do the research and find something that I can work with, and that will suit me in the future.

Currently trying out ARES Lite, part of the Proteus Lite suite. Going to do the tutorial this evening.

Keith creekchubbAThotmailDOTcom (replace AT with @, DOT with .)

If you are willing to set up a Linux box (or partition), there are some powerful Open Source apps (gratis and libre). Terry Porter had a nice page.

It appears his site is down.

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