Schematic and Layout software.

So, I finally "understand" EAGLE, and that I need to edit my own libraries etc... I think that's the biggest learning curve there. The FAQ should include: Q. What do I do if I can't find the part I need? A. Build your own, its easy.

Anyway, now that I've done this, (lets see how my first design turns out), I think I'm ready to attack bigger problems. But, the free edition of EAGLE really limits what can be done. I could buy the Hobbyist version, but then I couldn't sell my products. Hell, I could probably afford the Standard or Professional editions, but that seems like way overkill for me (for now).

This is a hobby, but I would like to consider selling my products at some point.

Are there other useful Schematic/Layout packages that people find usable?

I'm not necessarily looking for "free", but "cheap" is nice.

If it makes a difference, I use a Mac. I'm still open to Windows/Linux only solutions though.

Thanks, Daniel.

Reply to
Daniel Pitts
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Kicad on Windows is good. But according to a Mac person I know, Kicad on the Mac is not good.

It makes a big difference. Well not really because those using Macs to do design and development of boards often simply do a dual boot system and run those tools under Windows. The big expense is a legal copy of Windows 7 which is nearly $70.

Reply to
sms

I've done several small hobby-type projects using KiCAD. It's not perfect, and has quirks (but the same seems to be true of most schematic/layout packages), but I've been able to make it work well enough for my needs.

It comes with a modest parts library, and there are many other parts libraries available for it which have been ported in from other packages. There's also a part-and-footprint library editor, so you can modify existing parts or roll your own from scratch.

Reply to
David Platt

gEDA has been around for quite a while. People do use it.

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gEDA is primarily Linux/Unix. I think that there was a version for Windows at one stage.

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Bill Sloman, Sydney
Reply to
Bill Sloman

Free or cheap?

DipTrace (I prefer) TINA DesignSpark PCB Artist KiCad

All have their own quirks and perks. But if you learned Eagle, you would be used to that by now.

For some reason, in the field of electronics, we rarely seem to get hassle-free, intellectually unchallenging products.

Ken Rockwell

Reply to
krockwell

We use Proteus here.

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Just pay for the features you need. Excellent support too.

JB

Reply to
JB

IMHO gEDA/PCB is far from ready for any real work. I know people who did SoC designs with it but it is very cumbersome.

--
Failure does not prove something is impossible, failure simply 
indicates you are not using the right tools... 
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Reply to
Nico Coesel

"Daniel Pitts" schreef in bericht news:U3XHu.46562$ snipped-for-privacy@fx02.iad...

IMHO Cadsoft has had the best price-performance ratio for a long time. Still, you can use the free- or hobby version for a long, long time. You only have to upgrade when you go commercial.

These days, Design Spark from RS-Components is coming along fully free. I downloaded end installed but did not spent much time. "It differs" is the only thing I can say.

petrus bitbyter

Reply to
petrus bitbyter

The customer base is small enough so that bug fixing time doesn't get divided by a large number on release, and that same customer base is flexible enough to not get stymied by misbehaving tools.

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Tim Wescott 
Wescott Design Services 
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Reply to
Tim Wescott

Den tirsdag den 4. februar 2014 14.49.08 UTC+1 skrev petrus bitbyter:

I installed designspark haven't had time to really try it much, but I'd think you can get a bit of a head start if you are used to eagle, since there are scripts to import schematic,pcb and libs from eagle and it seems to work

-Lasse

Reply to
Lasse Langwadt Christensen

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