PCB Design/Layout Software

recommendations?

Have a look at ExpressPCB. They have a free schematic cad program and a free board layout program. You order boards directy from them, on line, and their prices are not bad. It's great for small boards and small runs. Bob

Try using Electronics Workbench, Iuse it to test all my projects. L8TR, Mod

A very good freeware package that I have used for several years is Eagle

can either get support from Eagles good news group or the Yahoo group I setup located at Cheers

Wayne

Folks sure do throw arond that word *free* a lot. This is properly called Hobbyist Demoware. (I almost said hobbiest.) No *functions* have been crippled, but the free version does 80mm x 100mm 2-layer boards maximum. For many folks that is enough. A biz (legally) needs to plunk down $50 to use it to make products.

To get 160mm x 100mm & 4 layers is $200 (layout module); the demo Schematic Editor will still work (sorta

--batch files to swap registered/demoware password).

Full usability is $400 per module; licence only what you need or go hog-wild.

...but yeah. It's good stuff. At this point someone usually mentions the not-like-usual-Windoze-apps interface (which takes some getting used to).

OTOH, gEDA/PCB is/are gratis (and libre) and will run under CYGWIN (or natively under Linux--again, free):

?q=gEDA+PCB+cygwin&start=0&filter=0 *-libre+Eric+Raymond

I am looking for something basic to use at home for small projects. I have downloaded a few examples, PCB Wizard I like, Eagle Layout Editor seems too much. Has anyone used the PCB Wizard product? Any other recommendations?

I am also using the student version of CircuitMaker, which is GREAT! I understand at one time it had with it a product "TraxMaker"? but sure can't find it in the version I have?

Thanks! Jim Douglas

Eagle is by far the best package out there. The rest is mostly junk which fools people into thinking it's easy to use just because it has a Windows-like interface. Eagle does require some learning but if you read the tutorial manual you will be fine and in the end you will be much more productive with the Eagle interface.

A very good freeware package that I have used for several years is Eagle

can either get support from Eagles good news group or the Yahoo group I setup located at Cheers

Wayne

group I

recommendations?

GREAT! I

I hate that stuff, I have sent messages to some things like that and they never show up. I asked and they said "Most users would not be interested in that!", I said bullshi%%!!

Yeah, the experience is still bugging me. Granted, the bulletin borad does belong to the author, but the bulletin board link does say "discuss the PCB software with other WinQcad users". That's kinda hard to do when the arrogant SOB author removes posts.

Mark

Jim Douglas wrote:

interested in

Yahoo

message

projects.

The Cadsoft guys handle this by having 2 newsgroups:

1 ostensibly for user-to-user and 1 ostensibly for asking the company guys.