Help with PCB software
- Thread starter itolond
- Start date
buzzlightyear
Member
You might want to have a look at fritzing www.fritzing.org or design spark http://www.rs-online.com/designspark/electronics/eng/page/designspark-pcb-home-page both are free and fairly well featured as well as being good for beginners.
marzan
Senior Member
If you want to try something different try diptrace. It has most of the picaxe libraries. Also easy transition to Mach3. Diptrace-> file-> export->mach2/3 drill gives you your drill file.Diptrace-> file-> export->dxf->D2NC(cheap mach3 add on good for lots of stuff on mills)->mMach3 gives you tour routing file.
cactusface
Senior Member
Hi,
I find Eagle a real pain, with a learning curve that would put most people off. Try Diptrace it's compleatly FREE with lots of part libraries (Including picaxe) and you can create you own, schematics, PCB, part editors, all you need...
I make my PCB's with a laser printer, it's easy.
Regards
Mel.
I find Eagle a real pain, with a learning curve that would put most people off. Try Diptrace it's compleatly FREE with lots of part libraries (Including picaxe) and you can create you own, schematics, PCB, part editors, all you need...
I make my PCB's with a laser printer, it's easy.
Regards
Mel.
I use Eagle as limited Freeware Version together with PCB-GCode to mill my few PCBs with EMC2. Works for me, i dont know if there is an easier way because i use Eagle since the early 90s and i dont want to try another Program. Setting up PCB-Gcode is a bit tricky, but works.
What do you want to know? Working with Eagle or making the NC data for MACH?
What do you want to know? Working with Eagle or making the NC data for MACH?
I've used Eagle for a number of years now. I was originally provided with a paid version of EasyPC which I found very user un-friendly and far from easy.
I then tried Eagle and for me it was much simpler to understand, it also had a Mac version that I could use at home. I used Eagle (lite) from then on, in preference to the copy of EasyPC. I simply kept my PCBs within the size limits and broke larger projects into modules. This suited my design approach well and I never found it a hindrance.
I then got a new job and was provided with a copy of Cadence Orcad. I found it to be extremely frustrating in almost every single way imaginable. There were glaring inconsistencies between the various schematic and pcb modules that drove me demented (delete in one module was the backspace key and in the other Ctrl+D - ridiculous) and in part eventually led to me leaving that job.
At my new job I have been able to purchase a full copy of Eagle. I sometimes have to use an old DOS version of Boardmaker by Tsien and to me, even that has better logic than Orcad.
Before purchasing Eagle, I tried DesignSpark, but it's only merit for me was that it was free. It had inherited all I disliked from EasyPC gaining nothing that made me want to persist with learning how to use it. I also gave DipTrace a try and it was the next best to Eagle in my view, but I still found myself gravitating back to Eagle. Perhaps it just fits my thought process better.
I then tried Eagle and for me it was much simpler to understand, it also had a Mac version that I could use at home. I used Eagle (lite) from then on, in preference to the copy of EasyPC. I simply kept my PCBs within the size limits and broke larger projects into modules. This suited my design approach well and I never found it a hindrance.
I then got a new job and was provided with a copy of Cadence Orcad. I found it to be extremely frustrating in almost every single way imaginable. There were glaring inconsistencies between the various schematic and pcb modules that drove me demented (delete in one module was the backspace key and in the other Ctrl+D - ridiculous) and in part eventually led to me leaving that job.
At my new job I have been able to purchase a full copy of Eagle. I sometimes have to use an old DOS version of Boardmaker by Tsien and to me, even that has better logic than Orcad.
Before purchasing Eagle, I tried DesignSpark, but it's only merit for me was that it was free. It had inherited all I disliked from EasyPC gaining nothing that made me want to persist with learning how to use it. I also gave DipTrace a try and it was the next best to Eagle in my view, but I still found myself gravitating back to Eagle. Perhaps it just fits my thought process better.
There are as many different views on PCB CAD software as there are users of said software.
Some people will find a particular PCB package easy to get on with, some will find the very same package difficult or even impossible to use, and thus wont recommend it.
So advice along the lines of "I find PCB package xxxxxxx difficult\easy to use" does not mean a lot really.
What I would suggest, is forget about looking for a PCB package that has the largest most complete parts library on the planet, but choose a package that you find easy to create custom parts for, you will need to do this at some point.
As an approximate guide, the HABAXE project I have been working on has around 75% custom parts in it, its easier and quicker to create them than get an exact match in a parts library from the zillions of parts then vendors sell.
Some people will find a particular PCB package easy to get on with, some will find the very same package difficult or even impossible to use, and thus wont recommend it.
So advice along the lines of "I find PCB package xxxxxxx difficult\easy to use" does not mean a lot really.
What I would suggest, is forget about looking for a PCB package that has the largest most complete parts library on the planet, but choose a package that you find easy to create custom parts for, you will need to do this at some point.
As an approximate guide, the HABAXE project I have been working on has around 75% custom parts in it, its easier and quicker to create them than get an exact match in a parts library from the zillions of parts then vendors sell.
You're dead right there srnet.
These types of thread usually turn into 'My fave CAD'.
Some of us OFs have used many CADs and we all have our like and dislikes.
Personally, I avoid Eagle but that's just one person's opinion.
(all the engineers at my place agree though).
Designspark is just a baby EasyPC. Again, some people like it and others don't.
Your Big Boy stuff like Orcad and Altium are way too complicated for hobby use and are a money black-hole.
As said by srnet, find one you can drive and that does what you want and stick to it.
And learn how to create components and footprints as it'll save time.
For quick stuff I use Labcenter Proteus.
It has a baby simulator for some PICAXEs which some here may recognise.
These types of thread usually turn into 'My fave CAD'.
Some of us OFs have used many CADs and we all have our like and dislikes.
Personally, I avoid Eagle but that's just one person's opinion.
(all the engineers at my place agree though).
Designspark is just a baby EasyPC. Again, some people like it and others don't.
Your Big Boy stuff like Orcad and Altium are way too complicated for hobby use and are a money black-hole.
As said by srnet, find one you can drive and that does what you want and stick to it.
And learn how to create components and footprints as it'll save time.
For quick stuff I use Labcenter Proteus.
It has a baby simulator for some PICAXEs which some here may recognise.