Difference between Eagle Light and Eagle Professional Schem & PCB layout software?

Difference between Eagle Light and Eagle Professional Schem & PCB layout software?

Please may i enquire if Eagle Light schematics & PCB layouts can be opened up in Eagle Professional?

Also, can Eagle Light libraries be used in Eagle Professional?

Does Eagle Professional have the same look and feel as Eagle Light?

Re: Difference between Eagle Light and Eagle Professional Schem & PCB layout software

They are identical in look and feel - it is the same software. As far as I know you can view and print files which were created with the 'higher' versions - you just cannot edit them. I believe you can also produce the production data for any size PCB from the lite version.

Keith

Re: Difference between Eagle Light and Eagle Professional Schem & PCB layout software

Thanks Keith, i get your drift.....though the Lite is only for 10cm * 16cm PCBs.....no gerber data for bigger pcbs can be gotten from the lite version...or am i wrong?.,......i think eagle is the cheapest of all, am i again wrong?

Re: Difference between Eagle Light and Eagle Professional Schem & PCB layout software

You can open all files in the Lite version and create the Gerbers. I have just loaded a 6 layer board in the Lite version and it produce the Gerbers. I have loaded a 180mm square PCB and it is fine. It is only when you try to move objects that it complains. The Lite version is limited to 10cm x 8cm not 10cm x 16cm (and 2 layers).

Eagle is not that cheap. Some packages are free such as http://www.designspark.com/ and I am sure there are plenty of packages around that cost less than Eagle (as well as plenty that cost more).

Keith.

Re: Difference between Eagle Light and Eagle Professional Schem & PCB layout software

Thanks, though i believe Eagle has more general support, because its the best free package around?

Re: Difference between Eagle Light and Eagle Professional Schem & PCB layout software

It certainly seems popular, possibly because of the free version. The Cadsoft hosted technical support newsgroup is also pretty good.

Keith

Re: Difference between Eagle Light and Eagle Professional Schem & PCB layout software

Just to confirm..

......can Eagle Lite libraries (libraries created in Eagle Lite) be used in Eagle Professional?

Re: Difference between Eagle Light and Eagle Professional Schem & PCB layout software

Yes. No difference between the versions in the libraries that I know of.

Keith

Re: Difference between Eagle Light and Eagle Professional Schem & PCB layout software

How is designspark? What is the catch that it's free?

Also How is Eagle compare to OrCad?

Re: Difference between Eagle Light and Eagle Professional Schem & PCB layout software

EAGLE.....it is the SINGLE and ONLY scm and PCB software that is free in a fairly unlimited form.

As such it has been adopted by the electronics fraternity, as THE package.....

therefroe, there is more help on the web for eagle than ANY OTHER package.

that is why eagle is the best................you wont have to spend 5 hours wondering how you do a certain simple job....you get advice off the web forums in minutes.


...

Re: Difference between Eagle Light and Eagle Professional Schem & PCB layout software

The free version is quite limited - one schematic sheet, two layer PCB up to 100x80mm. Even with those limits I guess it has helped the popularity as it is good enough for many hobby projects.

I cannot remember if RS Components started Designspark before or after Farnell bought Eagle, but as Designspark is one of the few packages to import Eagle schematics and PCBs I guess it is part odds the battle of the distributors.

It is a while since I have used Orcad PCB but I remember it as being harder to learn than Eagle with a lot more to set up before you can start laying out the PCB. The same was true of creating library parts. I was working for a company 10 years or so ago where they dropped Orcad in favour of Eagle as productivity was so slow with Orcad. That was around version 7. Things may have improved. I assume you get more 'high level' features in Orcad for helping to lay out high performance boards. Eagle has only just got around to trace length matching and then only for differential pairs.

Keith

Re: Difference between Eagle Light and Eagle Professional Schem & PCB layout software

Thanks for the info. Do you know whether Eagle will import OrCad Schematics?

I designed with OrCad 10.2 and PADS power pcb, they are close in complexity, I like OrCad better for RF layout as it gives me more freedom. If I want to do a lot of nipping and tugging, pouring copper plane of different shapes. Is it easy doing this with Eagle? I really don't need the software to help me balance differential pairs, I don't even use auto route. I don't need any simulation, impedance.........I just need a package that is cheap and layout what I want ( manually ) easily.

Also, what is the best way to learn Eagle? By using the help feature or by some other books or site?

Re: Difference between Eagle Light and Eagle Professional Schem & PCB layout software

Eagle and orcad qus are in this forum...i asked them too..search my callsign "treez"

......eagle has millions of youtube help videos...as well as tangentsoft.net.....as well as loads of PCB sections of forums....as well as eagles own forum.

Lets face it , most pcb packages are private software, and its hellishly difficult to learn them or get advice, even if you bought a licence............eagle is not like that...there is millions of free advice for eagle............thats why eagle is the best.............i hope eagle takes over and governments take it over and make it free...then all the other "nasty" pcb packages will go and pcb layout will be easy....a pcb layout package will become what it should be......a tool.....a tool thats easy to use.

If you know th e physical construction of a pcb but cant use a pcb package , then that is the fault of the package...because they are too private.....except for eagle.

i do not work for eagle, but i do pcb layout for a living and i have a vested interest in getting the job done as quick and easily as possible.....eagle helps me in that....i have nightmares when i work places and they insist on me using their package which isnt eagle.........there is one particular package thats quite common....and is a total nightmare....i wont say its name but many will know the one i mean.......just making a part for the library is a nightmare from hell