Welcome to our site! EDAboard.com is an international Electronics Discussion Forum focused on EDA software, circuits, schematics, books, theory, papers, asic, pld, 8051, DSP, Network, RF, Analog Design, PCB, Service Manuals... and a whole lot more! To participate you need to register. Registration is free. Click here to register now.
Have a look at Eagle ! The demo is free, just limited on the size and 2-layers, but with that you can already make a lot. Check on . You can also download manuals on their website.
OrCAD is free but not a lot of use as the freeware version is limited to two 14-pin DIP packages and about 28 pins, to the best of my knowledge!
EAGLE freeware is much better - up to half eurocard size per design on two layers.
If you're good at manual layout/routing then Abacom's Sprint Layout 5.0 (about €28.50) is worth considering - this makes PCBs up to about 1m² on top, bottom and two inner layers. It has the disadvantage of needing a netlist from a schematic program though!
Also consider Kicad which is freeware GNU licensed but I'm not sure how good its component libraries are! Don't forget you'll need OpenOffice (also GNU freeware) for Kicad's manuals!
If you can get hold of a copy of Elektor's Demo DVD (Nov 2005) or the copy they published later (Sept 2008) it's well worth having! I can post this if its OK by the forum rules!
This site uses cookies to help personalise content, tailor your experience and to keep you logged in if you register.
By continuing to use this site, you are consenting to our use of cookies.