Best free PCB design software?

[Amiga1992]

What is, according to you, the best PCB design software available for free?

I'm trying to make a PCB (not that complicated but not that simple, lots of connections) and I tried Fritzing, but it was absolutely annoying to use. I spent my whole day today creating my own custom ICs and then it was reaaaaally messy to get it working properly (things don't snap into place properly, objects snap out of grids, etc).

I only managed to make a rat's nest of a breadboard, but that didn't translate to a PCB by the autoroute at all, and when I tried to do it by hand is when it all failed.

Anyway I found a few options by googling like "ExpressPCB" and "Bay Area Circuits PCB Creator" which asks you for your email to send you the download link (annoying) and that link never arrived (quadruple annoying), but I'd like to hear from the hardware makers here.

Please don't suggest commercial software, I am a hobbyist trying to learn, have no idea what I am doing , and have no money for such tings anyway. Free options ONLY.

(feel free to suggest software that runs on other platforms, for everyone's reference, but personally am only interested in Win7-compatible programs)

Thanks!

[ajk]

I have been using KiCad with good success. Although, to be honest I have not compared it to many others so I can't say how it stacks up relatively speaking. It is also used by CERN (the particle physics lab in Switzerland) and they have been contributing to the code base.

Autorouting is generally best avoided

[Mathesar]

Originally Posted by ajk

I have been using KiCad with good success. Although, to be honest I have not compared it to many others so I can't say how it stacks up relatively speaking. It is also used by CERN (the particle physics lab in Switzerland) and they have been contributing to the code base.

Autorouting is generally best avoided

My vote goed to KiCad as well. In fact, where I work we have moved from Cadstar (expensive professional package) to Kicad for all our pcb design.
Even our prototyping PCB service accepts KiCad files.

[Locutus]

Another vote for KiCAD FWIW.

[whiteb]

Does it export Gerber files, instead of the unique (BRD / SCH) that Eagle puts out ?

[zardoz]

CADSTAR has an Express version which is free up to 300 pins. (I'm on the dev. team - would be remiss of me not to plug it ).

[Daedalus]

Eagle is possibly one of the widest used packages, and it's free to use up to a board size of 8cmx10cm, which is often plenty for hobbyist projects. Get the previous version though (7.7 IIRC is the most recent version of it), as it was bought up by Autodesk and now they operate a subscription service. It's still offered as a hard-to-find download here.

KiCAD is also a good shout, though I find it a little more awkward to use than Eagle. Not that Eagle doesn't have its quirks, but once you get your head around them it works quite well.

As others have said, the autoroute feature is best avoided if possible as it rarely gives decent results. Your boards will look better (and potentially even perform better if you're doing high frequency stuff) if you do the layout by hand.

[Mathesar]

Originally Posted by whiteb

Does it export Gerber files, instead of the unique (BRD / SCH) that Eagle puts out ?

yes it does!

[Mathesar]

Originally Posted by zardoz

CADSTAR has an Express version which is free up to 300 pins. (I'm on the dev. team - would be remiss of me not to plug it ).

We have used Cadstar for a long time but TBH, since moving to KiCad we have never looked back. (I'm sorry )

[zardoz]

Originally Posted by Mathesar

. (I'm sorry )

No problem! It's amazing how good the quality is of open source software. I think an entry level license for C* is £4000. 'What we're really selling is Quality and support' says my boss when I tell him about this thread.

[whiteb]

Originally Posted by zardoz

No problem! It's amazing how good the quality is of open source software. I think an entry level license for C* is £4000. 'What we're really selling is Quality and support' says my boss when I tell him about this thread.

Well, my level of using C*, Eagle or any other PCB software, is load it up and sit there thinking "WTF do I do now".

[Daedalus]

It's of very little use nowadays since it's more unusual to etch your own PCBs, but AmiPCB (sister package of AmiCAD) on the Amiga was useable - if a little primitive. It could be used for printing transparencies for photosensitive copper clad development, but it doesn't export Gerbers so it's of no use for external fabs.

[Amiga1992]

Thanks for these tips guys!

Yesterday I tried ExpressPCB, (the link for the other one never came, talk about shitty). It was just not great. It started well,m I defined my own components there that I need, but as soon as I started laying out teh schematics, cable/connection drawing went tits up getting confused on which pins it would stick.

I kinda wish these programs had (do any of them have it?) a text-only way of connecting pins for schematics, so there's no mistake as to what connects where. It'd make my life easier to just type instead of dragging little points onto other little points among a shit ton of fucking cables.

For your reference, this is part of the breadboard I managed to do with Fritzing before I uninstalled it, just so you see the scope of cable fuckery I have to deal with:



I guess after such positive votes I will try KiCad! I thought it was a kid's software and I didn't get it :P A friend recommended DipTrace too, also has a free version "up to 300 pins' and I am testing it now.

Originally Posted by Daedalus

Eagle is possibly one of the widest used packages, and it's free to use up to a board size of 8cmx10cm, which is often plenty for hobbyist projects. Get the previous version though (7.7 IIRC is the most recent version of it), as it was bought up by Autodesk and now they operate a subscription service. It's still offered as a hard-to-find download here.

Thanks for the tip on Eagle, Daedalus. I discarded it as I thought it was commercial, not knowing it had a free version that well serves my needs.

[kolla]

There is also https://circuits.io

I just made my own take of the KA47 (shorter, for use with SX32 - aptly named KA47jr) using Eagle though, and ordered 3 samples from https://oshpark.com for less than USD 6.

[pandy71]

Kicad of course and if you can accept license conditions you may be interested in DesignSpark https://www.rs-online.com/designspark/home particularly https://www.rs-online.com/designspark/pcb-software .

Of course there is few additional options - like older Protel Autorax DOS, plenty trial/limited demo versions (i will mention this one http://eda.eremex.com/products/topor...torouting.html very nice newcomer from Russia)

[nogginthenog]

DIYLC is nice but it's more aimed at prototype and strip boards etc.
http://diy-fever.com/software/diylc/

[Yulquen74]

Designspark!

[billt]

Ive used Eagle, which has been popular free usage for a long time. Autodesk may ruin that favorite status. circuits.io is some newish online thing regarding Eagle.

Kicad is good and getting better.

Upverter is available online and free for open-source designs and maybe some other things. There's better choices if you end up paying for something in the future.

I had thought CircuitStudio was free if you made online open designs, but now I can't find anything about that and see it costs $500. If anyone knows what I'm thinking abotu for free online design usage please remind me, as the Google isn't helping me find that today. Its likely worth $500, but I can't find it for free now. I might be confusing this with circuits.io ?

Orcad Capture in the cloud is free form Arrow, but I'm not sure if it has PCB layout feature or if it is only schematic.
https://www.arrow.com/en/research-an...-capture-cloud

partsim is allegedly Pspice in the cloud, but again not sure if has PCB layout feature.

[billt]

But today I am going to the expense of Altium Deisgner... Only took like 5 or 6 years to save up...

[Mr.Flibble]

Another vote for KiCAD - There's a bunch of stuff in the pipeline from the folks at CERN which should help a lot with usability as it can be kinda quirky.

I've tinkered around a bit with Eagle, but I'd prefer to use KiCAD once it's been tickled a bit more.

Originally Posted by billt

But today I am going to the expense of Altium Deisgner... Only took like 5 or 6 years to save up...

Niiiiice, I was really liking the look of it on one of the EEVblog videos, but it's something I'd never buy as I'm just a hobbyist tinkerer.