Schematic and PCB Design - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / rf-microwave

author: vino
author_rank: Newbie
timestamp: November 04, 2024, 01:09:13 am
content: Hello Guys,I would like to ask a question because i would like to design a pcb and I am confuse on which software to start and which one to use. I am looking for Altium and Cadence Allegro.From these two design software which the industry standard and most use by electronics manufacturing company?Thank you for your response highly appreciates.

author: EggertEnjoyer123
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: November 04, 2024, 01:18:14 am
content: Kicad is good and used by almost all hobbyists.Larger companies tend to use Altium though.

author: daisizhou
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: November 04, 2024, 02:11:19 am
content: https://lceda.cn/There are online drawing tools here, which saves you the trouble of installing AD or other software on your personal computer. The key is that there is a complete package library, and it is linked with the physical electronic components. You can draw the PCB and shop directly in the online store, and even assemble the PCB components directly.You can choose between the standard version and the professional version

author: stretchyman
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: November 04, 2024, 08:56:13 am
content: I found Altium ridiculously everly complex and have been designing PCBs for over 30 years.Pick a program you can actually purchase rather than paying a yearly subscription.Im not going to recommend anything as there are so many and they all do the job.

author: Solder_Junkie
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: November 04, 2024, 05:18:41 pm
content: Vino, your question is slightly confusing. You mention making a print board, and two expensive software packages…If you are looking to create layouts to send to board manufacturers, the output is generic Gerber and drilling files. Almost any PCB package can produce them.As others have mentioned, KiCad is popular and zero cost. While originally a commercial package, I guess most users are hobbyists these days.If you plan to create a PCB from an existing circuit, KiCad can be tedious as it is based on creating a circuit diagram, a “bill of materials” and finally a board layout. This is how companies work, whereas a hobby user might want go straight to creating a board layout…I like Sprint Layout from Abacom, which is about 50 euros (inc vat if applicable). There is a circuit drawing program from them too at the same price. Sprint Layout doesn’t need a circuit drawn first, you can go straight to creating a layout.https://www.electronic-software-shop.com/lng/en/electronic-software/sprint-layout-60.htmlAs for professional packages, I have no idea as I am a hobby user.SJ

author: CadenceAE
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: November 05, 2024, 12:11:38 am
content: IT would depend on the complexity of the PCBARE you making something for yourself, as a hobby, or are you building a product for a company you work for?If you are building something for yourself or low volume production then I'd look at OrCADX from Cadence, it is affordable yet powerful.or, if your doing a hobby on a budget, then kicad for sure

author: KlausKragelund
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: November 05, 2024, 01:09:56 pm
content: Quote from: CadenceAE on November 05, 2024, 12:11:38 amI have both Orcad X and Altium. Both are somewhat buggy, but Orcad is kind of extreme buggy, so I would not recommend that.Kicad or EasyEDAhttps://easyeda.com/EasyEDA links directly to cheap components and assembly at JLCPCB

author: vino
author_rank: Newbie
timestamp: November 08, 2024, 01:25:47 pm
content: Good Day thank you for the response. I'm a newbie in the company and I want to participate and learn how to use PCB design/layout software.

author: MarkF
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: November 08, 2024, 01:37:38 pm
content: I useDipTracefor hobby PCBs.It's free for small two layer boards with 300 pins. No physical size limits.I found it much more intuitive than KiCad.

author: dobsonr741
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: November 09, 2024, 02:46:59 am
content: Kicad. No need to spend on license or get locked in to come and go small firms tooling. Kicad files accepted directly on Oshpark.com - sure indication it’s the most popular among hobbyists.

author: Randy222
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: November 11, 2024, 03:50:04 pm
content: I can vouch for DipTrace, but I have a paid licence, yet the free version is still robust. DipTrace is very flexible when it comes to paid license. With paid license you also get really good support.

author: scopeman
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: November 15, 2024, 01:30:21 am
content: I second SolderJunkie,I have used SprintLayout for almost 15 years both for professional products and hobby use. Super easy to learn. KiCAD us a great product but has a much steeper learning curve.For hobby use Sprint has all the power you will ever need. I am always amazed what I can do with it. I probably have layed out and manufactured 1000 pcb's with it.The only hints is make sure if you are using through hole parts that the drill size is correct for the parts you want to use and that for surface mount the land patterns are the correct size. It is easy tomake your own components with Sprint if you need something special and add it to your own user library. As you may have found out you can download a fully functional copy from Abacom's website that will do everything but save.Also there are no practical board size, pin or component limits. Sure it's not free but about the cost for dinner for 4 or 5 at McDonalds. Support should you need it is excellent. It is probably the most bug free PCB software that I have ever used and I have used or tried just about every package out there.Have fun. I hope you find something that meets your needs.SamW3OHM

author: shabaz
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: November 15, 2024, 02:45:04 am
content: Agree that some of the PCB CAD packages are simpler (and others are far more complex to use!),but the KiCad learning curve has been substantially reduced over the past few years.It's possible to install KiCad, and take 50 minutes of free training, and be productive with KiCad within a day, pretty much guaranteed.Plus, free community support is available, often within an hour or so, to get you moving again.Recommending my 50-min video because it's the shortest one I'm aware of with no adverts (hopefully, since it's not being monetized) that covers the process from start to finish, including symbol and footprint design, rule checking, Gerber inspection, and file output ready for a typical low-cost PCB manufacturer.The video is titled KiCad 6, but the information applies to the latest KiCad 8 too. I genuinely believe it will help, otherwise I would not post a link to it.

author: Doctorandus_P
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: November 19, 2024, 11:37:54 pm
content: Another vote for KiCad here. As an Open Source program it's free of any artificial limits (board size, pin count etc). It's also growing quite fast. Both in it's capabilities, and in the number of people using it. But to be fair, I started using KiCad myself over 10 years ago. Back then it had quite severe gaps in it's capabilities, but I also saw it's potential. For some years now all the big gaps have been plugged and it's potential is coming true.Designing good PCB's is a skill, and this skill is more important then the software you use. It's similar to learning electronics and how to design circuits, to simply entering a schematic in a schematic drawing program. The skills are far more important then the software. You can learn a new PCB drawing program in a few weeks, while learning electronics takes years.

author: SteveThackery
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: November 21, 2024, 01:19:19 pm
content: What do we think about Dex PCB Designer?The UI looks great compared with KiCAD. I'm not using it myself, but it looks like an impressive piece of software. It does have one major failing: the simulation feature is a joke and hasn't been improved in years.Sorry for the blurry picture below - it's a zoomed-in screen grab from the website.https://dexpcb.com