KiCad or EasyEDA - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / general

author: Sarvesaa
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: May 02, 2023, 05:07:02 pm
content: Hey all,I completed my first semester and I am shortly going to join the second semester of my EEE degree. My college is going to introduce students to EDA and they took EasyEDA as preferred software.Would you prefer KiCad or EasyEDA for begineers like students.I designed few circuits in KiCad and like it more than EasyEDA.Thanks

author: ataradov
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: May 02, 2023, 05:20:32 pm
content: KiCad. Anything online is bound to shut down or start charging eventually and you will have no recourse.But if this is just for education where half the class will not care and will not end up doing EE anyway, then either works.

author: kripton2035
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: May 02, 2023, 05:21:08 pm
content: easyeda is an online tool, and kicad is local to your computer.this is enough for me to choose kicad ...but for a student classroom it may be easier to just connect to an online web site, and not have to maintain local apps on computers.

author: tooki
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: May 03, 2023, 10:10:20 am
content: FYI, there is also an offline version of EasyEDA. In theory that should keep running even without internet — provided you have saved local copies of your projects, of course.EasyEDA is, IMHO, easier to use. Not only because it does less, but because the usability is more thought-out. (They clearly took a lot of inspiration from Altium, which in this case is a good thing.) But kicad is more capable, and because it’s not based on web technologies, it’s more responsive. (Not that EasyEDA is bad in that regard, either.)For absolute beginners who aren’t going to use any advanced features (or even midrange ones), I’d use EasyEDA. The learning curve is much shallower.

author: kripton2035
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: May 03, 2023, 11:57:04 am
content: I tried easyeda "offline" once ago, but as far as I remember, it is only some encapsuled web browser that connects to the main web site !

author: tooki
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: May 03, 2023, 12:22:01 pm
content: Looks like it depends on the version. (See attached screenshot ofhttps://easyeda.com/page/download.)

author: thm_w
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: May 03, 2023, 09:29:24 pm
content: Quote from: tooki on May 03, 2023, 10:10:20 amIs anyone using EasyEDA in industry though? If the intent is to learn EasyEDA then move on to other software, OK. If its just to teach them that, not a huge fan of the idea.OP: is this 4 year degree? 2 year? Are there lab PC's with other software installed?

author: nctnico
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: May 03, 2023, 09:34:53 pm
content: Quote from: thm_w on May 03, 2023, 09:29:24 pmYes, I've seen it being used.IMHO using EasyEda makes perfect sense for teaching purposes as it takes away the whole can of worms with students needing to install software on their computers and managing school supplied libraries.

author: themadhippy
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: May 03, 2023, 09:54:04 pm
content: One advantage of easyeda is it being part of the jlcpcb lcsc stable so you can do everything within the one package from the initial design to having the built board landing on your doorstep.

author: Benta
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: May 03, 2023, 10:57:26 pm
content: Quote from: nctnico on May 03, 2023, 09:34:53 pmWhat's wrong with the KiCAD standard libraries? And how does this differ from EasyEDA?

author: EPAIII
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: May 04, 2023, 11:32:06 am
content: I am glad someone else mentioned libraries. For me the existing libraries are a big deal. I have learned several PCB CAD programs and in every case I found myself making almost every component that I wanted to use. This was due to two reasons: either the component was not in an existing library or the way it was constructed, usually the schematic symbol but sometimes even the PCB outline, that I just could not force myself to work with the library symbols.So, to me, the existing libraries are something to look at when choosing a PCB CAD program. Perhaps not a deal breaker, but something to consider. Of course, YMMV.

author: nctnico
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: May 04, 2023, 01:16:11 pm
content: Quote from: Benta on May 03, 2023, 10:57:26 pmYou snipped the part where I explained that: students will need to install Kicad's libraries on their system as well, in the right directory and they might need tweaking / changing to match the course. And then there are several Kicad versions out there that may have compatibility issues. Keep in mind some students are quite illiterate where it comes to configuring a computer and so on. A browser based solution is way more easier to manage in an educational environment. The course can be kept on-point. Nothing sucks more than having to deal with computer / software version related issues while trying to make a project as part of a study. Been there, done that.

author: Benta
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: May 04, 2023, 08:08:38 pm
content: Quote from: nctnico on May 04, 2023, 01:16:11 pmThe libraries are installed along with the program. Installation also takes care of all directory issues.And I'm sorry, but if the school in question is not able to specify a certain version, then it's not a school, but a monkey cage.