Please suggest a CAD software for designing Front Panel of Circuit Trainer - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / beginners

author: fbublikov
author_rank: Newbie
timestamp: August 24, 2021, 01:55:07 pm
content: Hello,I'm busy with the second part of the school assignment and wanted to ask some suggestions on which CAD software would be best to use for the task. Please find all relevant details below.I need to draw a front panel of Analoue/Digital circuit trainer for the course assignment. Example products: RSR Assembled/Digital Analog Trainer, IDL-600 Analogue Lab, MCP Analog Digital Trainer Board M21-7000. Following devices must be present on the panel:- Embedded Function Generator- Embedded Power Supply- Embedded MultimeterSpecs for each device listed above are given, but not relevant for the question. I do not need to design a PCB for this device, only front panel layout, with all knobs and buttons (as the course is about general technical design process). I'm allowed to use a CAD software of my choice for this. Following CAD software is available for me at the moment:- AutoCAD- EAGLE- KiCad- FritzingI do understand that neither of the CAD packets above could be perfectly usable for the task at hand and, hence, the question. Which CAD software would be best to use for the task? Affordability (at least for the student) would be a factor as well. All suggestions are welcomed. Thank you.

author: jmelson
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: August 24, 2021, 02:05:37 pm
content: Well, I have used PC board layout software for front panels. This is especially good when the panel will fit over knobs and switches that are mounted to a PC board, then the panel artwork can be drawn as another board layer and everything will line up perfectly.Jon

author: fbublikov
author_rank: Newbie
timestamp: August 24, 2021, 02:47:59 pm
content: Hello Jon,Thank you for the quick reply and suggestion. What was the name of the software package?Best regards,bublik

author: rstofer
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: August 24, 2021, 03:21:44 pm
content: Any version of CAD that will allow you to print a full size image. I used a free version of AutoCAD but I don't think it is available anymore. I don't know what you want your panel to look like but I did the drawing with both text and location data on the drawing. I used the location/drilling information to drive a CNC process to cut/drill the panel (actually 2 copies machined together) which were just 1/8" acrylic sheet. I sandwiched a print between two pieces and mounted the components.

author: Benta
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: August 24, 2021, 03:54:09 pm
content: LibreCAD is free and works well for Win, Mac and Linux.

author: admiralk
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: August 24, 2021, 09:12:00 pm
content: I would useFront Panel Designer. As long as you are not getting the panel manufactured somewhere else, there should be no conflicts with the licensing. You should always use the right tool for the job and designing front panels is what this is made to do.If what you need is to show is the buttons, knobs, devices on the panel, then this might not be of as much use. Something likeFreeCad, or any other CAD package would probably be a better choice.

author: JohnPen
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: August 26, 2021, 10:02:53 am
content: You could probably use Inkscape which is a free drawing package. I have used it for front panel layouts for homebuilt equipment. Printing the layout directly onto Photo paper. All the dimensions print precisely as drawn.John

author: fbublikov
author_rank: Newbie
timestamp: August 27, 2021, 09:50:37 pm
content: Thank you all for the wonderful suggestions. I will investigate all of them and see what will work best for me. Topic can be closed.

author: james_s
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: August 27, 2021, 10:20:30 pm
content: Quote from: admiralk on August 24, 2021, 09:12:00 pmI refuse to use software that is locked into a single vendor for producing the output. I remember there was at least one PCB CAD package like that, you had to pay them a significant amount extra if you wanted gerbers.

author: jmelson
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: August 28, 2021, 12:32:10 am
content: Quote from: fbublikov on August 24, 2021, 02:47:59 pmI use Protel 99 SE, a fairly expensive schematic + PCB package back in the day. It has evolved into Altium Designer.But, most any PCB layout software can do this. Draw lines, add lettering, etc.Jon

author: Ground_Loop
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: August 28, 2021, 07:37:28 pm
content: Take a look at Front Panel Express. It's what they do. I've had good experience with them.

author: golden_labels
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: August 28, 2021, 08:43:29 pm
content: Whichever piece of software you choose, first use a few pages of paper and a pencil. CADs are great for conveying a finished design to other people or machines, but in my opinion they suck for sketching. A total waste of time for protyping. And your fellow designers, whatever your branch is, will be fine with “DaveCAD”.KiCad and Fritzing are not general-purpose CAD, those areEDA. They are for designing electronic circuits and neither of them is meant for mechanical part design. Unless you want to make your front panel a PCB with silkscreen for graphical elements, which would be awkward at best. If I recall correctly: EAGLE, while also being primarily EDA, had some simple modelling features, but I don’t know if they are mature enough for this particular task.As for other options, there are two open pieces of software you may consider.If the design is meant to visualize the layout or at best be printed:Inkscape. With page size set to something a bit larger than the actual front panel size (for margins) and a rectangular grid of mm or some mils resolution.If it’s an actual mechanical part to be produced, in particular using CNC, seeFreeCAD.Each of them serve very different purpose. FreeCAD may seem very unintuitive and cumbersome at the beginning, but most of that is caused by it being meant to produce fully constructible and well-defined parts.(1)Which is not how human brain works. Unsuitable for quick sketching. Inkscape allows you to draw freely and in some scenarios its output may be used in production, but that isn’t true for all possible cases.IMO using a full blown CAD like FreeCAD may be a waste of time for a student project.(2)If you are a perfectionist, that may be a deadly trap.____(1)Some will argue there are more programs with more intuitive user experience and I will not oppose such opinions. But, talking with peple, I feel like that contributes to only 1/4 of the complains. The remaining 3/4 is the shock after being exposed to a very rigorous design process.(2)Unless you are studying something that is directly related to designing mechanical parts, which would require you to learn such a program.

author: Renate
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: August 29, 2021, 11:18:11 am
content: You can divide this into a lot of different, related cases:Printed front panelEngraved two color plastic laminateLaser cut panelsCNC machined panelsDassault DraftSight is an AutoCAD alternative that uses the same command format.LibreCAD uses its own command format.If you're hard-core you can do hand-generated SVG or G code.

author: Watth
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: August 29, 2021, 01:17:34 pm
content: I too would suggest Inkscape.

author: Jeroen3
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: August 29, 2021, 01:53:47 pm
content: If you also would like to have it made from non-pcb materials you could lookup Schaeffer AG. They're a german company specialized in front panel designs from aluminum.They do offer their own drawing software with built-in price indication. But I'm sure you could also send in DXF's.In any case, you will be needing a vector drawing tool. PCB tools are vector drawing tools, but they often lack export to dxf and svg. Which is required to actually tell a machine to make something.Also importing images for engravement and printing will be complicated.Fusion360 does offer DXF export of sketches, faces only with subscription, but there is the Shaper Origin plugin to export as SVG.*@groud_loop Front Panel Express is actually from scheaffer ag.

author: kripton2035
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: August 29, 2021, 03:09:43 pm
content: Quoteyes you can export to DXF, SVG, PDF and even STEPhttps://www.schaeffer-ag.de/en/

author: daqq
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: August 29, 2021, 08:45:07 pm
content: Another vote for Inkscape here. For me it's a 'everything's a nail if the only tool you have is a hammer', but it's a really versatile tool and I have abused it for graphics design, panel design and even plexi glass cutting data.

author: fbublikov
author_rank: Newbie
timestamp: August 30, 2021, 09:12:13 am
content: Quote from: golden_labels on August 28, 2021, 08:43:29 pmThank you for the detailed suggestions, I really appreciate it. I believe CAD would be the right choice for me to go about this project, as some additional courses will probably require at least some familiarity with such packages. Being constantly on the clock helps me in case perfectionism kicks in, but thanks for the warning.Best regards,bublik