PCB design software linux - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / general

author: cleanworkbench
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: January 21, 2020, 09:32:59 pm
content: What do people recommend for Linux mint as a good free PCB design software just for hobby stuff, single and double plane should do it design . Any suggestions please.

author: daqq
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: January 21, 2020, 09:43:58 pm
content: KiCAD. To the best of my knowledge it's the only free and open source design software running natively under linux that's worth considering.edit: There's also Eagle, but, Autodesk essentially destroyed it for me, so no.

author: cleanworkbench
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: January 21, 2020, 09:57:58 pm
content: Thank you , i will give that a look .

author: Lukas
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: January 21, 2020, 11:14:36 pm
content: I'm glad you ask. It's just about a week until the first stable release of Horizon EDA, a PCB design software I've been developing for the past 3 years:https://horizon-eda.org/https://horizon-eda.readthedocs.io/en/latest/feature-overview.html

author: james_s
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: January 22, 2020, 12:17:27 am
content: I use KiCAD on both Linux and Windows, it's quite good.No reason to look at anything else IMO, Eagle is dead and none of the hobbyist packages I've seen come close to the capabilities.

author: Warhawk
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: January 22, 2020, 07:14:50 am
content: Quote from: Lukas on January 21, 2020, 11:14:36 pmGreat progress! I ma looking forward to try it.

author: PKTKS
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: January 22, 2020, 10:01:48 am
content: Quote from: daqq on January 21, 2020, 09:43:58 pm2x 100% agreed.KiCAD does whatever you need.BTW the goal of EAGLE incorporated pretty much is toembrace and destroy - simple rule of thumb for those corps.They act together with a non disclosed agenda...which eventually boils down to that "LICENSE" feesand controlled form factor user setup.I've ditched them all by late 90'sthings just started to work as they should WITHOUTtheir hidden daemons and licenses running "ON MY PAID HARDWARE"Paul

author: OwO
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: January 22, 2020, 10:59:44 am
content: Consider gEDA PCB as well. Personally I can't stand the visual clutter of KiCAD (and most PCB software out there). There is no easy way to quickly view only the top layer (with silk, pads, traces and everything) and quickly switch to viewing any other layer. You have to disable and enable 6 different layers, and things like borders around components can't even be disabled. How do you even get work done when your overview of the board looks like this (not even a complex board):https://kicad-pcb.org/img/screenshots/pcbnew.pngFor comparison this is what a board looks like in gEDA with the top layer visible:Notice how the bottom side components are still faintly visible (can be disabled as well), which can help you align things but does not litter your screen and make it impossible to see the big picture (like in KiCAD).This is with top layer overlaid on in1, for example to see at a glance what traces are going over a solid ground plane:Pressing tab quickly switches to bottom view of the board:When designing RF boards it's much easier to visualize the 3d structure with gEDA. In KiCAD there is a 3d view, but it's a separate view and you can't see it in realtime as you lay down traces.

author: nctnico
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: January 22, 2020, 02:39:07 pm
content: Quote from: Lukas on January 21, 2020, 11:14:36 pmDidn't try your software but the part management looks to be well implemented!

author: lutkeveld
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: January 22, 2020, 03:51:31 pm
content: Quote from: OwO on January 22, 2020, 10:59:44 amPress H to highlight the currently selected layer. Remaining layers will be gray and (almost) transparant.Also; if you keep the 3D viewer open you can quickly alt-tab to view results. Or keep it open in a seperate window, but it will only update when you click on it.

author: Pseudobyte
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: January 22, 2020, 09:01:55 pm
content: Quote from: OwO on January 22, 2020, 10:59:44 amWell that just isn't true.

author: Warhawk
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: January 23, 2020, 10:36:06 am
content: Quote from: Pseudobyte on January 22, 2020, 09:01:55 pmHow do you do it? I struggle with KiCads layer display too. (I know the highlight mode).

author: thinkfat
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: January 23, 2020, 11:13:19 am
content: Quote from: Warhawk on January 23, 2020, 10:36:06 amWith "Layers Manager" active, right-click inside the "Layers" tab, select "Show All Front Layers" or "Show All Back Layers" in the menu that appears. Unfortunately, this also re-enables all layers you might have disabled to reduce clutter. For example, I never enable the "Fab" layers, but when using "Show All <...> Layers", they come back on again. One possible work-around is to disable the Fab layers in the layer stack completely. That's what I usually do as I don't need them.

author: donotdespisethesnake
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: January 23, 2020, 11:52:27 am
content: Quote from: OwO on January 22, 2020, 10:59:44 amThere is in recent versions. You can also set the alpha on layers.You're using an old version of KiCad, the UI has been improving a lot recently. That's a lot to do with some new developers on the team, who are specifically interested in improving the UI which has never been the focus of the core developers. There is still a LOT of stuff that needs improving, but I see very positive progress.Also if you use KiCad,https://forum.kicad.info/is a fantastic resource.Anyway, in addition to KiCad and gEDA, there is also Horizon and LibrePCB, so you can choose whichever suits you.