Circuit drawing/simulation software - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / beginners

author: Youkai
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: April 13, 2018, 01:50:50 am
content: I know it must exist somewhere but I can't find the thread with suggestions of circuit drawing software. Can someone please point me to it?I would like to start planning my project's circuit and want to be able to share diagrams here to get help/advice. It would be great if the software could do some kind of checking on the circuit to confirm it is valid but that's not a requirement.

author: Sudo_apt-get_install_yum
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: April 13, 2018, 07:12:11 am
content: Not sure what thread your talking about but for a circuit simulator I use LTSpice (free to use), works really well. To design the schematic and PCB layout I use Eagle (they have a free ware version)You can also export the Eagle schematic directly to LTSpice with makes it quite convenient!

author: Kappes Buur
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: April 13, 2018, 07:28:28 am
content: I had been using Eagle and DesignSpark, but now I work with KiCad.I find it much easier to work with.

author: rstofer
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: April 13, 2018, 05:27:32 pm
content: For simulation, LTspice is hard to beat. The good news is that this forum allows .asc file attachments to posts. If you have an issue, just attach the file to a post.OTOH, there is a VERY active LTspice group on groups.yahoo.com with some VERY knowledgeable people. There are actually two groups but one is just a repository for design files. Ultimately, subscribe to both...I don't have a good schematic editor. I use ExpressPCB to build my boards so I use their editor. It links the schematic to the pcb file which if very helpful when routing traces. This software does not have auto-routing and I am still using the older 'classic' version. The new version doesn't link the files and that is fatal in my view.My projects are quite modest. For the more complex stuff, I usually use a demo board for the FPGA or MCU and then design a daughter card for the specific IO. I don't want to get in the business of reinventing the wheel.

author: bob225
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: April 13, 2018, 05:37:03 pm
content: Eagle works well and is free (limit on board size) I use Fusion 360 design software so Eagle (under Autodesk) software is very easy to use, it does have its quirks

author: Distelzombie
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: April 13, 2018, 08:32:01 pm
content: I hate that is a "Yahoo" group that has the most knowledge or whatever, but LTspice is really great!

author: rstofer
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: April 13, 2018, 09:47:47 pm
content: Quote from: Distelzombie on April 13, 2018, 08:32:01 pmI agree! The thing is, the major players at that forum are VERY knowledgeable. In fact, the term 'VERY' doesn't begin to cover it. If there was an 'uber geek' club for LTspice, those fellows would be charter members.

author: Distelzombie
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: April 13, 2018, 10:14:15 pm
content: Is there something about yahoo that we mere mortals don't understand? There has to be a reason why they are not at stack exchange.

author: Ian.M
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: April 13, 2018, 10:33:43 pm
content: LTspice has been around since late 1999, and the Yahoo group since October 2002. (seehttp://ltwiki.org/index.php5?title=LTspice_Genealogy_-_The_Heritage_of_Simulation_Ubiquity) Stack Exchange was only launched in 2011, by which time the LTspice Yahoo group had been running for nearly ten years. With that sort of community history and mass of resources they'd be crazy to move unless either Yahoo's quality of service declined dramatically, or their terms and conditions became too unreasonable.

author: Electro Fan
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: April 13, 2018, 11:01:30 pm
content: Don't know if this might be a relevant solution but just in case:http://kicad-pcb.org/

author: rstofer
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: April 14, 2018, 04:13:29 pm
content: Quote from: Distelzombie on April 13, 2018, 10:14:15 pmInertia, I suspect. Yahoo Groups has been around for a very long time and works reasonably well. Why change?I don't view stackexchange.com as an improvement.

author: Distelzombie
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: April 15, 2018, 12:12:38 am
content: Quote from: Ian.M on April 13, 2018, 10:33:43 pmI like how they invented cancer. xD You're right. Inertia.

author: Youkai
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: April 15, 2018, 09:47:31 pm
content: Thanks for the notes everyone. I'll look into them.

author: JTY
author_rank: Newbie
timestamp: April 15, 2018, 09:59:42 pm
content: Bit late of a reply, but if you prefer an open source option, there is ngspice,http://ngspice.sourceforge.net/As well, wikipedia has a listing of simulation software,https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_free_electronics_circuit_simulators

author: rachaelp
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: April 15, 2018, 10:18:13 pm
content: Quote from: Sudo_apt-get_install_yum on April 13, 2018, 07:12:11 amNo need to export EAGLE to LTSpice, since 8.4 it has had ngspice built in so you can simulate directly in EAGLE.Best Regards,Rachael

author: Sudo_apt-get_install_yum
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: April 16, 2018, 06:36:18 am
content: Quote from: rachaelp on April 15, 2018, 10:18:13 pmCool I had no idea you could simulate directly in Eagle!

author: Distelzombie
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: April 17, 2018, 09:21:00 pm
content: Yea, but they're not even there to answer questions. I meant.