New to Fritzing - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / beginners

author: apblog
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: June 22, 2018, 12:07:54 pm
content: Hi Everyone,I'm not a beginner but this is a question about a beginner tool, so this board seems like the right place.I downloaded "fritzing" because I wanted an easy way to design stripboards for simple circuits and one-offs.I'm coming from Altium.Is there a good 7400 series parts library for Fritzing?Does Fritzing support sub-parts -- e.g. breaking out the 6 inverters from a 7404 so that a schematic can be drawn properly?Does Fritzing have a design rule check to make sure that I haven't forgotten to cut any traces on the strip board?Any tips for a brand new fritzing user?Thanks!

author: dr.diesel
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: June 22, 2018, 01:48:28 pm
content: IIRC Fritzing has been abandoned, might consider something else.

author: janoc
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: June 22, 2018, 01:52:52 pm
content: Hi,Quote from: apblog on June 22, 2018, 12:07:54 pmNope, there isn't one.Quote from: apblog on June 22, 2018, 12:07:54 pmNo.Quote from: apblog on June 22, 2018, 12:07:54 pmLOL, no.Quote from: apblog on June 22, 2018, 12:07:54 pmYou do realize that you have changed from a Ferrari to an EDA equivalent of a kid's tricycle, right? If you want to do any of the above and can't use the Altium you mentioned, try to find another PCB design software. Fritzing is too much a toy to be actually usable. You can't even build your own components in it (well, you can - by hand-editing some files in a text editor or paying the company to make the components for you).There is Eagle, there is KiCAD, Diptrace, EasyEDA, etc ...If you want to make just quick layout on stripboards, then DIYLC (http://diy-fever.com/software/diylc/) is not bad - at least it is less limiting than Fritzing.

author: HoracioDos
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: June 22, 2018, 01:59:03 pm
content: HiI think you won't find it, but you can use a generic IC and change pin numbers and names. I did that with many ICs.http://fritzing.org/forum/thread/310/PS: I've switched to Kicad as soon as I realized that it wasn't a tool even for hobbyists

author: rdl
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: June 22, 2018, 02:14:31 pm
content: I have made my own Diptrace library specifically for breadboard and perfboard use. It's not hard at all. It makes it much easier to lay out a board this way.

author: ebastler
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: June 22, 2018, 02:29:54 pm
content: Quote from: dr.diesel on June 22, 2018, 01:48:28 pmLooks like it. The latest release is more than 2 years old, version 0.9.something.

author: iainwhite
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: June 22, 2018, 02:46:56 pm
content: Depending on what level of function you want, there are Altium options at a lower price:CircuitMaker - freeCircuit Studio - ~$500

author: apblog
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: June 22, 2018, 03:12:24 pm
content: Thanks everyone. I gave up on fritzing after an hour of banging my head against it.I thought it would be nice to use a simple little program that allowed for visually laying out a strip board on the screen.Then I went back to Altium and just set a grid of .100" to achieve a similar result. Duh.The only problem with that is you can't place components diagonally and have them fit the grid.Quote from: rdl on June 22, 2018, 02:14:31 pmWhat kind of custom stuff did you make? Just the board layouts?Quote from: janoc on June 22, 2018, 01:52:52 pmI'll check it out, thanks.

author: janoc
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: June 22, 2018, 09:12:58 pm
content: Quote from: ebastler on June 22, 2018, 02:29:54 pmThere is still development going on in their Git repository on Github:https://github.com/fritzing/fritzing-appThe last updates are from March this year.So it probably is still being developed but the progress is slow - either because of a lack of interest or because the developers consider it good enough and there is no pressing need for working on it.The only reason to use Fritzing would be either for a complete newbie (e.g. kids at school) or when someone wants to make those breadboard wiring diagrams for beginners (e.g. those kids again), like this one:For that Fritzing is great because it comes with pre-made components for Arduinos, almost everything that Sparkfun sells and plenty of other similar things one is going to find in the beginner or education kits. Not for much else, though.

author: malagas_on_fire
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: June 22, 2018, 09:35:29 pm
content: Hi there i found that the wiring on Fritzing was weird and i use the Kicad a lot for schematics. Only a few PCBsLots of ics available and has some usefull key bindings :https://learn.sparkfun.com/tutorials/beginners-guide-to-kicad

author: Raj
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: June 23, 2018, 09:25:44 am
content: Quit fritzing before you can use nothing but it without discomfort.Its buggy as he##.when you move the components around,sometimes,the traces change from being straight to curved.Components and traces sometimes randomly appear and disappear when you move them...This is specially true with jumpers.If you have too many components, it crashes sometimes.The only good thing about it is,it's super easy.

author: Gyro
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: June 23, 2018, 09:36:08 am
content: Without trying to push you back into the Stone age, there was a program called Stripboard Magic that I played with briefly. Actually seemed quite useful, included component auto-place etc.

author: ebastler
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: June 23, 2018, 10:57:37 am
content: Quote from: Gyro on June 23, 2018, 09:36:08 amMore from the Stone Age -- there's actually quite a selection of tools for designing stripboard prototypes, some free, some commercial:https://www.electroschematics.com/2270/veroboard-design-software/No personal experience with any of them, so I can't recommend any. VeeCAD can actually work with netlists from your favorite schametic editor, and seems to check your strip layout for consistency with the netlist:https://veecad.com/index.html.And, being German, I can't deny that "LochMaster" has a certain appeal just due to its stupid name...

author: stj
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: June 23, 2018, 12:08:56 pm
content: long ago, a mad person showed me a trick for using stripboard with profesional cad software.set your settings to:double layer,routing layer 1 is prefered vertical (this is your jumpers)routing layer 2 is prefered horizontal (this is your strips)preference weighting is maximum.this should set your router tool to create a strip layout.