Schematic Capture and PCB Layout Software
I’ve come across two packages that seem to excel at schematic capture and PCB layout.
KiCad - a full featured schematic capture and layout program that has extensive libraries and is entirely free and open source under the GPL license. It runs on Windows (XP, 2000, Vista) and Linux and there are rumors of it being successfully built for Mac OS X as well. I’ve tried the Windows XP version and it works great. I’m still searching for a pre-built downloadable version for OS X.
Eagle (by CadSoft) - A commercially available package that has a limited version that is free for student and non-commercial use. The Free version is limited to 1 schematic sheet, two signal layers per board and a board size up to 4 x 3.2 inches. The libraries seem to be much more complete and because it’s a commercial product with a large following, some chip manufacturers provide libraries for new products. It runs on Windows, Mac and Linux.
I like the looks of Eagle and I’ll probably play a bit more with it. The limitations aren’t really that crippling. I had an intimate relationship with Orcad some years ago and really liked it. I believe it’s around $3,500 for a single user license. There wasn’t much it couldn’t do. Eagle seems to be close in concept and functionality for a whole lot less money.
However, I really don’t like limitations in software. They have a tendency to sneak up and bite you when you really don’t need it. As much as I understand and respect the fact that a company needs to provide a commercial product to generate revenue and I think it’s great that Eagle offers a low cost version for people like me, I think I will try a couple of designs in KiCad too…. just in case I need it one day.
If you’re looking for a program that just does PCB layout, then check out FreePCB. It looks perfect for most small to medium boards. In fact, it has maximum dimensions that are larger than any other freely available programs I’ve seen. Although it doesn’t have a built-in autorouter, it is designed to interface with a free web-based autorouter.