+1 on KiCAD because if I am going to spend time on something I do not want
restrictions.
I am not a PCB designer, we always had people that specialized in the that
skill, but I was very familiar to the PCB manufacture and assembly. So when I
give you my experience on KiCAD, I am not biased, but understand I was deeply
aware of the process.
For me, I installed KiCAD to create schematics, then one day decided to turn a
simple circuit I built on a proto board into a full GERBER file set just to see
how hard it was. No Joke, it was only a few hours, but it was a very simple
circuit, however, that is not the point, I had GERBER files and quickly.
Meaning, the process to convert my schematic to a GERBER set was intuitive and
reasonably simple. PCB design is not simple, so don't misunderstand. But the
process to me was simple in terms of learning how to do it in KiCAD.
Again, I knew what I needed and I understand that many don't. So add that to
the learning process, but the general PCB knowledge is needed no matter what
software you use.
"Luke, Use the Netlist"
Good Luck in whatever you decide to use. PCB design can be grueling.
John Vaughters
On Tuesday, March 26, 2019, 10:20:33 AM EDT, Brian via TriEmbed
<[email protected]> wrote:
On 3/25/19 11:08 PM, Dwight Morgan via TriEmbed wrote:
> Thanks Carl. I downloaded Eagle and will bear down on learning it. I’ve
> used AutoCad before so I’m hoping there is a wee bit of familiarity.
> There should be some good tutorials for it.
>
> Dwight
Hi Dwight,
I strongly encourage you to pick KiCad over Eagle, if you're going to
invest the time to learn the software. KiCad is certainly different
from Eagle (I don't know whether I'd say "harder"), but its real claim
to fame as far as I'm concerned is that it's free software. Eagle's
"free" version limits you to two layers and (when last I cared about it)
100x160 mm routing area (i.e. board size).
Of course, the main drawback to KiCad is lack of manufacturer support in
terms of symbol and footprint libraries.
I'm also a contributing developer to KiCad, so add a grain or two of
salt to my comments.
Another option is PCB Artist, found at
https://www.4pcb.com/free-pcb-layout-software/
I've never used it, but it claims to be free and unrestricted, and have
a half-million-part library.
Cheers,
-Brian
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