[sdiy] PCB Layout Software?

[David Ingebretsen]

I will add my two bits and promote Eagle. While I agree with Paul, the
default colors are a bit odd, here are some reasons I chose Eagle.

1. Many of the free packages from various PCB manufacturing companies lock
you into a proprietary format and you have to use their services. They are
not very flexible and I found it was maddening to add unique library parts.
Eagle supports its own format, but also easily exports to Gerber files,
customizable, so you have great control over the export process. The Eagle
format is also a widely recognized format and many PCB manufacturers can use
Eagle directly and have design rule files available for download.

2. I found it was very intuitive to add new parts to the library. You can
start with a similar part from a different library, or a new part from
scratch. A drawback is if you modify an existing part, when you update
Eagle, the libraries are overwritten, so unless you manually save the
library containing the modified part, you lose your modifications. So, I
just created a new library with my unique and modified parts.

3. I really like the interface. I thought it was easy to learn, and if I
don't use it for a while, I don't have to spend hours re-learning it.

4. The autorouter does a pretty good job to start the routing process. No
auto-router is perfect, but the Eagle router is as good as any other I've
tried.

5. Eagle has a good customer base, the forum is active and helpful, and I've
always had a good experience with tech support.

6. It has several options for purchase from free to full blown. The middle
levels are actually useful for a lot of DIY stuff, too.

7. It is actively supported and developed. There are lots of "user language
programs" ULPs and scripts which do very useful things, so you can also
expand it with the built in user language or scripts.

I spent months trying all the capture/layout software I could find. Free,
cheap, expensive. I thought I had found the answer in one commercial
product, bought it, decided I hated it, wasted about $1500.00 :( . I ended
up buying a full version of Eagle and haven't regretted it once. I'm not the
most prolific or unique designer, but have done 50ish PCBs with it and have
been very pleased.

David

David M. Ingebresten, M.S., M.E.
Collision Forensics & Engineering, Inc.
2469 E Ft Union Blvd, STE 114
Salt Lake City, UT 84121

Office: 801 733-5458
Cell: 801 842-5451

dingebre at 3dphysics.net
dingebre at CFandE.com

>> -----Original Message-----
>> From: synth-diy-bounces at dropmix.xs4all.nl [mailto:synth-diy-
>> bounces at dropmix.xs4all.nl] On Behalf Of Wheaton, Simon
>> Sent: Sunday, August 11, 2013 5:30 AM
>> To: synth-diy at dropmix.xs4all.nl
>> Subject: [sdiy] PCB Layout Software?
>> 
>> What Windows PCB layout software would you recommend for a PCB
>> layout beginner?
>> 
>> To begin with, I want to clone an existing PCB, in this case a SCSI
interface in
>> a sampler, and rework it into a different form factor/size.
>> 
>> Would like to start with something that I can keep using into the future
for
>> more complex work.
>> 
>> Thanks,
>> Simon
>> Canberra
>> AUSTRALIA
>> 
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