Best Software for PCB Designing: Comparing Altium Designer, Eagle, KiCad, and OrCAD

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#1 21660964 29 Jan 2012 10:39

ANDANI PRASHANT ANDANI PRASHANT

Anonymous

Post #1
21660964 29 Jan 2012 10:39

which software i best for PCB designing.??

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#2 21660965 29 Jan 2012 10:55

Waseem Bari Waseem Bari

Anonymous

Post #2
21660965 29 Jan 2012 10:55

I think proteus will b the better choice . . . . bcz proteus have feature of PCB Designing as well as Schematic. . .
#3 21660966 29 Jan 2012 12:41

Steve Lawson Steve Lawson

Anonymous

Post #3
21660966 29 Jan 2012 12:41

Define "best".

* Lowest Price?
* Easiest to use?
* Greatest vender support?
* Greatest community support?
* Most features in the free version (in cases where there _is_ a free version)?
* The best student deal?
* Most features or has specific features that you need?
* Closest to your preferred user interface preference?
* The most tools (e.g. schematic capture, PCB layout, simulation, embedded video so you can watch your shows while banging out a design [do they have that???])?
* ???
#4 21660967 12 Feb 2012 13:27

Rathina Vel Rathina Vel

Anonymous

Post #4
21660967 12 Feb 2012 13:27

better you can go for protel which is much easier to work
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#5 21660968 26 Feb 2012 00:47

StrykerTECH StrykerTECH

Anonymous

Post #5
21660968 26 Feb 2012 00:47

CadSoft Eagle PCB seems to be one of the most popular almost free PCB design tools. It seems pretty easy learn.

"StrykerTECH":http://www.stryker-tech.com/ Engineering Staff
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#6 21660969 26 Feb 2012 12:35

Steve Lawson Steve Lawson

Anonymous

Post #6
21660969 26 Feb 2012 12:35

And there's that cool tutorial over at SparkFun: http://www.sparkfun.com/tutorials/108
#7 21660970 27 Mar 2012 02:18

Liberty Zhang Liberty Zhang

Anonymous

Post #7
21660970 27 Mar 2012 02:18

Protel 99
#8 21660971 23 May 2012 14:06

Rajesh Kumar Rajesh Kumar

Anonymous

Post #8
21660971 23 May 2012 14:06

Hi,

Altium Designer 10 is best software of PCB designing.

It has no of benefits in PCB Design specially in complex design like DDR RAM design we can copy any portion of layout and make symmetry.

It has very good online help
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#9 21660972 04 Jun 2012 07:59

elle Jimenez elle Jimenez

Anonymous

Post #9
21660972 04 Jun 2012 07:59

It depends on your experience in PCB designing. If you are just a beginner, I suggest you start with Eagle. Very simple to use. But f you have considerable background in PCB designing, you can go with Altium 16.2. Actually, it all depends in your application. If the features of your PCB design software matches your needs, then you can say it is the best PCB design software for you.
#10 21660973 30 Aug 2012 07:33

Bech Bej Bech Bej

Anonymous

Post #10
21660973 30 Aug 2012 07:33

You have right waseem but what about a free software like eagle

http://www.cadsoftusa.com/download-eagle/?language=en

and a complete tutorial serie about eagle

http://www.youtube.com/user/margoumix?feature=mhee

Get suscribed coz i will complete the eagle tutorials it remains the ULP the language that helps you create eagle plugins

And then i will provide isis proteus tutorials serie you can also follow me in my facebook page

https://www.facebook.com/electronicsforal

Good luck!
#11 21660974 30 Aug 2012 07:37

Bech Bej Bech Bej

Anonymous

Post #11
21660974 30 Aug 2012 07:37

yes it is a great tool

http://www.youtube.com/user/margoumix?feature=mhee

Those videos can helps start using eagle and all the excuses about my English COZ its not my native langage
#12 21660975 21 Feb 2013 08:11

Andrew Dsouza Andrew Dsouza

Anonymous

Post #12
21660975 21 Feb 2013 08:11

I think the best one is expresspcb.com
#13 21660976 21 Feb 2013 12:31

Steve Lawson Steve Lawson

Anonymous

Post #13
21660976 21 Feb 2013 12:31

Best for what?
#14 21660977 10 Oct 2013 09:01

John Steave John Steave

Anonymous

Post #14
21660977 10 Oct 2013 09:01

For my own suggest CadSoft Eagle PCB software you may use for your project. I’m not recommending but perhaps you could check out this "PCB(PCB)":http://actpcb.com/pcb-calculator
Thanks!!!
#15 21660978 11 Oct 2013 07:54

Steve Lawson Steve Lawson

Anonymous

Post #15
21660978 11 Oct 2013 07:54

There's also a great tutorial at SparkFun.com:

* https://www.sparkfun.com/tutorials/108
#16 21660979 11 Oct 2013 08:42

Steve Lawson Steve Lawson

Anonymous

Post #16
21660979 11 Oct 2013 08:42

I've learned of a couple of new possibilities since this thread began:
* http://fritzing.org [more for the beginner and/or hobbiest, but really cool!]
* http://www.pcbfx.com/main_site/pages/start_here/overview.html [do-it-yer-self -- but, no plated-through holes or masking]
* CircuitWizard has PCB design [that I have never used, so I can't vouch for it's functionality]. Circuit Wizard is great as a tool for learning electronics, but it is severely limited: Only basic ['90s era] components, no voltage regs below 5V, no LDO, no LM317, 4000 series only simulate at 5V, the part number list for active discretes, such as transistors is sparse [no PN2222A or PN2907A or modern MOSFETs], and no shottkey or fast recover diodes (you can create your own components but they won't simulate.]
* Check out BayArea Circuits "weekend warrior" special: http://store.bayareacircuits.com/weekend-warrior-special/
#17 21660980 11 Oct 2013 08:45

Steve Lawson Steve Lawson

Anonymous

Post #17
21660980 11 Oct 2013 08:45

I’ve learned of a couple of new possibilities since this thread began:

* http://fritzing.org [more for the beginner and/or hobbiest, but really cool!]
* http://www.pcbfx.com/main_site/pages/start_here/overview.html [do-it-yer-self — but, no plated-through holes or masking]
* CircuitWizard has PCB design [that I have never used, so I can’t vouch for it’s functionality]. Circuit Wizard is great as a tool for learning electronics, but it is severely limited: Only basic [‘90s era] components, no voltage regs below 5V, no LDO, no LM317, 4000 series only simulate at 5V, the part number list for active discretes, such as transistors is sparse [no PN2222A or PN2907A or modern MOSFETs], and no shottkey or fast recover diodes (you can create your own components but they won’t simulate.]
* Check out BayArea Circuits “weekend warrior” special: http://store.bayareacircuits.com/weekend-warrior-special/
#18 21660981 11 Oct 2013 20:59

Dishan Pangan Dishan Pangan

Anonymous

Post #18
21660981 11 Oct 2013 20:59

Hi Andani,

You can check out PCBWeb. It's actually not a software but more of a web application. Here is PCBWeb's website:

http://www.pcbweb.com/
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Topic summary

The discussion compares various PCB design software options including Altium Designer, Eagle, KiCad, OrCAD, Proteus, Protel, ExpressPCB, Fritzing, CircuitWizard, PCBWeb, and PCBFX. Altium Designer is highlighted for advanced features suitable for complex designs like DDR RAM layouts and strong online support. Eagle is noted for its popularity, ease of use, affordability, and availability of extensive tutorials, making it suitable for beginners. Proteus and Protel are mentioned as easier-to-use alternatives with schematic and PCB design capabilities. ExpressPCB is suggested as a simple option. Fritzing and CircuitWizard cater more to beginners and hobbyists but have limitations in component libraries and simulation capabilities. PCBWeb is introduced as a web-based PCB design tool. The choice depends on user experience, specific project requirements, budget, and desired features such as simulation, community support, and user interface preferences.
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Best Software for PCB Designing: Comparing Altium Designer, Eagle, KiCad, and OrCAD

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Topic summary