# Simple printed circuit board design software



## ncrc5315 (Jan 25, 2014)

I'm looking to make my own very simple printed circuit boards. Mainly what I want to do, is to have solder holes, to solder the decoder wires too, a trace with solder pads to mount SMD resistors, then a trace to another solder hole, for the locomotive wire. I've looked at EAGLE from CadSoft, but this looks like overkill for what I want to do, any ideas?


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## ncrc5315 (Jan 25, 2014)

I'm looking to make my own very simple printed circuit boards. Mainly what I want to do, is to have solder holes, to solder the decoder wires too, a trace with solder pads to mount SMD resistors, then a trace to another solder hole, for the locomotive wire. I've looked at EAGLE from CadSoft, but this looks like overkill for what I want to do, any ideas?


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## Ray Haddad (Feb 19, 2014)

DesignSpark is the easiest I know of and free.

http://uk.rs-online.com/web/generalDisplay.html?id=DesignSpark-Jan11


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## ncrc5315 (Jan 25, 2014)

Thanks, I will give it a try.


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## tr1 (Mar 9, 2013)

*Simple circuit board design/layout.*

At this time I'm not aware of any of the software involved. What you could use, is a "breadboard" for design and layout of the components involved. When, the simple circuit works successfully, simply, draw the image of it on graph paper. You can purchased predrilled circuit boards to stuff your components into in order too solder together the conductive path's of the small gage wire. For your Engineering project, There may already be circuits (schematics) already designed and printed up for
you too follow. Good luck on your Engineering project.
Regards,tr1


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## nearboston (Dec 19, 2013)

Try this link: http://expresspcb.com/ExpressPCBHtm/Free_pcb_layout_software.htm

I think this is the one we use at work - I'll double check on Tuesday.


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## golfermd (Apr 19, 2013)

We had a machine at school that etched the circuit on to a circuit board blank. We didn't use any software to create the circuit, we drew it by hand. What do you plan to use to actually create the board? To me that would be the expensive part would be the mechanism to create the board. Or do you send it out to a company to manufacture it? I concur with getting some read board and do it.


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## gunrunnerjohn (Nov 10, 2010)

I thought I'd give DesignSpark a try, but the registration fails every time I try it. Makes it kinda' hard to make any progress. 

I have Eagle, and it is a bit intimidating to get started with it.


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## Ray Haddad (Feb 19, 2014)

John, what operating system are you using? Browser?


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## gunrunnerjohn (Nov 10, 2010)

I doubt it's my O/S, I'm using Windows 7 Pro and FireFox. I thought of trying IE, but I can't imagine why they'd have an issue with Firefox.


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## gunrunnerjohn (Nov 10, 2010)

Threads merged, please don't post duplicate threads on the same topic.


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## underthetire (Jun 6, 2013)

There is an android software, it is very basic but works pretty well. Simply buy copper clad boards and print the design out on a laser jet. Saw a how to video on YouTube, looked pretty simple. Not sure if it would work for surface mount though.

Sent from my G-Tab Quantum using Tapatalk


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## gunrunnerjohn (Nov 10, 2010)

I think anyone designing a board would probably rather have the boards made, that home printed one isn't all that good. I actually saw that in action, and I tried to help the guy get better boards, but they were pretty lame.


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## Ray Haddad (Feb 19, 2014)

John, it looks as if you deleted my reply to you so here it is again. Try running the installation using this method. Right click on the file, select "Run As Administrator" and see what happens. I have had to do that so often under Windows 7 that I just do that out of habit now.


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## gunrunnerjohn (Nov 10, 2010)

Ray, I didn't delete anything. In any case, the issue was the website, I tried later and the registration went right through. I changed nothing at my end.


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## ncrc5315 (Jan 25, 2014)

gunrunnerjohn said:


> Threads merged, please don't post duplicate threads on the same topic.


Sorry about that, meant to put it in the DCC section, not realizing I was in the HO section. Posted it to the DCC section, apparently I didn't delete my post from the HO section properly.


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## gunrunnerjohn (Nov 10, 2010)

No problem, that's why I get the big moderator bucks.


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## nearboston (Dec 19, 2013)

nearboston said:


> Try this link: http://expresspcb.com/ExpressPCBHtm/Free_pcb_layout_software.htm
> 
> I think this is the one we use at work - I'll double check on Tuesday.


I was right. We use both the Express Schematic and the Express PCB to make up short runs (20 +/-) of PCBs. If you are just doing one circuit and are bread boarding, the Schematic is all you need.

It says it's easy to use, but of course you do need to have the basic electronics background.


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