# PCB design software



## Lemonhawk (Sep 24, 2013)

I was looking at software to help design PCB's, and ran across "Fritzing". You start with a breadboard then add wires and components to the breadboard with a rather nice GUI interface. You can then push the Schematic button and it attempts to make a Schematic diagram of what you drew up on the breadboard page. Here's where it got more complicated as what it drew up was not very useful. I had to do a lot manual manipulation to get a correct Schematic. I then push the PCB button and moved the components a little and then let it autoroute. seemed to make a bit of mess out of it so again a lot of manual work was needed. I decided if I rearranged the pins on the in/out connector it would make the PC board easier, so I went back and changed the breadboard around then tried autorouting the schematic (another mess) and on to the PCB view which generated another mess. This is a great concept but I must be missing something as I was thinking it would re-do things if I changed the breadboard, but it tended to keep what it had and just make a rats nest at the connector and not change how the wires went from the connector to the components on PCB view. Anyone have success with this software? Have you found something better? I just want to layout rather simple PC boards with less than 6 components and some headers.


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## wvgca (Jan 21, 2013)

No experience with froitzing ...
I use Eagle for small stuff, and Protel for the more intricate


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## gunrunnerjohn (Nov 10, 2010)

I've been using DipTrace lately, didn't like Eagle, can't afford Protel.


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## Lemonhawk (Sep 24, 2013)

I looked at some Eagle tutorials and that gave me a better insight as to how to work the "Fritzing" software. The "Fritizing" software (Free) seems to be closely associated with Arduino projects. Any way I did manage to get things rearranged and it says it has produced a valid set of files that could be sent to a manufacture. It produced a .gbl file for the bottom copper traces and a _drill.txt for the holes alone with a bunch of other files for masks and silk screening. It also will connect directly to a PCB maker. WVGCA, have you tried drilling with your machine? I'll look at DipTrace, it seems that trying the different software gives you a little insight into how all this is glued together. I'm a retired electrical engineer, but never did circuit design so this is all something new and interesting. I did Navigation system analysis, simulations and software for Inertial Navigation Systems and I have done a lot of trouble shooting of circuit designs, its always the software people that have to prove the circuits don't work right


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## wvgca (Jan 21, 2013)

Lemonhawk said:


> . WVGCA, have you tried drilling with your machine?



Yes .. works okay, a bit of time to manually register ..
Eagle produces the gerber files and the excellon files in two seperate jobs.. and the drill files need to be converted, but easy to do


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