6 Best Circuit Board Design Programs to Get in 2018
Printed circuit board is a device that connects different electronic components. As it is used in a huge number of different industries, each PCB needs to be designed exactly for its purpose. That’s where circuit board software steps in. The better the PCB design program is, the easier is for the designer to come up with the right kind of circuit board. With that in mind, we’ve decided to present 6 programs that are considered the best for PCB design.
AutoDesk is an American software company that has been creating design programs for nearly 35 years. One of their best programs for circuit board design is 123D Circuits. This software is a part of a larger family of design programs called 123D Apps. As it’s meant to be used by hobbyists, this program comes with 4 different modules. Apart from designing circuit boards, 123D apps can be used for creating and printing 3D models.
Unlike the previous item on the list, this software is completely free. On top of that, it can be used for professional PCB design, not just for hobby. The best thing about it is that it’s pretty easy to use. You don’t need to spend too much time to understand how it works as its fairly simple. But, being simple might be a downside as you can use it only for simple projects. If you’re looking for something better, choose one of the remaining three programs from the list.
This program is probably the best professional printed circuit board design tool you can get. It can be used in virtually all industries. Whatever you might need regarding PCD design, this program will assist you. Because of the number of useful functions it comes with, Altium Designer is not cheap. Still, that shouldn’t be considered a downside as this program will surely pay off very soon. The only downside we see about this designer is that it’s available only on Windows.
KiCAD is one of the most popular PCB programs on the planet for several reasons. First of all, unlike Altium Designer, this software can be used on Mac and Linux as well, not only Windows. On top of that, KiCAD is absolutely free! Truth is, this program can’t do complicated functions for you, but if you own a small business, KiCAD might be just enough.
Here’s another Altium PCB design software on our list. The Australian software company created this PCB designer with the help of SolidWorks. The partnership proved to be fruitful as they came up with impressive circuit board design software. PCBWorks is designed to be used with SolidWorks’ 3D environment. However, it can be used as a standalone platform. If you decide on purchasing this software, you can be sure that it will be there to help you with all sorts of things related to printed circuit board design. The only bad thing about it is that it is compatible only with Windows operating system.
The group of 32-bit processors called ARM Cortex-M is one of the most commonly used processor cores for microcontrollers in automotive and telematic industries. For that reason, it is necessary to have a proper toolset. Tasking’s ARM Cortex-M Tool seems ideal for this purpose.
123D Circuits
AutoDesk is an American software company that has been creating design programs for nearly 35 years. One of their best programs for circuit board design is 123D Circuits. This software is a part of a larger family of design programs called 123D Apps. As it’s meant to be used by hobbyists, this program comes with 4 different modules. Apart from designing circuit boards, 123D apps can be used for creating and printing 3D models.
ZenitPCB
Unlike the previous item on the list, this software is completely free. On top of that, it can be used for professional PCB design, not just for hobby. The best thing about it is that it’s pretty easy to use. You don’t need to spend too much time to understand how it works as its fairly simple. But, being simple might be a downside as you can use it only for simple projects. If you’re looking for something better, choose one of the remaining three programs from the list.
Altium Designer
This program is probably the best professional printed circuit board design tool you can get. It can be used in virtually all industries. Whatever you might need regarding PCD design, this program will assist you. Because of the number of useful functions it comes with, Altium Designer is not cheap. Still, that shouldn’t be considered a downside as this program will surely pay off very soon. The only downside we see about this designer is that it’s available only on Windows.
KiCAD
KiCAD is one of the most popular PCB programs on the planet for several reasons. First of all, unlike Altium Designer, this software can be used on Mac and Linux as well, not only Windows. On top of that, KiCAD is absolutely free! Truth is, this program can’t do complicated functions for you, but if you own a small business, KiCAD might be just enough.
PCBWorks
Here’s another Altium PCB design software on our list. The Australian software company created this PCB designer with the help of SolidWorks. The partnership proved to be fruitful as they came up with impressive circuit board design software. PCBWorks is designed to be used with SolidWorks’ 3D environment. However, it can be used as a standalone platform. If you decide on purchasing this software, you can be sure that it will be there to help you with all sorts of things related to printed circuit board design. The only bad thing about it is that it is compatible only with Windows operating system.
Tasking’s ARM Cortex-M Tool
The group of 32-bit processors called ARM Cortex-M is one of the most commonly used processor cores for microcontrollers in automotive and telematic industries. For that reason, it is necessary to have a proper toolset. Tasking’s ARM Cortex-M Tool seems ideal for this purpose.
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