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One of several [[techniques]] for building [[Printed Circuit Boards]] and other kinds of electronics involves software design tools.
 
 
 
== Software design tools ==
 
== Software design tools ==
  
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=== PCB Layout ===
 
=== PCB Layout ===
Listed in Class as '''PCB''', generally includes a footprint editor to make new parts.
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Listed in Class as '''PCB''', generally includees a footprint editor to make new parts.
  
 
=== Circuit Simulation ===
 
=== Circuit Simulation ===
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! Class !! Name !! Platform !! License !! AutoRouter !! Comments
 
! Class !! Name !! Platform !! License !! AutoRouter !! Comments
 
|-valign="top"
 
|*SchCap *CirSim *PCB
 
|| [http://www.easyeda.com/ EasyEDA]
 
|| Web-based
 
|| Free || autorouter || Web-based EDA suite; runs in browser. Schematic capture, Ngspice based simulation, PCB layout. Tool is free for an unlimited number of public and a small number of private projects. More private projects can be earned by contributing high quality, well documented symbols, footprints etc., or can be paid for by a small subscription. All files in open format JSON. Can import Altium, Eagle schematics and also LTspice schematics for (limited) simulation and for conversion to PCB with full BoM support. Spice netlist import and export. Altium, PADS and Free PCB netlist export. PDF, PNG and SVG image export of all files.
 
 
Users can download Gerbers and are not tied to the tool for PCB manufacture but they can buy PCBs and fully assembled PCBAs from EasyEDA if they wish.
 
 
[https://easyeda.com/Doc/Tutorial/ Tutorial]
 
 
[https://easyeda.com/Doc/Simulation-eBook/ Simulation eBook]
 
  
 
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|*SchCap ||[http://tinycad.sourceforge.net/ TinyCAD] || Win32 || LGPL || n/a
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|*SchCap ||[http://tinycad.sourceforge.net/ TinyCAD] || Win32 || LGPL || n/a || Schematic Drawing Software  
| Schematic Drawing Software. [http://sourceforge.net/apps/mediawiki/tinycad/ TinyCAD wiki].
 
  
 
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|*SchCap, PCB
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|*tbd
|[http://kicad.sourceforge.net/ KiCad] || BSD, Linux, MacOSX, Win32 || GPL || autorouter || Free and open-source. http://www.lis.inpg.fr/realise_au_lis/kicad/ EDA suite ; [http://kicad.sourceforge.net/wiki/ KiCad wiki]. [http://kicadhowto.org/ KiCadHowTo.org] (Help and tutorials)
+
|[http://kicad.sourceforge.net/ KiCad] || BSD, Linux, MacOSX, Win32 || GPL || autorouter || http://www.lis.inpg.fr/realise_au_lis/kicad/ EDA suite ; [http://kicad.sourceforge.net/wiki/ KiCad wiki]
  
 
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||*PCB  
 
||*PCB  
||[http://altium.com/ Protel DXP] || Win32 ||  || autorouter
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||[http://altium.com/ Protel DXP] || Win32 ||  || autorouter || [http://techref.massmind.org/techref/app/protel.htm independent Protel users FAQ]  
| [http://techref.massmind.org/techref/app/protel.htm independent Protel users FAQ]; [http://protel-users.org/ Protel users wiki]
 
  
 
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|-valign="top"
 
|*CirSim
 
|*CirSim
|[http://www.linear.com/designtools/software/ LTSpice]
+
|[http://www.linear.com/designtools/software/ LSpice]
 
|Windows
 
|Windows
 
|free
 
|free
 
|na
 
|na
 
|A free version of Spice from Linear Technology.  Draw the schematic and see its simulations.  Many components.  Seems to be very popular.  Should ( will ) have a page here of its own.
 
|A free version of Spice from Linear Technology.  Draw the schematic and see its simulations.  Many components.  Seems to be very popular.  Should ( will ) have a page here of its own.
<!------------------------------->
 
|-valign="top"
 
|* PCB
 
|[http://opencircuitdesign.com/pcb PCB 3.0]
 
|
 
|
 
|
 
|
 
<!------------------------------->
 
|-valign="top"
 
|* PCB
 
|[http://veecad.com/ VeeCAD]
 
|
 
|
 
| autorouter
 
| VeeCAD Stripboard Editor
 
<!------------------------------->
 
|-valign="top"
 
|* CirSim
 
|[http://qucs.sourceforge.net/ Qucs]
 
|
 
|
 
|
 
|
 
<!------------------------------->
 
|-valign="top"
 
|* CirSim
 
| Java Breadboard Simulator[http://www.cs.york.ac.uk/jbb][http://www.stephen-halstead.co.uk/breadboard_simulator/index.php]
 
|
 
|
 
|
 
|
 
<!------------------------------->
 
|-valign="top"
 
|* SchCap, PCB
 
| [http://fritzing.org/learning/get-started/project-view/ Fritzing]
 
|
 
|
 
| autorouter
 
|
 
<!------------------------------->
 
|-valign="top"
 
|* CirSim
 
| [http://garlicsim.org/ GarlicSim]
 
| Windows, Linux
 
| mostly LGPL2.1
 
|
 
| If you want to write a circuit simulator or a microcontroller simulator, GarlicSim may be a nice starting point.
 
 
<!------------------------------->
 
|-valign="top"
 
|* SchCap, PCB
 
| [http://www.designspark.com/pcb DesignSpark PCB]
 
| Windows, WINE[http://www.designspark.com/content/designspark-pcb-which-operating-systems-are-supported]
 
| freeware
 
| autorouter[http://www.designspark.com/knowledge/autorouting-design-spark-pcb]
 
| seems to require some kind of on-line activation?
 
 
 
 
 
<!------------------------------->
 
|-valign="top"
 
|* SchCap, PCB
 
| [http://repo.hu/projects/pcb-rnd pcb-rnd as a pcb editor]
 
 
|
 
| freeware
 
|
 
| It's free (GPL 2+), runs on *NIX (inlcuding old UNIX systems, Linux, macOSX). It has a builtin autorouter and can interface to 2 different external autorouters at the moment.
 
 
Some minor fix porposals in the gEDA group of tools:
 
 
- pcb-3.0 was a fork of geda/pcb from the mid 2000s - it's not maintained anymore. It basically supports similar things to what you listed as Harry Eaton's pcb, plus tcl bindings.
 
 
- Harry Eaton's pcb is the same as gEDA/PCB; it's just the previous name of gEDA/PCB. Harry used to maintain it from the mid 90s to the early 2000s, way before gEDA happened. Later on the project joined the gEDA effort and we started to call it gEDA/PCB. Here's a timeline of the project's full history, traced back to the very roots: http://repo.hu/projects/pcb-history/timeline.png
 
 
- gEDA is more than just pcb - it's actually not a project, but a group of interconnected projects - including multiple pcb editors, simulators, netlist tools, and a schematics editor. It's like a linux distribution, which is not a kernel, not an X server, not a web browser, not a shell, but all these together.
 
 
Tibor 'Igor2' Palinkas pcb-rnd lead developer
 
  
  
 
<!--
 
<!--
 
|-
 
|-
! Class !! Name !! Platform !! License !! AutoRouter !! Comments
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| name and link || platform(s) || License? || AutoRouter? || Comments
 
-->
 
-->
 
|}
 
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----
 
----
  
== Circuit simulation tools ==
 
 
''Should this be integrated into the above list?''
 
''Or should this be split out into a separate page?''
 
 
Which kind of circuit simulation tool is most appropriate for experimenting with various [[relay CPU]] configurations?
 
 
* http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Logic_simulation
 
* http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Simulation_software
 
* http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electronic_circuit_simulation
 
* http://electronics.stackexchange.com/questions/7022/circuit-simulation-software
 
 
In no particular order:
 
 
=== analog electronic simulators ===
 
 
Quite Universal Circuit Simulator
 
http://qucs.sourceforge.net/
 
has a wiki
 
https://sourceforge.net/apps/mediawiki/qucs/
 
 
Quite Universal Circuit Simulator (Qucs) is a open source electronics circuit simulator software released under GPL.
 
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quite_Universal_Circuit_Simulator
 
 
[[gEDA]] is an open-source suite that comes with, among many other tools:
 
* ngspice, a mixed-signal circuit simulator based on: Spice3f5, Cider1b1 and Xspice.
 
* Gnucap is the Gnu Circuit Analysis Package, designed for mixed-mode simulation.
 
* gspiceui (GNU Spice GUI) provides a GUI for GNU-Cap and Ng-Spice.
 
 
"Oregano is a schematic capture and circuit simulation program using the GNOME libraries. Coupled with ngspice, it can do DC sweeps, AC Sweeps, Time domain analysis, and Fourier analysis. All kinds of good stuff, and GPL licensed to boot."
 
http://www.electronicschat.org/index.cgi/Oregano
 
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oregano_%28software%29
 
 
 
LTSpice/SwitcherCad
 
 
http://sim4kicad.sf.net simulator
 
 
http://edacious.org/ simulator http://sf.net/projects/edacious/
 
 
"Can you simulate a schematic?"
 
http://electronics.stackexchange.com/questions/4866/can-you-simulate-a-schematic
 
 
Circuit simulation software
 
http://electronics.stackexchange.com/questions/7022/circuit-simulation-software
 
 
What are the freeware SPICE simulators available?
 
http://electronics.stackexchange.com/questions/1206/what-are-the-freeware-spice-simulators-available
 
 
Program for simulating circuits on linux
 
http://electronics.stackexchange.com/questions/12400/program-for-simulating-circuits-on-linux
 
 
 
NSPICE, a Forth Package to Simulate Electronic Circuits
 
http://home.claranet.nl/users/mhx/nspice.html
 
 
Electrical Circuit Simulator
 
http://mark.madscientist.ws/
 
http://markworld.com/
 
circuit editor written in JavaScript to run in a web browser;
 
passes to circuit simulator on the server written in C.
 
 
 
Gnucap is the Gnu Circuit Analysis Package.
 
The primary component is a general purpose circuit simulator.
 
It performs nonlinear dc and transient analyses, fourier analysis, and ac analysis.
 
Gnucap is not based on Spice, but some of the models have been derived from the Berkeley models.
 
http://freeelectron.net/gnucap/
 
http://directory.fsf.org/project/gnucap/
 
 
 
 
"Web lectures on electronic circuits"
 
"The circuits are emulated using Javascript functions, which make it feel like you are interacting with the circuitry itself."
 
http://www.makezine.com/blog/archive/2006/02/web_lectures_on_electronic_cir.htm
 
l
 
http://spsu.edu/cs/faculty/bbrown/web_lectures/
 
 
Hans Summers.
 
"Huff & Puff Oscillator Stabiliser Frequency Simulator" (source code in Java can be downloaded here)
 
http://www.hanssummers.com/huffpuff.html
 
 
 
=== digital electronic simulators ===
 
 
tkgate open-source gate-level schematic entry and simulator
 
http://www.tkgate.org/
 
 
LogicLab
 
http://www.idcomm.com/personal/lorenblaney/
 
 
The Iowa Logic Simulator: a tool for modelling digital systems.
 
http://www.cs.uiowa.edu/~jones/logicsim/
 
 
 
the Tofu relay circuit simulator.
 
http://meatfighter.com/tofu/
 
http://meatfighter.com/tofu/tutorial/index.html
 
might be useful for designing a [[Relay CPU]].
 
 
FGDIANASYM digital simulator http://www.germinara.it/fgdianasym.htm
 
 
 
=== microcontroller simulators ===
 
 
[[A Really Basic Guide to the PIC Microprocessor and BoostC]]
 
describes how to use the PIC simulator included with BoostC.
 
 
[PIC simulators]
 
"Hades includes simulation models for ... the 8-bit PIC16 microcontrollers ..."
 
http://tams-www.informatik.uni-hamburg.de/applets/hades/webdemos/index.html
 
 
[PIC simulators]
 
miSim DE 2.1 is now FREE
 
miSim DE 2.1 development environment ... It includes an editor, assembler and disassembler ... a simulator that simulates not only the microcontroller itself, but also devices connected to it in real time - from simple switches and LEDs to video displays and stepper motors.
 
...
 
Also runs as web Applet
 
http://www.feertech.com/misim/welcome.html
 
 
[68HC11 simulators]
 
"THRSim11, ... allows you to edit, assemble, simulate and debug programs for the 68HC11 on Windows 95/98. THRSim11 simulates the CPU, ROM, RAM, all memory mapped I/O ports, and the on board peripherals."
 
http://www.bdti.com/faq/3.htm
 
 
==== 8051 simulators ====
 
 
JSIM-51 is a free 8051 simulator by Jens Altmann.
 
[http://bit.kuas.edu.tw/~8051/]
 
 
"uCsim: the 8051 simulator for SDCC"[http://mcu-programming.blogspot.com/2006/11/ucsim-8051-simulator-for-sdcc.html]
 
 
The Moravia Microsystems MCU 8051 IDE apparently includes a 8051 simulator and SDCC.
 
[http://www.moravia-microsystems.com/mcu-8051-ide/]
 
 
==== Z80 simulators ====
 
SDCC includes uCsim, which supports the 8051, Z80, and other microcontrollers.
 
[https://packages.debian.org/wheezy/electronics/sdcc-ucsim]
 
 
==== Atmel AVR simulators ====
 
ucSim also supports the AVR family.
 
[http://manpages.ubuntu.com/manpages/utopic/man1/ucsim.1.html]
 
 
== visual diff tools ==
 
 
"Improving open source hardware: Visual diffs"
 
[http://www.evilmadscientist.com/article.php/visdiff]
 
via
 
"Hardware version control using visual DIFF"
 
[http://hackaday.com/2011/10/14/hardware-version-control-using-visual-diff/]
 
 
"Visual Diff Tools Revisited"
 
[http://www.codinghorror.com/blog/2004/12/visual-diff-tools-revisited.html]
 
 
"The Power of Visual Diff for Schematics & Layouts"
 
[http://www.cliosoft.com/products/whitepaper-vdd.pdf]
 
 
(Didn't [[User:DavidCary|DavidCary]] write up a description of
 
"blink" alt-tab comparing files somewhere?)
 
  
 
== Further reading ==
 
== Further reading ==
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* [[Techniques]]
 
* [[Techniques]]
 
* [[hardware tool]]s
 
* [[hardware tool]]s
* Even though PCB part of a stripboard circuit was more or less "finished" years ago, some people use the above schematic and PCB layout tools to design and document the parts placement for new gadgets built on [[stripboard]].
 
* A similar list of software tools at [http://reprap.org/wiki/Useful_Software_Packages#CAD_software_for_electronics RepRap: CAD software for electronics] lists tools that people working on the RepRap project have found useful. ''(Have we already listed all those tools here?)''
 
* Yet another list of electronics software tools at Electronics and Robotics: [http://electronics.stackexchange.com/questions/4866/can-you-simulate-a-schematic circuit simulation] and [http://electronics.stackexchange.com/questions/1222/what-are-low-cost-circuit-and-pcb-design-software PCB design]. ''(Have we already listed all those tools here?)''
 
* [http://electronics.stackexchange.com/questions/1024/good-tools-for-drawing-schematics/3035#comment-32446 "Good Tools for Drawing Schematics"]
 
* [http://www.designspark.com/knowledge/pcb-convertor-source-code PCB Convertor for SketchUp] is now open-source.
 

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