m00dawg Posted January 4, 2011 Report Share Posted January 4, 2011 EagleCAD works fine most of the time but it sure would be nice if I could just design one big board (similar to the MB-6582 board) in some cases, such as for a rackmount version of the MB-6582. I have been able to create a mod-matrix board in EagleCAD without having to get too creative (looks like it will be compatible with the MB-6582 one just with the addition of screw holes) but that won't easily do for the other sections. I thought about buying the non-profit version but even that would not allow me to one single board. I noticed that 4pcb.com offers some PCB design software. It does not appear to be limited though I have not tried it yet. I was curious - has anyone else given this a go? If I went for a large board I would likely go with 4pcb.com instead of batchpcb.com since I might not be saving all that much at those sizes anyway (and I can have multiple copies to either bulk order out to people or use in case I mess something up). Thoughts? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nILS Posted January 4, 2011 Report Share Posted January 4, 2011 It's the new standard in PCB CAD! At least their website says so. *cough* Oh and the full version is 1599€. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
m00dawg Posted January 4, 2011 Author Report Share Posted January 4, 2011 The full version of Eagle or PCB CAD? I may try PCB CAD just to see how good/bad it actually is. The possibility of being able to make larger boards, though I won't need to use very often, is intriguing. I thought about buying the non-profit version of Eagle but even that limits board sizes to 4" x 6". I actually don't mind spending more on board fabbing but dropping over a grand for Eagle is excessive :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nILS Posted January 4, 2011 Report Share Posted January 4, 2011 I used "PCB CAD" as a generic name for "printed circuited board computer aided design" and not a product name. The "professional" thing that 4pcb is pushing is called "Pulsonix" and costs 1599€. I haven't tried "PCB Artist" which apparently is "the best free layout software". Not really a claim to fame if you look at the other free options ;) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
m00dawg Posted January 4, 2011 Author Report Share Posted January 4, 2011 Yeah I know there are a few other options (batchpcb.com actually has a few recommendations beyond Eagle) that I'm thinking of trying. Anyone have any suggestions? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nILS Posted January 4, 2011 Report Share Posted January 4, 2011 I tried pretty much everything that was available 2ish years ago. And... well... I am still using eagle (which I don't really like). Claw your way through all of them, that's prolly the best thing to do. Make a core module or the likes in every app, that'll give you enough time to figure out how stuff works and whether or not you like the app :D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
m00dawg Posted January 4, 2011 Author Report Share Posted January 4, 2011 Yep that was my thought. I guess I'll start with the ones BatchPCB recommends (there is one that runs under X11 so I can use it on OS X so that's a plus). Man EagleCAD...I bet that cost you quite a bit to buy a full license to. Ouch. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nILS Posted January 4, 2011 Report Share Posted January 4, 2011 I have a uni license :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
m00dawg Posted January 4, 2011 Author Report Share Posted January 4, 2011 Ah. I miss those discounts. I guess I could go back to college but the full price of EagleCAD would surely be less than a semester :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ilmenator Posted January 4, 2011 Report Share Posted January 4, 2011 Try KICAD then, it's rock solid, and the learning curve is not much steeper than on EAGLE. Plus, it is unlimited in every aspect of PCB design. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
findbuddha Posted January 4, 2011 Report Share Posted January 4, 2011 There's also KiCad Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nILS Posted January 5, 2011 Report Share Posted January 5, 2011 Also, try KICAD :whistle: (...which I hate even more than Eagle) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
m00dawg Posted January 5, 2011 Author Report Share Posted January 5, 2011 Hey! I found this cool thing called KiCAD that I think I'm going to try! (fun aside, thanks for the suggestion - I'll definitely take it for a spin!) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
m00dawg Posted January 5, 2011 Author Report Share Posted January 5, 2011 So I tried KiCAD and PCB Artist so far. KiCAD is plausible though not near as fluid as eagleCAD. Figuring out how to get my board populated with my schematic was a bit of a chore. I was using it on a Windows VM under OS X (VMWare Fusion) so that could be part of it. PCB Artist is better at some things but their component library is confusing and slow. I was looking for an 8x1 SIL but only found 2-5x1 and also no DILs. Supposedly adding your own components is easy but I haven't figured it out. Never did find an 8x1... Still on the list is GEDA. Going to install Ubuntu Desktop as a VM tomorrow to see how GEDA goes and how KiCAD works under Linux instead of Winders. I suspect I'll have some of the same VM annoyances but do not have an extra box to throw Linux on easily (I guess I could dual boot my Winders box...). Long story short, so far Eagle is the winner but I don't know if that's just because it's what I'm used to. The interface was quirky at first but I like it's so easy to move/rotate and stuff. No need to click+drag, etc. On the other hand, group selection is really annoying. So is the price :) I would almost spring for the non-profit standard version if the allowable board dimensions were just a tiny bit larger. The question is if Eagle is really good enough to live with either not making larger boards or having to spend $$$ doing it over things that are free. I'm hoping my cheapness ultimately wins out :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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