PCB design solutions are software tools that automate many of the tasks that EDEs previously performed manually over the course of designing an electronic circuit. There are variety of tools available including many excellent free options. For new PCB designers, making a decision which solution to use can be a challenge. To make your decision easier, we have reviewed different tools and listed below the 10 Best FREE PCB Design Solutions available in the marketplace today. We recommend starting with free PCB software until you require more advanced software features and are more experienced, in order to get the best use out of paid software.
PCB file extension Information that help open, edit, and convert.PCB file. When there is a problem with opening files with the extension.PCB you do not need to immediately use the services of the IT expert. In most cases, using the helpful suggestions of experts contained in our website as well as appropriate programs you can solve the problem with the.PCB file yourself. PADS Layout/Router supports a complete PCB design process, covering a full range of functions from schematic netlist import to final production file (Gerber), assembly file, and bill of materials (BOM) output. ORCAD is the EDA software developed by ORCAD in the late 1980s. It is as old as protel,but it is worse even than Protel. Typically, free EDA software is poorly developed, or has restrictions on design size that render it useless for any real project. Not CircuitMaker - you get the full power of 16 signal + 16 plane layers, and no restrictions to the PCB dimensions. You can even make money with your designs, because there's no 'non-commercial' clause! TO USE 'SMART OPEN': From the Unisoft software click FILE from the main menu, click SMART OPEN and a new window opens. In the new window browse to and select the directory that your project CAD or Gerber files are located in. A new window opens and select one of the files presented and your PC Board will be displayed. PCB file extension Information that help open, edit, and convert.PCB file. When there is a problem with opening files with the extension.PCB you do not need to immediately use the services of the IT expert.
1. KiCad
This is an open source software suite containing programs for Schematic Capture, PCB Layout and Gerber file output. It has more horsepower than a basic schematic capture tool and it is specifically designed for multiple tasks needed in Electronic Design Automation. It can handle PCB layouts up to 32 layers and even includes a 3D viewer so you can review your design with rotate and pan inspection capabilities. This is the most used and well regarded free PCB design tools.What Is A Pcb File
Platforms: Windows, Linux and OS XWhat Software Can Open Pcb Files
2. DesignSpark PCB
DesignSpark PCB is a very popular, easy-to-learn schematics capture and PCB layout tool for electronic design automation. It has a broad range of users from students to professional EDEs. It is free and can create 3D views so you can to visualize your design in real time.Platforms: Windows
3. ExpressPCB Plus and ExpressSCH
This is a basic PCB design and layout tool that's easy to install, easy to learn, and easy to use. It can work with multilayer PCBS up to 4 layers. It's a great tool for rapid prototyping and small production runs. There is a community component library and ExpressSCH for schematic creation.Platforms: Windows
4. Osmond PCB
This is a PCB design solution for Mac computers. It has an excellent spatial resolution of 10 nanometers. You can now design boards of any size and shape and with as many layers as you want. It's easy to use in metric or imperial units. And its editing tools makes it easy to design and tweak your circuits.Price: Free for <700 pins and $79 for >700 pins
Platforms: Mac OSX
5. Zenit PCB
Overall, it's a great, simple and easy to use PCB design tool to get you started designing circuits fast. This software is aimed at students and hobbyists who do not need the most advanced features and not wish to pay for more expensive software. It does not have a built-in autorouter. A schematic editor ZenitCapture is also available for a full circuit design solution. Designs are limited to 1000 pins.Platforms: Windows
6. FreePCB
This is a free and open source PCB design editor. It does not have a built-in autorouter, but it can use the FreeRoute web-based autorouter. While its source code is copyrighted, FreePCB was released under the GNU General Public License (version 2 or later).Platforms: Windows
7. Fritzing
This is PCB layout tool that is uniquely supported by a community website and services for teaching electronics. It is meant to be a creative platform that's easy to use and has similarities to Processing and Arduino. Useful for new designers or students.Platforms: Windows, Mac OSX, Linux
8. TinyCAD
This is a basic electronic circuit schematic drawing solution that's supported by extensive symbol libraries to facilitate PCB layout tasks. What's nice about this tool is that you can use it as front end to other PCB layout tools. It also has the ability to check for design circuit flaws. This is an open source software project.
9. gEDA
This is a comprehensive Electronic Design Automation suite and toolkit that runs on Linux. It's free and capable of performing schematic capture, attribute management, BOM generation, analog and digital simulation, and PCB layout.Platforms: Linux
10. BSch3V
This is a schematic capture tool for use on Windows. The name 'BSch' is an abbreviation of 'Basic Schematic'. It's the third generation of Suigyodo's schematic capture software. It's a basic schematic editor and can't handle complex tasks. There are better free schematic editors available.Platforms: Windows
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Printed Circuit Boards are very crucial in Electronics circuit design and making, these PCB boards are acts as support base for the Electronic Elements & components and provides bias and signal path to the required components.
Now a days growth of SMD (Surface Mount Device) and SMT (Surface Mount Technology) shrinks the electronic components size and makes more complex to the PCB design. Due to no pin hole terminals in SMD components two side of PCB board filled up with tracks and components.
The Printed Circuit Board have copper tracks to connect the electronic components placed upon it, Different types of PCBs are,
- Single Sided PCBs
- Double Sided PCBs
- Multilayer PCBs
- Rigid PCBs
- Flex PCBs
- Rigid-Flex PCBs
In order to produce compact, quality perfect printed circuit board we need good PCB design software, this Article may help you to find most leading and competitive 10+ free PCB design software.
- eSim
- Kicad
- gEDA
- Free PCB
- Osmond PCB
- ExpressPCB
- PCBWeb Designer
- DesignSpark PCB
- Fritzing
- Eagle
- ZenitPCB
eSim
eSim (previously known as Oscad / FreeEDA) is an open source EDA tool for circuit design, simulation, analysis and PCB design. eSim offers similar capabilities and ease of use as any equivalent proprietary software for schematic creation, simulation and PCB design, without having to pay a huge amount of money to procure licenses. This software runs on Ubuntu Linux and Windows and it is released under GPL (eSim Software).
Kicad
Kicad EDA is a cross platform and open source electronics Design Automation suite. It enables support for every aspects in electronics design such as, Schematic capture, PCB layout and 3D Viewer,it allow you to modify the aesthetic appearance of the board or to hide and show features for easier inspection (Kicad software).
gEDA
PCB design software from gEDA is a cross platform software, and has rats nest features, schematic/netlist import, design rule checking and provide Industry standard RS-274X (Gerber), photorealistic design review images and lot more.(gEDA PCB software).
Free PCB
FreePCB is a free, open-source PCB editor for Microsoft Windows, released under the GNU General Public License. It was designed to be easy to learn and easy to use, yet capable of professional-quality work.
- 1 to 16 copper layers
- Board size up to 60 inches by 60 inches
- Imports and exports PADS-PCB netlists
- Exports extended Gerber files (RS274X) and Excellon drill files
- Design rule checker
- Autosave
These are notable features built in Freepcb PCB design software. (freepcb Software)
Osmond PCB
Osmond PCB provides free software for small designs, it has multiple layer design option, we can design thru-hole and surface mount based PCBs. It has Design rule checking features and produce industrial standard boards output (Osmond PCB Software).
ExpressPCB
ExpressPCB software is a user friendly easy to use PCB design software, First time PCB designer can easily operate this software without any struggle and it provides well explained documentation & steps on how to make printed circuit board (ExpressPCB software).
PCBWeb Designer
PCBweb is a free CAD application to designing and manufacturing electronics hardware, It provides full service design and manufacturing features, we can do schematic capture fast using easy to use writing tool, we can create multi-layer boards and it has integrated Arrow part library (PCBweb designer)
DesignSpark PCB
DesignSpark PCB software from RS components and Allied Electronics makes it easy to design complex PCBs and this software works with minimum configuration systems, It has huge library collections and good support by forum and video tutorials (DesignSpark PCB). Imvu mac desktop.
Fritzing
Fritzing is an open-source hardware initiative that makes electronics accessible as a creative material for anyone. Format flash drive in mac. We offer a software tool, a community website and services in the spirit of Processing and Arduino, fostering a creative ecosystem that allows users to document their prototypes, share them with others, teachelectronics in a classroom, and layout and manufacture professional pcbs… from its website (Fritzing software).
Eagle
Autodesk eagle PCB design software is powerful and easy to use tools for every engineer, and it is offered in free version and also paid version , it has easy to use schematic editor, powerful pcb layout and ready to use part libraries and this software most suitable for complex pcb designs (eagle software).
ZenitPCB
Zenit PCB software is a excellent tool to create professional printed circuit board, and it is easy to use CAD proram, ZenitPCB Suite is directed to all those people who want to make printed circuit board for hobby, or to student and academics from universities or high schools, who want to create their own pcb with a professional approach and particularly without having to pay for expensive licenses, from its website (ZenitPCB software).
9. gEDA
This is a comprehensive Electronic Design Automation suite and toolkit that runs on Linux. It's free and capable of performing schematic capture, attribute management, BOM generation, analog and digital simulation, and PCB layout.Platforms: Linux
10. BSch3V
This is a schematic capture tool for use on Windows. The name 'BSch' is an abbreviation of 'Basic Schematic'. It's the third generation of Suigyodo's schematic capture software. It's a basic schematic editor and can't handle complex tasks. There are better free schematic editors available.Platforms: Windows
Related Articles:
Search articles:
Printed Circuit Boards are very crucial in Electronics circuit design and making, these PCB boards are acts as support base for the Electronic Elements & components and provides bias and signal path to the required components.
Now a days growth of SMD (Surface Mount Device) and SMT (Surface Mount Technology) shrinks the electronic components size and makes more complex to the PCB design. Due to no pin hole terminals in SMD components two side of PCB board filled up with tracks and components.
The Printed Circuit Board have copper tracks to connect the electronic components placed upon it, Different types of PCBs are,
- Single Sided PCBs
- Double Sided PCBs
- Multilayer PCBs
- Rigid PCBs
- Flex PCBs
- Rigid-Flex PCBs
In order to produce compact, quality perfect printed circuit board we need good PCB design software, this Article may help you to find most leading and competitive 10+ free PCB design software.
- eSim
- Kicad
- gEDA
- Free PCB
- Osmond PCB
- ExpressPCB
- PCBWeb Designer
- DesignSpark PCB
- Fritzing
- Eagle
- ZenitPCB
eSim
eSim (previously known as Oscad / FreeEDA) is an open source EDA tool for circuit design, simulation, analysis and PCB design. eSim offers similar capabilities and ease of use as any equivalent proprietary software for schematic creation, simulation and PCB design, without having to pay a huge amount of money to procure licenses. This software runs on Ubuntu Linux and Windows and it is released under GPL (eSim Software).
Kicad
Kicad EDA is a cross platform and open source electronics Design Automation suite. It enables support for every aspects in electronics design such as, Schematic capture, PCB layout and 3D Viewer,it allow you to modify the aesthetic appearance of the board or to hide and show features for easier inspection (Kicad software).
gEDA
PCB design software from gEDA is a cross platform software, and has rats nest features, schematic/netlist import, design rule checking and provide Industry standard RS-274X (Gerber), photorealistic design review images and lot more.(gEDA PCB software).
Free PCB
FreePCB is a free, open-source PCB editor for Microsoft Windows, released under the GNU General Public License. It was designed to be easy to learn and easy to use, yet capable of professional-quality work.
- 1 to 16 copper layers
- Board size up to 60 inches by 60 inches
- Imports and exports PADS-PCB netlists
- Exports extended Gerber files (RS274X) and Excellon drill files
- Design rule checker
- Autosave
These are notable features built in Freepcb PCB design software. (freepcb Software)
Osmond PCB
Osmond PCB provides free software for small designs, it has multiple layer design option, we can design thru-hole and surface mount based PCBs. It has Design rule checking features and produce industrial standard boards output (Osmond PCB Software).
ExpressPCB
ExpressPCB software is a user friendly easy to use PCB design software, First time PCB designer can easily operate this software without any struggle and it provides well explained documentation & steps on how to make printed circuit board (ExpressPCB software).
PCBWeb Designer
PCBweb is a free CAD application to designing and manufacturing electronics hardware, It provides full service design and manufacturing features, we can do schematic capture fast using easy to use writing tool, we can create multi-layer boards and it has integrated Arrow part library (PCBweb designer)
DesignSpark PCB
DesignSpark PCB software from RS components and Allied Electronics makes it easy to design complex PCBs and this software works with minimum configuration systems, It has huge library collections and good support by forum and video tutorials (DesignSpark PCB). Imvu mac desktop.
Fritzing
Fritzing is an open-source hardware initiative that makes electronics accessible as a creative material for anyone. Format flash drive in mac. We offer a software tool, a community website and services in the spirit of Processing and Arduino, fostering a creative ecosystem that allows users to document their prototypes, share them with others, teachelectronics in a classroom, and layout and manufacture professional pcbs… from its website (Fritzing software).
Eagle
Autodesk eagle PCB design software is powerful and easy to use tools for every engineer, and it is offered in free version and also paid version , it has easy to use schematic editor, powerful pcb layout and ready to use part libraries and this software most suitable for complex pcb designs (eagle software).
ZenitPCB
Zenit PCB software is a excellent tool to create professional printed circuit board, and it is easy to use CAD proram, ZenitPCB Suite is directed to all those people who want to make printed circuit board for hobby, or to student and academics from universities or high schools, who want to create their own pcb with a professional approach and particularly without having to pay for expensive licenses, from its website (ZenitPCB software).
Note: This Article is just to show you the software options for PCB designing and there is no compulsion or promoting of any software and Images used here are for the education purpose only, Image credit to the respective owners.
