DesignSpark any good???

Thread Starter

mitchthetitch

Joined Mar 29, 2013
2
I am trying to find a good electronics simulator for a quite new and young enthusiast. I have seen lots like LTspcie and it seem quite difficult to understand. Is DesignSpark any Good?
 

paulktreg

Joined Jun 2, 2008
833
A came across a program called Crocodile Clips many moons ago that was great for youngsters.

It's available here. May be too simplistic but worth a look?
 

eetech00

Joined Jun 8, 2013
3,847
I am trying to find a good electronics simulator for a quite new and young enthusiast. I have seen lots like LTspcie and it seem quite difficult to understand. Is DesignSpark any Good?
DesignSpark is not simulation software. It is Schematic Capture and PCB Design software. LTSpice is simulation software. The DesignSpark schematic can be passed to LTSpice for simulation.

A sim is no substitute for understanding basic electronics.
MikeML is right.

eT
 

b1u3sf4n09

Joined May 23, 2014
113
I am trying to find a good electronics simulator for a quite new and young enthusiast. I have seen lots like LTspcie and it seem quite difficult to understand. Is DesignSpark any Good?
If you are looking for a PCB CAD program, DesignSpark is one of the best for beginners. Large library of footprints available with an intuitive interface. I personally prefer it to Eagle, though I have not tried KiCad.

If you are looking for circuit simulation, just stick with LTspice. It should be more than adequate for most hobbyist needs.

For something a little simpler, you can also try this schematic program from Digikey: http://www.digikey.com/en/resources/scheme-it. As I alluded to, it only does schematic diagrams, no simulation or board layouts.

Mouser and National Instruments have a new simulator/pcb schematic 'all in one' application called, Multisim Blue. It's a big download (~775mb) but has a lot of spice models in it. And it's free. http://www.mouser.com/MultiSimBlue/
Have you used this program before? Is it something beginner appropriate, or is it more for the seasoned veteran? What PCB suite is it comparable to? I ask in case this program is a bit more than what the OP is looking for. Wading into complex software is a surefire way to discourage someone very quickly.
 

shortbus

Joined Sep 30, 2009
10,045
Downloaded it but haven't used it yet. Too busy right now splitting and cutting fire wood for the winter. I agree with you on the Design Spark over Eagle though. Tried Eagle many times over the years and couldn't "get" it. DS just seemed to "click" though.
 

ISB123

Joined May 21, 2014
1,236
I tried KiCad it has weird workflow but other than that its not too bad.

DesignSpark is really good,has built in schematics symbols/parts(BASIC) which can be expanded easily and has nice workflow.
Sometimes Grid will cause drop in performance when working with complex circuits so just turn it off.

Here are converted Eagle libraries for Designspark:

PART 1
http://www.rs-online.com/designspar...spark-pcb-format-of-47-eagle-format-libraries
PART 2
http://www.rs-online.com/designspar...converted-with-designspark-pcb-format-part-2=
 
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