Can anybody advise where I can get some schematic software to download.

Mine is so old and just stopped working.

 

Which program did you use?

I like Eagle. It's free, with some limitations, and it's for Linux, Windows and Mac.

 

There are many out there...

I typically use KiCAD or LTSpice, as both are free...

 

I use Eagle, though KiCad is pretty good. You can also find other ones like FreePCB, ExpressPCB (not my personal favorite), DIPtrace, and so on.

EDIT: ETO has a good thread about PCB software, listing the pros and cons of each. I don't normally link between forums, but I think it's worth it here:

http://www.electro-tech-online.com/threads/the-scoop-on-pcb-layout-software.111236/

Hope this helps!
Matt

 

ExpressPCB:http://www.expresspcb.com/
Good schematic program. Free and easy to use. Limited to their board house for the PCB production though.

Ken

 

ExpressPCB:http://www.expresspcb.com/
Good schematic program. Free and easy to use. Limited to their board house for the PCB production though.

Ken

I started with ExpressPCB but the schematic editor was very plain, it was easy to lose track of what was what (no color coding or anything) and often just didn't look good to me. That topped with only using their board house is what turned me off to it for good. I switched to Eagle and liked it, though we're limited to two layers for the free version, and have a limited board size. But it has color coding, easy to read, pleasing to the eye, and has a lot of great features. You can also export it to gerber files which can be sent to almost any board house of your choosing. I've also tried other programs like DIPtrace and KiCAD, but didn't care much for the modular layout.

Just my opinion, anyway.
Matt

 

Another vote for Eagle, there are quite a lot of parts libraries for it as well. I have tried a few others mentioned above over the past year or two but keep coming back to Eagle.

 

Hello,

For PCB software, you could have a look at this page of the EDUCYPEDIA:
http://educypedia.karadimov.info/electronics/easoftpcb.htm

For circuit simulation there is also a page available:
http://educypedia.karadimov.info/electronics/easoftsim.htm

Bertus

 

I was using an older DOS version of Orcad, but recently switched to Kicad which is free and no restriction on schematic size.
Max.

 

ExpressPCB:http://www.expresspcb.com/
Good schematic program. Free and easy to use. Limited to their board house for the PCB production though.

Ken

Excellent for beginners. Very easy to use.

But I prefer DipTrace. A lot more features than ExpressPCB. Probably not as powerful as Eagle but a whole lot easier to learn. DipTrace is sort of middle of the road. Good for folks that just dabble like me.

 

DipTrace is my preferred software: good schematic package, good PCB layout interface, good component editor, and good package designer.

 

Here's Dave Jones stumbling through a review of Kicad without reading the instructions, part1 and there is a part 2 also.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xRXEc7pB0o0
Max.

 

Would someone post simple examples?

Will one of them cross over to do ladder diagrams? Even if not correct, just to doodle.

I've played with EKTS. Not much.
And digikey's schemelt.

Used Expresspcb but not the schematic part. I'll have to look again.

Still looking.

 

PCB based S/W does not usually cater to PLC and ladder diagram/schematic format.
Although you could use it for this but most likely you would have to build your own component libraries from scratch?
Usually this is in the realm of Architectural/Electrical/Electronic/Hydraulic CAD programs.
Having used AutoCad from almost day one, I am now pretty much over the long learning curve for it, but it's forté is dedicated to the above examples.
You may get an older version (Acad14 etc) on ebay for low $'s.
Also DesignCAD.
Max.

 

PCB based S/W does not usually cater to PLC and ladder diagram/schematic format.
Although you could use it for this but most likely you would have to build your own component libraries from scratch?

Max.

That's ok.
Most everything for myself is in a plc program.
It's just if I want to doodle something to post.

 

It's just if I want to doodle something to post.

If that's all, then ExpressPCB would be my recommendation; it's free and easy to learn.

 

DipTrace is my preferred software: good schematic package, good PCB layout interface, good component editor, and good package designer.

+1
Diptrace is great!!. I use it professionally and find there is very little you can't do on it.. And its very easy to learn to use it.. just run through the tutorial and off you go.. Far easier than Eagle IMO..

 

Far easier than Eagle IMO..

And yet I spent hours with DIPtrace and still couldn't figure it out, while I was able to figure out the important parts of Eagle in 5 minutes

Maybe my mind just works strangely....

Anyway, there was a reason I didn't like DIPtrace but I can't remember what it was. I might try it again sometime soon. Was DIPtrace the one with a PCB editor that had everything outlined in yellow (traces, components, airwires, etc)? I couldn't keep track of what was a component and what was a wire!