Re:Prototype to production: How to build and design a PCB pr...
by brokensegue on Wednesday March 07, 2018 @09:49AM
(#16536711)
So I recently picked up kicad for some hobby project and made my first boards. I did exactly as you said "watched some tutorials" and I still think that making PCBs is easier than I thought it would be. Kicad definitely has rough edges and I have zero experience with altium but I'm still getting things done so I'm not sure your advice holds.
Re:Prototype to production: How to build and design a PCB pr...
by IshKebab on Wednesday March 07, 2018 @01:06PM
(#16538363)
Well you might have thought it was impossible! Give DesignSpark PCB a go.
Re:Prototype to production: How to build and design a PCB pr...
by brokensegue on Thursday March 08, 2018 @11:00AM
(#16545119)
at this point I know kicad and all my custom parts are in kicad. maybe for my next project.
Unfortunately there is no good open source EDA software. Sorry but it's true. Also Eagle is the biggest pile of crap I've ever used. Worse than Eclipse. If you don't believe me, download it and then try to work out how to copy and paste something.
The best free, closed source software is DesignSpark PCB. It's still a little weird (e.g. zooming warps the cursor) but it at least is fairly logical to use. You can work it out without extensive tutorials. And there aren't any limits on part numbers of PCB sizes unlike Eagle or MultiSim Blue.
Let me say it again - if you are a beginner DO NOT USE EAGLE! DO NOT USE KiCAD! Either pirate Altium, or use DesignSpark PCB.
Trust me, the difference is like "oh wow designing PCBs sure is complicated! I'm going to need to read a book and watch some tutorials or something" vs "huh this is much easier than I always thought it would be - it's basically MS Paint".