It also an IDE for C, assembly and MicroBASIC development and compiling (using SDCC?). Then it is translated into Microbe or MicroBASIC, another peculiar high-level language of KTechLab. However, it has a unique visual programming environment where one can develop the MCU workflow by flowcharts. It is primarily a KDE tool for RCL, logic, and PIC MCU (using gpsim) simulation. KTechLab: is probably the most amazing and in some ways peculiar of all in this section. Immediate advantages of indirect CAD are version control and object oriented programing, but it requires its own essay. Also if you care about programatic (aka code based indirect CAD), there are attempts like aeCAD and SKiDL to look into. Tin圜AD, FreePCB, BSch3V MINIMAL PCB EDITOR, MeowCAD, PCB Elegance, Caneda, diy-layout-creator, BlackBoard Circuit Designer, eSim formerly Oscad FreeEDA, myNetPCB, FidoCadJ) are also some of the available options for those who enjoy investigating. Horizon : similar to the LibrePCB, is another attempt to make a better FOSS EDA and very appreciated by the community. Reading from the forums this project has a bright future. Extensive libraries and version control are some of the key features. LibrePCB : Is an ambitious attempt to develop an EDA suite from scratch which outperforms KiCAD in terms of usability and extendability. Its community is comparable to KiCAD and Fritzing, if not bigger. It is the classic gold standard of EDA suites world. GEDA Is a combination of several other packages including gschem, PCB, and Gerbv. It is great for beginners like me as well as documentation and publication. What makes it unique is the virtual breadboard environment where you can place parts and connections similar to the way you could do it in the real world. I have read a lot of criticism on the forums about it though. In the latest version, it has some simulation (using Ngspice?) and some auto-routing plugins.įritzing:, In my opinion, is the most hobbyist friendly of all. It does not require introduction if you haven't heard of it you have probably lived under a stone :) what makes it unique is the fact it is used and supported by the folks at CERN. KiCAD: Is probably the most famous and stable of all FOSS EDA suites. They usually include the schematic capture and CAD parts, and sometimes even the simulation and auto routing. These are the family of the software which tries to integrate most of the PCB Design process in one place. Electronic design automation (EDA) suites: I hope this list will stimulate FOSS adoption and help the community to better knowledge of their alternatives.ġ. Next step the PCB should be designed in a CAD suite and the Gerber sent for manufacturing. Following by programing the Microcontroller (a development board like Arduino) and then merging the circuit and MCU in a prototype or simulation. Usually, I will start with conceptual design including a circuit schematics and a breadboard implementation. The way I categorize these software will be based on the conventional workflow I use for my own work (Robotics). Your designs/documents are basically ransom to other vendors when using proprietary software! Also if you are a scientist and want to implement your own auto-routing method or improved compiling algorithm, or you are a student who wants to do something on your mac or Linux computer without losing your sanity over virtualization. Just imaging Autodesk decides to triple its fees all of a sudden or deprecate a software altogether. From software licensing costs, privacy, cross-platform experience, customizability and most importantly vendor lock-down. I think most professionals are well aware of the advantages. I'm not gonna lecture you guys/gals about the importance of FOSS. However, it turned out to be way more complicated than what I expected, taking two weeks of my free time to research. Following my former lists of awesome CAD and CAM/CNC FOSS for mechanical engineering, I decided to also create a similar list for electrical engineering.
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