ExpressPCB Software

Easy to learn and easy to use system manual PCB design.

The main advantages are the ease of development ExpressPCB, quickness to create your own database of radio components and microcircuits, the correctness of the program. ExpressPCB combines the best qualities of Sprint Layout



ExpressPCB editor designed for the manual creation of bilateral PCB-containing items, such as with planar and with solder pins.Implemented the ability to import the netlist drawn in ExpressSCH, as well as highlighting the unconnected pads. Most electronic components are numbered digital code, making it easier to further their search and purchase. Option «Snap to grid» with high accuracy to place items on the board. After completion of the work program reports the approximate price for manufacturing boards, and the function «Order boards via the Internet» helps to order. In both applications, there are libraries of standard components. Unfortunately, not without drawbacks. Noteworthy is the absence autorouter support Cyrillic characters, the function checks all the links for the optimal arrangement of parts, the print preview. For the iron-home method of production of printed circuit boards, ExpressPCB wonderful works in conjunction with circuit simulation program SwitcherCAD. Supports the expansion. Pcb program P-CAD.









Despite the simplicity of the program, there are two small incremental guide for beginners and special tips for PCB layout in English.


The program is written by a small team of American programmers and hobbyists. The aim of the work they put prompt resolution of various production problems through rapid development and manufacture of high-quality two-or four-layer printed circuit boards, with delivery the next day to anywhere in the world. After completion of the wiring board, the program automatically calculates the exact cost of board fabrication and on the official website, you can order the production of circuit boards.


ExpressPCB is running Microsoft Windows NT, 2000, XP, Vista and Windows 7. However, be careful when downloading the installation files to the program. One of them only work with XP, 2000 and NT, and the other - in Vista and Windows 7.


English-language program interface and localization system not.


Distribution of the program: Freeware


Official site ExpressPCB: http://www.expresspcb.com

Altium Designer Software

Computer-aided design from the developers of the legendary P-CAD , providing tremendous opportunity for the development of electronic devices. The program is mostly designed for professionals than hobbyists.

The software package includes all Altium Designer required set of tools for creating, editing and editing work on the basis of electrical and programmable integrated circuits. Schema editor enables you to work with projects of any size and complexity, converting them into simple sub-blocks. Digital-to-analog simulation takes into account almost all the real parameters and provides the designer a lot of different tests, including analyzes of transients, frequency, noise transfer functions, Fourier method Monte-Carlo, with the change of temperature. Realization of the circuit level checked and eliminated various impedances and cross-reflection. PCB Editor includes unique program for automatic (program Statistical Placer, Cluster Placer) and interactive component placement. Topological tracer Situs uses fully customizable algorithm for solving PCB layout of high-density installation elements. It can operate in non-orthogonal directions and independent choice of layers.Constantly updated library of more than 90 software programs store thousands of components. Many of them are models of seats, IBIS and SPICE-model, as well as 3D-model. Each of them can create a program individually with minimal time by entering information about the component.

     With support for DirectX redistribution of the load between the CPU and graphics card, which greatly accelerated the work with polygons and multilayer boards. There is the possibility of developing a three-dimensional printed circuit board in the form of import / export data in the mechanical CAD (SolidEdge, SolidWorks, AutoCAD, ProEngineer). Altium Designer supports almost all existing output file formats: DXF, Gerber, NC Drill, ODB + +, VHDL, IPC-D-356 and many others. Built-in wizard for importing projects converts library circuits and boards of systems OrCAD, PCAD, Allegro PCB, PADs, DxDesigner work in Altium Designer, regardless of the encoding (binary or ASCII). A distinctive feature of the development environment is a cross-cutting development integrity at different stages of design. In other words, changes made at any level of development will be reflected in all project phases. The program was created by Australian company Altium, which in 2008 announced the completion of work on the P-CAD and suggested instead a program Protel, being developed since 2000. In 2006 it was renamed in Protel Altium Designer. Despite the fact that the central office is located in Sydney, it has branches in 22 countries.  Interface design environment is simple and straightforward, any command can be run through many menus and one of the options you can always find through "Help". The Internet has a huge number of books and guidelines in Russian by Altium Designer. On the Internet there is anecdotal localization for Altium Designer, but usually on older versions, or not a complete translation.

Altium Designer is designed to run on 32 - or 64-bit operating systems Windows 2000 / XP / Vista / 7/8.

Distribution of the program: Shareware (fee required) from $ 49 per month

Official site Altium Designer: http://www.altium.com

FreePCB Software

Software with open source software, specializing in professional development and editing of printed circuit boards.

FreePCB program is fairly well known in Russia, but she won the main popularity in the U.S. and in India. This editor is very easy to learn and at the same time able to withstand the high demands for quality professionals PCB design. The program allows you to get results in a larger format Gerber (topology files) format and Excellon (files for drilling). These data is sufficient to order the production of boards in offices specialize in this. Besides software package supports up to 16 layers, you can work with both inch and metric units. PCB size can be up to 1524x1524 mm. Editor uses the library buildings from companies IPC, PCB Matrix and Design International. It is possible to import and export a netlist in PADS-PCB. In recent version adds verification of compliance with design rules and AutoSave results. For lovers of the printed circuit board at home, FreePCB represents the result separately for each layer in a graphical format PNG. This editor uses only hand-wiring boards, but can work in tandem with third-party avtotrassirovschikom FreeRouting. Among the few drawbacks are the lack of print option in the program.

FreePCB editor boards designed to work with the editor of schemes TinyCAD . In addition, the live broadcast will be available from the simulator netlist LTspice program FreePCB. There is an opportunity on the basis of a full and free programs to collect system through design containing simulator, editor of electrical circuits and printed circuit boards breeder.

FreePCB program written entirely in English and has no localization system. However, amateur radio enthusiast Valentin Volodin was made ​​very decent translation of manuals, which can be found on this page . There is also stored online description of the software package FreePCB buildings in Russian.

The entire software package FreePCB from the first to the last line was written by a single man named Alan Wright (Allan Wright). Talented programmer living in the United States. In addition to electronics, despite his advanced age, Alan loves to travel, skiing, and even self-piloting his own plane RV-4. To get the necessary information on the program enough to ask a question on our site.

FreePCB works on all operating systems Microsoft Windows, including the latest - Windows 7. It can be run on Linux and Macintosh using the Wine.

Distribution of the program: Freeware

Official site FreePCB: http://www.freepcb.com

Kicad Software

Automated system through design allows you to create professional electrical wiring diagrams, design printed circuit boards for them and prepare for the production of output.

KiCad program is written in C + +. It consists of the following:
1. main applications:
• Project manager kicad, allowing you to create and configure new works;
• electrical circuits eeschema editor for drawing and komponirovaniya schemes, including the editor of characters;
• PCB editor pcbnew, forming electric circuits and circuit comprising editor seats
2. additional utilities:
• file viewer format Gerber - gerbview;
• a program to identify seats according to the components on the circuit - cvpcb;
• Editor view reports wyoeditor.
Furthermore KiCad includes a plurality of libraries of electronic components for which there is formed a three-dimensional model Wings3D program.

Editor allows you to create eeschema are multiple hierarchical schemes and carry them tested for compliance with electrical codes. It also created a list of elements in a table and netlist-list for circuit simulation in the PCB editor. Additional option allows you to save in a popular format netlist Spice circuit simulation and conduct third-party application.

 Pcbnew works with boards containing 16 copper and 12 technical layers, inner layers of metallization, thermal pads, blind, and through internal transition and micro-vias, microwave structure. There is a possibility to use external tracers, such FreeRouter and TopoR, there calculator circuit boards and optional automatic and manual placement of components. At the end of the generated files to the production process (for photoplotters and drilling machines), as well as the proposed waterline printout formats HPGL, PostScript, DXF, PDF and SVG format with frame or without. KiCAD creates a list of components to order, as well as the logo on the card developer can export the drawings in DXF and PDF.

Size chart or board in KiCad is not limited to, at any stage, you can go back and make changes, and then easily transfer them further. 3D Viewer option allows OpenGL-based build three-dimensional image of the PCB. Rendering quality, of course, lower than that paid counterparts, but enough for visual assessment. Unfortunately, the basic format of three-dimensional models of components, representing manufacturers, *. Iges and *. Step - software does not support.
Disadvantages of the system design is attributed uncomfortable and intuitive interface. Program difficult to master without reading the documentation.

The author of this software is Frenchman Jean-Pierre Sharra, who developed it in 1992. Jean-Pierre is a researcher in the laboratory of images and signals, and also teaches electronics and image processing in the Institute of Technology in the city of Saint-Martin-d \ 'Er (Grenoble, France).

The main advantage of the medium KiCad, in addition to a full-featured - a free license and open to change codes, data formats, libraries, schemes, projects PCBs.

To update the program regularly published. For Windows is invited to build a setup EXE-file or as a ZIP-archive. To install the program you must run the EXE-file and unzip to a folder C: \ \ Program Files \ KiCad.

The system design supports English, Portuguese, Spanish, Czech, Polish, French, German, Russian and many other languages. Through the efforts of many volunteers at the moment the application is fully adapted to the GOST.

KiCad is cross-platform software tool and runs on operating systems, FreeBSD, Linux, MS Windows, Apple Mac OS X and Solaris.

Dissemination programs: free, open source

Official site Kicad: http://iut-tice.ujf-grenoble.fr/kicad/

DesignSpark PCB Software

Powerful, convenient and affordable design system for creating professional diagrams and printed circuit boards.

DesignSpark PCB can be used successfully as professional developers, and radio amateurs and students, it is similar to other modern programs and creation of electronic devices is based on the schematic editor module and PCB layout. Design environment allows you to work with the boards to an area of ​​one square meter, restrictions on the number of sheets and layers not. There is a function autorouting, the result if necessary be adjusted manually.

This software allows you to export your spreadsheet circuit connections (ie netlist) in Spice-industry standard simulators that can test the circuit for errors and perform wiring before manufacturing PCB. Supported program for analysis of electronic circuits LTSpice, TINA, LSSpice and TopSpice. Special menu converts the files into *. Cir, *. Net and *. Sch-formats. Grouping allows you to combine a number of different elements or circuits in one unit. This applies to automatic instrument wiring boards, facilitating placement of parts. Specialized design calculators can calculate the impedance parameters radiators, distributed capacitance, inductance and group delay of different types of microstrip lines, width and thickness of the PCB track within the allowable heating, maximum current, resistance, voltage drop, as well as several other parameters.

Thanks to the library of 3D-models, the program has the option of constructing a three-dimensional image projected unit with all radio components and the possibility of arbitrary rotation and scaling. The application generates files in popular formats manufacturing Gerber, DXF, Excellon, IDF, LPKF. Besides, DesignSpark PCB has web access services offers PCB manufacturing and procurement of components used in the project, based on the generated specification.

This software package is absolutely free. Thus it contains no restrictions on the number of circuit elements, or by time of use. On the official site is freely available library components ModelSource, containing over 85,000 circuits printed circuit boards and 35,000 three-dimensional models presented in more than 20 formats, compatible with the most famous package design of electronic equipment. When you first start must complete the free registration, which needs access to the Internet. If you do not, then save the results of work will not be available.

DesignSpark PCB software package was released in July 2010. It was developed by RS Components , whose headquarters is located in Corby (UK). His way up from a small office for the sale of spare parts for the station, established in 1937 in London, currently RS Components has offices in 27 countries around the world (including in Russia), offering more than 550 000 items of products, including all necessary components for automation and information technologies, as well as office equipment, tools, measuring devices and reference books.

Unfortunately Russian interface in DesignSpark PCB is not, the program is fully in English.

To work environment sufficiently low power design of personal computers running the Windows operating system to version 7 inclusive.

Distribution of the program: Freeware

DesignSpark PCB official website: http://designspark.com

PCB123 Software

Software that allows you to draw diagrams, design and plant printed circuit boards for the electronics industry sphere.

PCB123 attracts with its intuitive and user-friendly interface, easy to create new components, different cell library, which you can easily create your own components. There is a function for constructing 3D-surround image boards future devices can import DXF files. A special highlight of the software package - Schema Editor and router are in the same window. LiveBOM module allows designers to analyze real-time cost of the materials used and their presence in the sale, receive technical information. The design process is monitored value fee, depending on its size and complexity. Everything would have been fine, but the developer, the firm Sunstone Circuits, made exclusively for the design environment itself. File Format - closed (the * .123), and free converters in Gerber not. Freedom in the manufacture of circuit boards missing, users are closed on the orders only Sunstone Circuits. Only after the project will be tested on company boards, it is possible to redeem Gerber-files its design, for example, to start mass production elsewhere. The program also has an extremely uncomfortable schema editor.

 After registering on the website becomes available set (more than 500 000 units) of additional components for schema editor and cards from different manufacturers.

PCB123 created by Sunstone Circuits, a leading manufacturer of motherboards with affordable prices, located in Mulino (Oregon, USA).PCB123 is part of the design environment ECOSystem - uniform resource Sunstone. This environment offers developers the necessary information, suppliers, component libraries, as well as a large selection of board manufacturing techniques using production capacity of the company and its partners. The firm has a great, round the clock customer support. They listen to the wishes of designers and react quickly to demands of the modern market. The site has an online chat to communicate directly with a representative of Sunstone.

Operating systems supported - Microsoft Windows 2000, XP, Vista, 7.

Distribution of the program: Freeware

The official website for PCB123: http://www.sunstone.com

TopoR Software

High automatic tracer and PCB layout editor.

Through our own unique algorithm Topological Router (or TopoR) gives amazing results to reduce the length of the conductor and the area occupied by them on the boards, as well as the number of vias with autorouting.

With the help of distributed computing mechanism is computed simultaneously many alternatives, allowing faster performance. Topological routing is performed in all directions and is carried out without kinks arcs. Lack of core areas reduces cross-electromagnetic interference.Tracer allows you to specify for each circuit and the desired minimum allowable clearances, and the program automatically changes the width of the conductor when it passes through narrow places or close to contacts with smaller diameters. Automatically detected and eliminated "clinch" trails. Editor independently calculates the geometric shape of conductors on topological paths move components on the board already divorced lossless routing results. When working with single-layer PCB TopoR finds option or a single-layer stacking offers a version with a minimum number of jumpers.

This CAD also has automatic component placement, working for all components on the board, and for selected in a separate window.Conductors of any layer on already ottrassirovannoy board can be converted to polygons, extending them to the maximum size. Wiring like, polygonal, such as helping in the development of power devices. In addition, the program performs quality routing of contemporary BGA-components and differential pairs. There are functions of the job limit delays in the chain (including differential pairs) and mechanisms for delay equalization circuits in one group or between groups (in manual or automatic mode).

TopoR perfectly interacts with other CAD systems, including 2000-2006 PCAD , Altium Designer , DipTrace , Proteus ARES , Eagle , KiSadand other less well-known. The system supports the following formats: PADS ASCII PCB, PCAD ASCII PCB, DSN / SES and HKP. The results can be presented in formats Gerber, DXF and Drill.

Disadvantages of TopoR worth noting the absence of its own editors and libraries schemes that involves the use of third-party CAD systems for the production of printed circuit boards. Although work on the transformation of software into the system through design is already under way at the moment the program has the ability to change and edit netlists housing components. Also required third-party tools for the analysis of crosstalk.

TopoR program was developed by the Moscow company "Eremeks." The first version of the tracer was released in 2001. Today TopoR used in the largest enterprises and educational institutions of Russia and CIS countries. Advantages of software able to evaluate and abroad, the product is used in India, China, United States, Western European countries. The company "Eremeks" does not stop there, in 2011, developed a unique package design and simulation of electronic circuits called SimOne, effectively uses in his work the full potential of today's computers, such as multi-core and computing on the GPU.

Program supports basic license fee with a maximum number of signal layers - 32 pieces. Along with it a wide range of limited licenses, differing number of signal layers (2 to 16) and contacts (1000 or 2000). There is a free demo version of the program TopoR. It includes a number of examples and a user manual.

Interface, help, manual software TopoR presented in Russian.

CAD designed to run on Microsoft Windows 2000, XP, Vista and 7. Besides Lite-version can run under Wine, but in the near future will be added full support for Linux. Minimum hardware requirements of the program: PC-compatible computer class processor Pentium III, 256 MB RAM, 100 MB hard disk space.

Distribution of the program: pay, there is a free version with limitations

Official site TopoR: http://www.eremex.ru