About

Blog

Start here

Podcast

Resources

How To Choose Your PCB Design

Software to Design Open-Source
Hardware
October 7, 2014 / 12 Comments / in PCB Design / by Marco Schwartz

When you start designing your own open-source hardware

projects, you usually start by building a prototype, where you
assemble your project on a breadboard using already existing

Hello! I am Marco
Schwartz, and I am
passionate about
open-source
hardware design
and products.
Learn more about
me.

components. And after that, you have the PCB (Printed Circuit
Board) design step, where you will formalise your design in
open in browser PRO version

Are you a developer? Try out the HTML to PDF API

pdfcrowd.com

Board) design step, where you will formalise your design in

the form of a PCB that you can later produce in large
quantities.
Some

years

ago,

when

started

studying electrical

Like
What
You've
Read?

engineering, the choice was simple: to design a PCB, you

needed to get a PCB design software (paid or free), install it on
your computer, and start designing your board. Today, its a
bit more complex: there are now SaaS (Software as a Service)
solutions out there to design your PCBs online, without having
to download or install anything. So which solution is better to
design open-source hardware? Local or SaaS? Paid or free?
This article tackles this question with four examples of PCB
design software.

over 1,000
people who
receive
exclusive
information
about
designing
open-

Eagle

source
The first software I
want to introduce in
this

article

course

is

Eagle

of
by

Cadsoft. I wrote of
course because it is
open in browser PRO version

If yes, join

Are you a developer? Try out the HTML to PDF API

hardware
products.
You will
also receive
a PDF with
my 5 best
pdfcrowd.com

course because it is
the de facto software
to

design

source

open-

hardware

projects. The software itself is not open-source, you even have

to pay for it (even if you can do a lot with the freeware
version). However, nearly all open-source hardware projects
out there are using Eagle. For example Arduino is releasing all
their board designs in the Eagle format.
The interface is a bit dated, even if they made a lot of
improvements with the version 7. It is also directly compatible
with some online PCB fabrication services like OSH Park,
where you can just upload your Eagle design files directly. So
yes, it is not the best software out there, it is not open-source,

tips to
design
opensource
hardware
products.
Simply click
on the
button
below!

Get
Started!

but it is still a good solution to go for if you want to re-use

already existing open-source hardware designs.

KiCad
KiCad

is

an

interesting project. It
is
open in browser PRO version

Are you a developer? Try out the HTML to PDF API

the

best openpdfcrowd.com

source PCB design

software I know. It
has

decent

interface, nearly at
the level of Eagle,
and is available for all platforms like Windows, OS X, and of
course Linux. All the modules of this PCB design software are

Open
542 likes

open-source, its of course completely free, and even has

some nice modules like 3D visualisation of your PCB.
It has also be supported by the CERN which promised to put a
lot of effort into it to make it even better. You wont find that
many projects out there (yet!) in the KiCad format, so if your

Like Page

Be the first of your

friends to like this

main concern is to re-use existing open-source designs, you

might consider Eagle instead. However, a lot of people are
currently working on porting popular open-source designs to
KiCad, like the Arduino boards reference designs.

Build a Physical
Bitcoin Ticker With

Upverter

the ESP8266

Upverter is the first

online

PCB

design

service that I heard

open in browser PRO version

RECENT POSTS

Are you a developer? Try out the HTML to PDF API

Building Your Own

IoT Boards Using the
pdfcrowd.com

service that I heard

of. And I have to
admit, coming from
a

very

traditional

PCB
background,

design
its

pretty damn cool. Not only you dont have anything to install
(you just need to create an account and youre done), the
interface is really modern and clean. Miles away from a
software like Eagle.
It stills lacks some functionalities and some components
compared to Eagle, but you can already design some serious

Particle Photon
What is The Best
eCommerce Platform
for an Open-Source
Hardware Business
Designing an
ESP8266 Sensor
Board #1:
Prototyping
Open-Source
Hardware Product
Creation

PCBs with it. The nice thing is that you also have all the
advantages of an online software: you can instantly see what

Search

other people are doing, and re-use their open-source designs.

You can also instantly fabricate your PCB as they have links
with PCB manufacturers. And if your project is open-source,
you can use Upverter for free!

EasyEDA
Finally, I couldnt not
open in browser PRO version

Are you a developer? Try out the HTML to PDF API

pdfcrowd.com

mention the online

tool EasyEDA.

Not

only you can design

PCBs using this tool,
but you can actually
also simulate your
circuits

in

your

browser! Of course, not all components are supported, but it

can really give you some insights on your design and make
sure you are not making a fatal mistake.
They also have all the online features of Upverter, like the
possibility to browse designs made by other users, order your
PCB directly from the browser, etc The interface is not at the
level of Upverter, and there are still missing functionalities,
but it is definitely a tool to watch for in the future.

So What to Choose?
Of course, choosing the right software for your project is a
complex question. I believe that as with all software, the future
is in online SaaS solutions, and therefore my first choice
would be Upverter. However, if re-using existing designs is
open in browser PRO version

Are you a developer? Try out the HTML to PDF API

pdfcrowd.com

really your priority, then Eagle is the only choice at the time
this article was written, but I really think it is going to change
in a close future. Finally, if you really want to stay open-source
all the way, then go for KiCad.
What software are you currently using to design your opensource hardware projects? Please share below in the

OHL 2: How to Use

comments!

Outsourcing to Help
You Create Open-

Like What You've Read?

Source Hardware

If yes, join over 1,000 people who receive exclusive

information about designing open-source hardware
products. You will also receive a PDF with my 5 best tips
to design open-source hardware products. Simply click
on the button below!

Get Started!

Share this entry

open in browser PRO version

Are you a developer? Try out the HTML to PDF API

pdfcrowd.com

12 Comments

Open Hardware Labs

Recommend

Share

Join the discussion

MaxBlack

4 months ago

easyeda.com is awesome in this list. I didnt try other, I think EasyEDA is the just software which I try to find .

Full circuit drawing, spice sim and board manufacturing chain. it offers a low cost, high quality PCB manufacturi
service.Highly recommended.
I've used it for a long time and have been impressed by the quality of their PCBs.

Reply Share

Omar Belkhiria

4 months ago

You missed the famous tool Fritzing (http://fritzing.org) very suitable for beginners; it is used for Arduino designs
think there is no need to 'proprietary' Eagle; it's possible to open its typical files by KiCad.

open in browser PRO version

Reply Share
Are you a developer? Try out the HTML to PDF API

pdfcrowd.com

Bob Recny

7 months ago

HI Marco,
I was looking at the "what's the catch" at Upverter (https://upverter.com/community
"Designs cannot be commercialized."

Am I reading this wrong, or does that statement disallow anyone from selling their own product based on an Upv
"community edition" design?
BTW, I'm currently using Eagle and thinking of making the switch to KiCad.
Upverter, and maybe EasyEDA for that matter, is that the platform itself doesn't appear to be open source.

Reply Share

George Panagopoulos

9 months ago

Hi Marco,
What's your opinion about DesignSpark pcb? It's free with no size restrictions etc.

Reply Share

Marco Schwartz

Mod

> George Panagopoulos 8 months ago

HI George,
I never used it myself, but i had a quick look and it seems like a great software as well :)

signality

Reply Share

a year ago

Hi Marco,
open in browser PRO version

Are you a developer? Try out the HTML to PDF API

pdfcrowd.com

Thanks for the heads up on EasyEDA.

I would like to add a few points to your quick resum of EasyEDA that might be of interest from an Open Hardwa
perspective.

EasyEDA is a free EDA suite (you can even download your Gerbers and buy your PCBs from anyone: there's no
lock-in to EasyEDA). It's even possible to do that without being a registered user.

Another important feature is that it can import Eagle (V6 onwards) Schematics, PCB and libraries. It can also im
KiCad libraries (some of the EasyEDA libraries actually come from there).

All files in the suite are in JSON open format so there's huge scope for doing text based work such as automatin
package and symbol creation: an API to allow users to develop plug-ins is soon to be released.
http://easyeda.com/Doc/Open-Fi...

The libraries and their management have improved hugely in the 15 months or so that I have been using it (altho
there's more to do for searching for spice models) and they offer to help develop symbols, footprints and even s
see more

Reply Share

Marco Schwartz

Mod

> signality a year ago

That should definitely be possible! Leave me an email via our About page :)

Joe Wolin

Reply Share

a year ago

Please consider adding PCBWeb to this list. It's a 100% free desktop application with no restrictions and you ca
always export your gerbers as well. http://www.pcbweb.com
open in browser PRO version

Are you a developer? Try out the HTML to PDF API

pdfcrowd.com

Reply Share

Marco Schwartz

Mod

> Joe Wolin a year ago

Thanks for the link, I will try this one as well!

pcf11x

Reply Share

a year ago

What, no love for PCB?

http://pcb.geda-project.org/in...
I'm going to have to tell DJ.

Reply Share

wtf2020lol

a year ago

Amazing that you didn't include DipTrace, which includes 3D model output with the ability to move the board aro
in any 3D angle while you view it live. http://www.diptrace.com/diptra...

Reply Share

Marco Schwartz

Mod

> wtf2020lol a year ago

Obviously I only included the software that I used myself :) DipTrace looks like a very nice software and I
make sure to try it soon, thanks for the link!

open in browser PRO version

Reply Share

Are you a developer? Try out the HTML to PDF API

pdfcrowd.com

had search a lot of motor shields

VaxMask

Open-Source Hardware Product Creation

Building Your Own IoT Boards Using the Particl

Photon

1 comment 9 months ago

Deepesh Patidar Best way to develop and come into

market with explained flow. This will

2 comments 6 months ago

Marco Schwartz

much more

Subscribe

open in browser PRO version

Add Disqus to your site

Privacy

Are you a developer? Try out the HTML to PDF API

pdfcrowd.com

LEGAL
Terms of Service
Privacy Policy

2014 Open Hardware Labs - Enfold Theme by Kriesi

open in browser PRO version

Are you a developer? Try out the HTML to PDF API

pdfcrowd.com