Good freeware circuit drawing program

[sert]

Any suggestions?

 

[Rich Webb]

Any suggestions?

Kicad is an integrated suite with both MS Windows and Linux versions.
http://iut-tice.ujf-grenoble.fr/kicad/

The gEDA project is a more loosely connected family of Linux
applications. http://www.geda.seul.org/

Each approach has some advantages and disadvantages. Give them a try.

 

[mpm]

Any suggestions?

Express PCB has a free schematic drawing program.
Its output is designed to be used in tandem with their PCB layout
program.

But you can still use it, even if you don't buy circuit boards.
http://www.expresspcb.com/ExpressPCBHtm/Free_cad_software.htm

-mpm

 

[Scott Seidman]

Express PCB has a free schematic drawing program.
Its output is designed to be used in tandem with their PCB layout
program.

But you can still use it, even if you don't buy circuit boards.
http://www.expresspcb.com/ExpressPCBHtm/Free_cad_software.htm

-mpm

Boy, are there any that just let you DRAW circuits, without having to
enter detailed parts and footprints in a library, and aren't packaged
around creating a layout? I've been looking for a good tool like that to
help with creating slides FOR YEARS

 

[John Devereux]

Boy, are there any that just let you DRAW circuits, without having to
enter detailed parts and footprints in a library, and aren't packaged
around creating a layout? I've been looking for a good tool like that to
help with creating slides FOR YEARS

LTSpice, perhaps.

 

[DJ Delorie]

Boy, are there any that just let you DRAW circuits, without having to
enter detailed parts and footprints in a library, and aren't packaged
around creating a layout? I've been looking for a good tool like that to
help with creating slides FOR YEARS

You can use gschem (gEDA) stand-alone, without entering any of the
extra information you'd need for simulation or layout. Heck, most of
the user questions are about how to add that info! You're saving a
step by not doing the layout ;-)

 

[Scott Seidman]

What point is there to creating a "drawing" of a schematic if it won't
netlist??

Picture teaching a course in circuits. Modifying a circuit in your lecture
notes should not have to turn into a design project. Plenty of times,
graphics are enough.

 

[JeffM]

Express PCB has a free schematic drawing program.

Frankly, the apps others have mentioned are less of a dead end
should the OP decide to produce actual hardware.

It would be nice if those who advocate for CRIPPLEWARE
http://groups.google.com/group/comp...123+CRIPPLEWARE+zz-zz+Full.disclosure+Pad2Pad
would include instructions for how to print from it (disabled in the
app)
--or at least a link which describes the hoops you have to jump thru.

[...]you can still use it, even if you don't buy circuit boards.

It would be nice if those who advocate for this CRIPPLEWARE
would mention that Gerbers must be PURCHASED
from the fab houses which distribute this lock-in-ware.

Having to learn yet another app/interface
when you *do* want to produce PCBs
(using a general-purpose **non-locked** ECAD)
makes learning/using these CRIPPLEWARE apps look silly.

 

[JeffM]

Eagle isn't open source, but there's a free trial version
that'll let you do A size schematics and 3 x 4 inch boards.
Upgrades to "paid" versions are inexpensive,
and it's a currently supported project.

Those who advocate for EAGLE (properly written in all caps),
http://www.google.com/search?q=Easily.Applicable.Graphical.Layout.Editor
should also mention its DRM, implemented in recent versions,
which CAN LOCK YOU OUT OF YOUR WORK PRODUCT.
http://groups.google.com/group/comp...less+*-*-*-projects-could-no-longer-be-opened

It would be good if those advocates
would include a link on how to circumvent this.

I use it here. I wouldn't want to use it on a board that needed
10 C-sized pages for the schematic, but for little things it's great.

This is where Joerg usually mentions *no hierarchacal structure*.

What Cadsoft's app *does* have is forward- and backward-annotation,
which is handy if you want to make PCBs.

 

[Gary Peek]

Boy, are there any that just let you DRAW circuits, without having to
enter detailed parts and footprints in a library, and aren't packaged
around creating a layout? I've been looking for a good tool like that to
help with creating slides FOR YEARS

I think you might use a schematic capture program that lets you
draw components easily by drawing their "primitives", meaning
their lines, circles, arcs, etc., without having to create
components and using those components as a complete entity.

In other words, use it like a "draw" program (that happens to have
have a set of primitives useful for drawing schematics.)

I have found that TinyCad lets you create components and draw
things at least as easy as many of the others, and has a rather
intuitive GUI too.

 

[mpm]

Express PCB has a free schematic drawing program.

Frankly, the apps others have mentioned are less of a dead end
should the OP decide to produce actual hardware.

It would be nice if those who advocate for CRIPPLEWAREhttp://groups.google.com/group/comp.arch.embedded/browse_frm/thread/4...would include instructions for how to print from it (disabled in the
app)
--or at least a link which describes the hoops you have to jump thru.

[...]you can still use it, even if you don't buy circuit boards.

It would be nice if those who advocate for this CRIPPLEWARE
would mention that Gerbers must be PURCHASED
from the fab houses which distribute this lock-in-ware.

Having to learn yet another app/interface
when you *do* want to produce PCBs
(using a general-purpose **non-locked** ECAD)
makes learning/using these CRIPPLEWARE apps look silly.

One man's "Free" is another man's "Crippleware".
The OP said he wanted it for drawings, not for Gerbers.
Get a life.

 

[Baron]

Boy, are there any that just let you DRAW circuits, without having to
enter detailed parts and footprints in a library, and aren't packaged
around creating a layout? I've been looking for a good tool like that
to help with creating slides FOR YEARS

Yes ! Try Open Office. www.openoffice.org It has a drawing feature.

 

[Joerg]

Yes ! Try Open Office. www.openoffice.org It has a drawing feature.

Once I got a schematic from a client that was scanned in and they needed
change recommendations pit stop style, right now, no time to re-draw
it in CAD. So I used, <gasp>, MS-Paint. Worked! Once you get the hang of
fast copy&paste in there it's a breeze.

 

[JeffM]

Once I got a schematic from a client that was scanned in
and they needed change recommendations pit stop style,
right now, no time to re-draw it in CAD.
So I used, <gasp>, MS-Paint. Worked! Once you get the hang of
fast copy&paste in there it's a breeze.

Once you use a vector-based app with rubberbanding,
using bitmapped paint apps without it is such a chore. 8-(

....and to the OOo Draw recomendation I say: Yeah--
because having to generate a library from zero is such a good idea
--NOT.

 

[Adrian Tuddenham]

Any suggestions?

If you've got an older Mac and you just want drawings without any of the
extras, try Claris Works 4. I can let you have a library of symbols I
have built up over the years, or you can easily make your own.

 

[Ben Bradley]

I like (and use) the old original MicroSim PSpice Schematics. Been
using it since it first appeared, gawd knows how many years now, to
make ASIC's... no problems.

I first used a student version of that 12+ years ago, then later a
"real" version (but with only analog sim, not with digital sim like
the manager SAID he had ordered... ahem ...). A year or two ago there
was still a student version available on some college website, it may
still be there.

It's still my favorite schematic entry tool. I've used LTSPice for
simulation but I still dislike the schematic entry/editor.

 

[Martin Riddle]

Boy, are there any that just let you DRAW circuits, without having to
enter detailed parts and footprints in a library, and aren't packaged
around creating a layout? I've been looking for a good tool like that
to
help with creating slides FOR YEARS

TinyCad

Cheers

 

[[email protected]]

If you dont like EAGLE or pspice, you could get cadstandard, www.cadstd.com
and make your own symbol set.

Steve Roberts

 

[Adrian Tuddenham]

But if you're into generalities how many "library" parts can there be
to "build"...

NPN, PNP, SCR, TRIAC, R, C, L, OpAmp, Comparator, NMOS, PMOS, and
(most important ;-) LED ??

Plain diode (you can always put a coloured circle behind it to represent
a LED).
Bridge rectifier
Electrolytic capacitors: polarised, non-polarised
Logic gates
Crossover or gap
Crossover or gap for earth rail (which I draw thicker, to make it show
up)
Chassis connection
Fragment of power rail (again, slightly thicker)
Battery
Switches: changeover, rotary, push-button
Iron core
Ferrite core
Microphone
Loudspeaker
Headphones
Buzzer
Filament lamp
Terminal posts
Sockets & plugs: jack, DIN, XLR, mains
Relay contact sets
Valves: diode, double diode, triode, double-triode, beam tetrode,
pentode....

 

[Paul E. Schoen]

Any suggestions?

You could try Tina (www.tina.com), which is also available as a freeware
version from Texas Instruments (www.ti.com). It is mostly for simulation,
but they have a PCB layout package that integrates with it (at a fairly
reasonable cost). I bought a low end version of their simulator software,
and I tried their demo version for PCBs, but I do my serious work with
PADS.

Another option is to use IMSI TurboCAD (www.imsisoft.com), which has a
fairly complete set of schematic symbols. They have a 30 day free demo that
(I think) just comes up with a nag screen after the trial period, but you
can also purchase earlier versions on eBay for about $20 or so. It is also
very useful for any mechanical drawings you might want to make, and it has
amazing 3-D capabilities. It can save drawings in various formats, such as
JPG, that are useful for slides and PowerPoint presentations, and you can
make extensive use of color and line widths and styles which are useful for
showing multiple signal paths and other things that a full graphical
display can greatly enhance.

Paul