Electronic Design - Overview of PCB Design and Engraving in 2021

Here is an overview of some methods, materials, software, and tools that can be used to produce PCBs, and hope it will help you start designing PCBs.

Supplies:

Step 1: PCB design software

Depending on the complexity of the circuit, it is not advisable to design the PCB board manually. Therefore, it is welcome to provide specific software that supports the correct tools to complete the work. There are several PCB design software options, such as Proteus Ares, Eagle, Altium and various online options (I only describe the most common and accessible options, but there are definitely other options).

-Altium's-Online Programs-There are many online programs for PCB design. Generally, they are a good choice when designing simpler circuits, especially when you are anxious or do not want (cannot) spend a lot of time. Learn the dynamics of the program. Needless to say, they are actually limited to features and possibilities, and some are even associated with specific prototype services. This is good news: they are always free and easy to access. In some cases this is essential.

Águila-This is also a popular software when designing PCBs. The bad news does not allow circuit simulation. Similarly, when you use this software for the first time, you may feel a little uncomfortable with its interface, which is different from the previous ones, although In addition to these shortcomings, there are many interesting functions. For example, the schematic diagram of the component (related to the symbol of the component) and the package (including the pad, format and size) can be edited in a simple way, and you can just right-click the component and access it separately. You can access it with the option of "Open Device" or "Open Package". In addition, there is a strong support community, which provides several answers to common questions when using the software for the first time. In addition, the community allows you to easily access various component libraries, including official libraries and user-created libraries. The good news is that this software has a free version (of course, its limitations are mainly related to the size of the circuit board and the number of layers allowed). After the recent purchase by Autodesk, Eagle also provides a version for students, which includes the program All features.

Proteus Ares-Maybe this is the first program people think of when drawing circuits, not because it is the best, but because it may be the most famous. Personally, I don't even like to use it (although I have been using it for a while), but I can consider using it when designing a PCB. The biggest advantage of using Proteus is that you can also use Proteus Isis to simulate the circuit, so that you can "sure" to check whether the circuit is working properly. On the other hand, some functions and tools are too difficult to understand and cannot find all the components you may need (the component library is limited), but you can create new components as needed. The other is not good news, this is not open source software,

You must have realized that I prefer Eagle. This does not mean that other software is not worth it. It is just my personal choice, but in general, people think Eagle is the worst in terms of ease of use, even though Altium is not. It is also very easy to use. My main point of Eagle is that it provides amazing tools, but I think it’s hard to use these tools when you get used to its interface. It’s really worth your effort.

I did not list all the software available on the market, but all the software I know, so if you are really interested in this topic, I suggest you also do some other research on PCB design software.