DesignSpark PCB

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DesignSpark PCB
Basic data

developer RS Components
Publishing year 5th July 2010
Current  version 9.0.2
( December 9, 2019 )
operating system Windows , Linux under Wine
category Free EDA software
License Proprietary software
German speaking Yes
www.rs-online.com/designspark/pcb-software

DesignSpark PCB is a free program for circuit board unbundling , English EDA or ECAD software ( Electronic CAD ).

Despite the free access to the software, registration on the website is necessary in order to activate all functions and to confirm the terms of use. For 450 € (2020) there is DesignSpark PCB Pro with additional functions such as blind and burried vias , hierarchical circuit diagram design, differential symmetrical lines and more modes for the router, which is practically identical to Easy-PC.

history

WestDev Ltd. bought Number One Systems Ltd. in 1997 and has since further developed the EDA software Easy-PC. DesignSpark PCB was created in July 2010 as a collaboration between electronics distributor RS Components and software developer Number One Systems in response to Farnell's purchase of Eagle . It is basically a restricted version of the Easy-PC software. The much more powerful Pulsonix is being developed by WestDev as a sister product . Similar to DesignSpark PCB, PCB Artist , which is tied to the circuit board manufacturer Advanced Circuits, is on display.

Similarly, DesignSpark Electrical for electrical installation was created in 2015 as a cooperation between RS and SolidWorks Electrical , the only difference is that the former only processes 3 worksheets at the same time since version 2.0 and it is free for commercial use, but not for contract development.

DesignSpark Mechanical is a free 3D modeling software for volume models with STL export that has existed since the cooperation between RS and SpaceClaim Engineer in 2013 . SpaceClaim was founded in 2005 and acquired by Ansys in 2014 .

The three DesignSpark programs partially work together.

Range of functions

The individual design files are managed via projects. A project can have an unlimited number of schematic pages that together make up a design and one circuit board layout file.

Eagle circuit diagrams and layouts from v6.0 can be imported natively, Ti Webench projects can be inserted.

Circuit diagrams can be exported for the following SPICE simulation programs: LTSpice , LSSpice, TopSpice and TINA ( Ti ).

A 3D view can be generated from the layout that can be exported to DesignSpark Mechanical.

Temperature increase and impedance of vias and conductor tracks can be calculated.

Circuit design

The circuit diagram editor is supported by component libraries that contain the housing geometry, technical data and footprint for each component. Circuit diagram parts can be grouped, which is taken into account by the Autorouter and Autoplacer.

PCB layout

A circuit diagram is transferred to a layout file using an assistant. The layout editor can be used to automatically unbundle the connections for the circuit board design using an autorouter . An autoplacer is used for the automated placement of the components . The layout is exported in Gerber format and the drilling data is exported to Excellon .

Please note

It is recommended to install the DesignSpark software together with the project files on the same computer, as under certain circumstances network disruptions can occur. The amount of data in the libraries requires a lot of resources, so libraries that are not currently required should be deactivated.

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ www.rs-online.com .
  2. ↑ DesignSpark PCB Pro. Retrieved March 27, 2020 .
  3. ↑ Mathias Poets / hps: DesignSpark Electrical helps with wiring. In: c't . October 1, 2015 .;