What SW do people use for making small PCBS.

[Mauried]

Just after some recommendations for making small PCBs.
Pretty simple design and dont need to make many.
Being able to draw a schematic and produce a node list helpful
but not essential.
thanks

 

[Mauried]

Who will be making the boards? If it isn't you, then the choice needs
to fit in with the fab's file formats.

For most small stuff I use PCBCART (www.pcbcart.com). They accept
Protel formats as old as AutoTrax (DOS/Win98) which is freeware. If
you want the companion Protel Schematic version, it is "out_there".

There's nothing wrong with AutoTrax assuming you have a suitable
platform to run it. Every time I've tried the transition to later
products I have decided that AutoTrax does all I need. YMMV.

Looks like Autotrax will do fine what I need.
thanks

 

[Jasen Betts]

Who will be making the boards? If it isn't you, then the choice needs
to fit in with the fab's file formats.

For most small stuff I use PCBCART (www.pcbcart.com). They accept
Protel formats as old as AutoTrax (DOS/Win98) which is freeware. If
you want the companion Protel Schematic version, it is "out_there".

There's nothing wrong with AutoTrax assuming you have a suitable
platform to run it. Every time I've tried the transition to later
products I have decided that AutoTrax does all I need. YMMV.

As far as free software goes: I sent them a zip of gerber and excellon
files exported from D.J. Delorie's "PCB" software, and that worked.

while they prefer RS-274X (gerber+excellon), and also support Protel,
Eagle, and PADS,

http://www.pcbcart.com/cart.php?page=order_help___file_format

but they'll do a PCB from any format they can read (even JPG)

http://pcbcart.com/support/index.php?_m=knowledgebase&_a=viewarticle&kbarticleid=41


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[Joe G \(Home\)]

Just after some recommendations for making small PCBs.
Pretty simple design and dont need to make many.
Being able to draw a schematic and produce a node list helpful
but not essential.
thanks

Another is Egale lite (limited - but free ) from Farnell

Joe