I use Altium at work (yes a'm a hardware guy doing software in spare time(so opposite to you)) but it irritates me more and more that I need to be connected to my work site to be able to use it (use license file from work in the weekends).Some components here are missed from DipTrace standard libraries (or at least were missed prior to DipTrace 3.0), some are awkwardly named in those libraries. Do you have any pictures of the 3D preview? Really intersted in it.

There seemed to be a gap between Eagle (hobby use) and some of the larger programs like Altium (pro use), but DipTrace seems to live right between both of them for a price that works for the hobby user. I know I have a long way to go in my PCB adventures, but to be able to do this in 2 hours, tells me that this software is a great offering for us part time hackers.

Free demo with plenty of power available. If you are just thinking about starting out in PCB design or find using Eagle to be like self torture, then I urge you to give DipTrace a try. I have been hacking away on a board a few hours each weekend in Eagle, but in less than 2 hours, I designed it over from scratch, routed it, and even sent files to the board house using DipTrace. Tons of libraries, and even a 3D preview system built right in. The developers provide a multi-lingual interface and tutorials (currently available in English and 21 other languages). It doesn't have any of those crazy Eagle quirks, and every command is just intuitive.ĭipTrace is an EDA/CAD software for creating schematic diagrams and printed circuit boards. But last week I downloaded the DipTrace demo and began laying out a new board, and I think this program is perfect. Tried out Pulsonix demo, and that was not too bad, especially knowing a little about Altium. Using Eagle is like discharging a 20 kilo-volt capacitor across your tongue.

Of course, being a part time hacker, I jumped on the Eagle bandwagon like so many. Knowing someone who owns Altium, I have been able to get some free instruction and really dig into how it works. I have been playing around with Eagle, Pulsonix, and the latest Altium Designer as I learn the art of PCB creation. At the risk of sounding like Novarm employee, I MUST shout out loud about my experiences with their amazing PCB layout software.

Wmd eurorack diptrace library