PCB drawing software is a necessary function for completing circuit principles based on circuit design drawings. Circuit board design is usually a layout design that requires consideration of the overall layout and optimized layout of components and connections. PCB design must be completed by computer-aided design. So, what are the commonly used PCB circuit design software?
There are many types of PCB (Printed Circuit Board) drawing software, such as Protel; Graphices,MentorExpeditionPCB； CadencePSD； OrCAD； PCBStudio； Viewlogic； PowerPCB； ZukenCadStart； WinboardWindraftIvex-SPICE； TANGO and others.
1.Altium Designer
This PCB drawing software is a drawing software launched by Altium Enterprise, the original developer of Protel software, which integrates board level design and FPGA design. It is the main force of low-end design in China, easy to learn and suitable for beginners. And there is a market because the circuit principles of small companies are relatively low-end. But this software has a common problem, which is that no matter how the computer is configured, it doesn’t feel smooth and the software is also very large. It has been applied earlier and has the highest coverage in China. Some universities’ circuit majors even offer Protel courses, and almost all circuit companies use it. Altium Designer is an integrated electronic product development system launched by Altium Enterprise, the original Protel software developer, mainly running on the Windows operating system. This software improves input logic by integrating schematic design, circuit simulation, PCB drawing techniques, topology layout, and more.
2.Mentor Graphics pads
Quick to get started, more suitable for mid to low end designs, and able to meet the needs of many small and medium-sized enterprises. It is currently the most widely used EDA software, providing interfaces with other PCB design software, CAM machining software, and mechanical design software, facilitating data exchange and transmission in various design environments. The disadvantage is that it is prone to errors.
3.Allegro
It is an excellent PCB design and routing tool launched by Cadence. It has a good interactive working interface and powerful and complete functions, significantly improving design efficiency. Allegro brings the simplest solution for fast, high-density, multi-layer complex PCB design and routing. The disadvantage is that it is not easy to get started with and the price is relatively expensive, which is generally suitable for large enterprises to use.