Open source hardware and easy-to-use development boards such as the Arduino and the Raspberry Pi have increased community interest in electronics, particularly in fablabs , [9] hackerspaces and makerspaces.
The leading EDA software vendors traditionally lack free versions, and professional licenses are unaffordable for amateurs. This resulted in high piracy rates for professional software packages, or users sticking to outdated software , including CircuitMaker Several initiatives such as Eagle have attempted to fill this void, releasing restricted versions of semi-professional EDA tools.
The rise of KiCAD further fragmented the market. This pressure eventually provided the incentive for Altium to release a simplified and more user friendly version of their professional EDA software package and flagship product , Altium Designer , targeted at less complex circuit board projects. Despite the resemblance in naming, the current CircuitMaker differs entirely from CircuitMaker regarding features and graphical user interface : the SPICE simulation module has been removed; the library system has been overhauled; and the controls changed from classic menus to a more modern and visually appealing ribbon interface.
CircuitMaker implements schematic capture and PCB design using the same engine as Altium Designer, providing an almost identical user experience. The schematic editor includes basic component placement and circuit design as well as advanced multi-channel design and hierarchical schematics.
All schematics are uploaded to the Altium server and can be viewed by anyone with a CircuitMaker account, stimulating design re-use. Users can build missing schematic symbols and commit them to the server, called the Community Vault, making them available for other users.
The continuously growing part database eliminates the need for a custom schematic symbol or footprint design for common parts, increasing user-friendliness for beginners. Concurrency editing was added in version 1. Transfer of schematics to a PCB is a straightforward process in CircuitMaker since PCB footprints are automatically attached to any component on the schematic that was picked from the Octopart library. Some advanced features, including differential pair routing and polygon pour management, are also available.
CircuitMaker requires a free account to represent its users in the community. By default, all schematics and PCBs are uploaded to the server and can be viewed by other users as soon as they are committed through the internal git engine.
Being a part of the Open Source Hardware Community we think you deserve better design tools, made specifically for you and the community you belong to. See what you can do with CircuitMaker. Typically, free EDA software comes with design restrictions that render it useless for any real project. With CircuitMaker, you get the full power of 16 signal layers plus 16 plane layers, and no restrictions to the PCB dimensions.
Also, with no commercial clause restrictions, you are free to earn revenue with your design. CirucitMaker is built on a community library with hundreds of thousands of components, all backed by the comprehensive, realtime Octopart database.
Placing components in CircuitMaker designs is as easy as searching by manufacturer part number or by design parameters. You can also add your own custom parts and mechanical components. Supported by Altium platform you can create and work on projects with your team or invite other community members to work with you on the design.
Harness the power of teams to get projects done faster. Projects can be forked and modified at any time so you can build new designs using the community wisdom and experience without having to start from scratch.
From there, you can download the gerbers and send them off to any PCB manufacturer. Does everything I need and works fine with a couple of minor hiccups on Win On Saturday June 2, Joe Gil said:.
On Friday March 23, Alison Fisher said:. Installs and runs under Linux Mint. Complains of a missing courier font on loading and when clicking New. Placing a component seems a bit hit and miss though. The uninstaller works as well.
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