pcb-design

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pcb-design [2024/02/10 12:59] – benhpcb-design [2024/02/12 12:09] (current) – benh
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 **Is there an officially recommended PCB CAD/EDA program?**\\ **Is there an officially recommended PCB CAD/EDA program?**\\
 No, there is not an official recommendation. GT students get Fusion360 for free, and all that entails, which theoretically makes the integration between the mechanical and electrical easier and more fluid. Altium offers a very steep discount for a student license that was (as of Fall 2020) only $100 a year. KiCAD is basically Python to Altiums's MATLAB - it's open source and free, but you have more work to do for yourself to get everything working, and it can be buggy at times. Not sure where Fusion360 fits into that analogy. There are also two or three dozen other programs that provide various levels of quality and advanced tools if you need, though once you learn one, the others mostly differ by where the icons and settings are. No, there is not an official recommendation. GT students get Fusion360 for free, and all that entails, which theoretically makes the integration between the mechanical and electrical easier and more fluid. Altium offers a very steep discount for a student license that was (as of Fall 2020) only $100 a year. KiCAD is basically Python to Altiums's MATLAB - it's open source and free, but you have more work to do for yourself to get everything working, and it can be buggy at times. Not sure where Fusion360 fits into that analogy. There are also two or three dozen other programs that provide various levels of quality and advanced tools if you need, though once you learn one, the others mostly differ by where the icons and settings are.
 +
 +**Where can I buy parts?**
 +Parts are really only available online these days, outside of MicroCenter or Fry's if you're near one of those (RIP old Radio Shack). Amazon will sell you tons of different pre-assembled parts, like breakout boards or other plug-and-play-type devices, along with microcontroller breakouts like Arduino and their ilk, but it's very easy to get knock-off parts or badly designed boards from there. The suppliers we recommend are [[https://www.digikey.com|Digikey]] and [[https://www.mouser.com|Mouser]], which sell thousands (millions) of verified individual and pre-assembled components. [[https://www.arrow.com|Arrow]] is another option there. [[https://www.octopart.com|Octopart]] is a part search tool that will search many different suppliers. Ebay sells old parts and hard-to-find fully-populated boards and equipment, but who knows about the quality. Electronics companies like [[https://www.adafruit.com|Adafruit]], [[https://www.sparkfun.com|Sparkfun]], [[https://www.dfrobot/com|DFRobot]], and [[https://www.seeedstudio.com|Seeed Studio]] are some of the many distributers of high-quality pre-assembled breakout boards, functional PCBs, microcontrollers, sensors, actuators, wires, and much, much more for use. 
  
 **Is there a recommended DRC/CAM file I can use?**\\ **Is there a recommended DRC/CAM file I can use?**\\
  • pcb-design.1707587966.txt.gz
  • Last modified: 2024/02/10 12:59
  • by benh