How Can I Find the Best PCB Maker – Which Design is best? See our Recommendations here!

The Best PCB maker software can help you create a quality PCB that would function according to your needs, that is, most efficient and with the least number of flaws or errors. Designing a functional PCB is not an easy task, especially when the components are highly complicated. Some of the best PCB makers are Eagle, Altium Designer, and OrCad. For more information about these PCB makers, Predictable Designs will give you a full guide.

Below we have discussed the best PCB makers for your tech products;

1. Eagle

The EAGLE Layout Editor (LEd) is an open-source schematic editor and PCB layout program that was developed using the Python programming language. EAGLE is available for Windows, Mac OS X, and Linux operating systems. The software contains a library of over 23000 components and can be customized with scripts written in Tcl language.

 It’s free for non-commercial use; however, commercial versions are available with advanced features. The software is released under the GNU General Public License (GPL) Version 2. 

Implementing the PCB design with Eagle is fairly simple for engineers experienced in these programs, while some consider it complicated. This is because of its compact and easy-to-use interface. Its manual can be found online; therefore this software can be learned by both beginners and experts alike.

2. Altium Designer

This is the world’s most popular and best PCB maker among the professional developers’ community. Altium Designer is the best solution in making PCB in terms of speed and quality. 

Benefits of Altium include;

* Lots of useful libraries

Altium Designer comes with a lot of libraries that make your work easier and faster. Altium libraries are constantly updated and improved, so it’s always good to start with the ones that are already developed and tested.

You can use a lot of components from libraries like Power, Sockets, USB variants, LEDs, Resistors. All of them are ready-to-use components that greatly simplify your work. You can also find lots of other useful things in the libraries, from switches, connectors, and sensors to complete boards.

*Flexible PCB layout

You can make changes in layout assembly to preserve the design. Even if you move any component, Altium will show you its new position immediately. Also, all components are connected with auto-routing lines, so it’s always easy to switch between them during development. If you want to change something in your PCB layout or add/remove some components, just press F7 on your keyboard and you will see all related changes.

3. OrCad Software

OrCad software was first created by Cadence Design Systems, Inc. It’s software that specializes in the design of printed circuit boards used for electronics. OrCad includes schematic capture, auto-routing, and high-speed physical design tools. It is widely used by major electronic companies for its printed circuit boards.

OrCad has extensive features that can be useful when designing PCB;

a) It helps to validate designs before manufacturing them so problems are fixed before any money is spent.

b)  It speeds up the process of making printed circuit boards by allowing design changes to be incorporated easily and quickly.

c) It also assists designers in meeting environmental standards with its Pollution Prevention features.

Generally, the best PCB makers can easily be found online, and they can be easily downloaded to any device, the reason is, they are made considering that tutorials are created on internet sites to facilitate learning. It is important to note that the Best PCB maker software can be either free or paid.