Best PCB design tool?

[TheFibs]

A few months ago I decided to start fixing an old microphone I had laying around. After asking in this forum I chose the primo EM200 capsule to replace the old one. I have been quite busy in the meantime and I just started having a little more time to dedicate to the project. I've started trying to convert this schoeps schematic kindly provided to me by @kingkorg into a pcb schematic that I can send to an etching service. However, after trying some tools like Altium CircuitMaker and Fusion360 they all seem to be lacking most of the components required, and importing said components is proving to be a pain.
I was wondering if you all had any recommendations as far as design tools go.
Thanks in advance,
Tom

 

[Khron]

KiCad perhaps? It's free and widely-enough supported, i think.

 

[kingkorg]

A few months ago I decided to start fixing an old microphone I had laying around. After asking in this forum I chose the primo EM200 capsule to replace the old one. I have been quite busy in the meantime and I just started having a little more time to dedicate to the project. I've started trying to convert this schoeps schematic kindly provided to me by @kingkorg into a pcb schematic that I can send to an etching service. However, after trying some tools like Altium CircuitMaker and Fusion360 they all seem to be lacking most of the components required, and importing said components is proving to be a pain.
I was wondering if you all had any recommendations as far as design tools go.
Thanks in advance,
Tom

Just to give credit where it's due, the schematic comes from J.G. known as Zapnspark on micbuilders.

 

[Newmarket]

The components don't seem anything out of the ordinary from the schematic. Are you saying that the libraries with the systems mentioned don't have suitable PCB footprints ?

 

[TheFibs]

The components don't seem anything out of the ordinary from the schematic. Are you saying that the libraries with the systems mentioned don't have suitable PCB footprints ?

Yep. Exactly. And it’s a pain to import them.

 

[TheFibs]

KiCad perhaps? It's free and widely-enough supported, i think.

I’ll give that a shot. Thanks!

 

[rock soderstrom]

Some guys here use EasyEDA. It's free. Lots of libraries and an easy import function for external footprints and 3d models.

 

[Newmarket]

Yep. Exactly. And it’s a pain to import them.

Can you not simply create them yourself ? Not familiar with those systems specifically. Although lots of experience with Altium itself

 

[TheFibs]

Can you not simply create them yourself ? Not familiar with those systems specifically. Although lots of experience with Altium itself

I was under the impression that that was even more difficult than importing them. I guess I’ll give it a shot now. Thanks!

 

[TheFibs]

Some guys here use EasyEDA. It's free. Lots of libraries and an easy import function for external footprints and 3d models.

Downloaded it today! I’ll give that a shot too! Thank you!

 

[z11111]

I use an old version of Eagle just because I’ve been on it for about a decade and know it very well at this point, but if I could do it all over again I would make moves on learning KiCAD.

 

[Khron]

I use an old version of Eagle just because I’ve been on it for about a decade and know it very well at this point, but if I could do it all over again I would make moves on learning KiCAD.

I'm pretty much in that same boat

 

[ccaudle]

tools like Altium CircuitMaker and Fusion360

Fusion 360 is a 3D CAD program, so not surprising that you did not find it easy for circuit design. Use a dedicated electrical CAD program for circuit boards, not a mechanical CAD program.

CircuitMaker is certainly a PCB specific program, so strange that you did not find the parts you wanted. Either you are missing a library of parts that you should have installed, or you are missing some concepts about how circuit design programs often work.

If it is just a missing component library, you may be able to find a library at Altium, or you may be able to use some of the libraries that Digikey makes available:
Digikey design tools resource page

That page also includes links to the freeware schematic and PCB tools which Digikey distributes.

What I meant by missing a concept is that for commodity parts like transistors in standard packages, you will often just use something like "npn transistor" instead of "2N3904," and then in the schematic symbol properties you will call out the specific part number you want to use, and which package style, so that when the schematic editor creates the netlist for the PCB editor it will indicate whether it is a through-hole footprint, if so which type, surface mount footprint, if so which specific package, etc.
Different programs and libraries handle the specifics in different ways, so you will have to figure out the way that goes with the usual flow for the tool you decide to use.

 

[Matador]

If you search we've covered this topic before: the best program is the one you'll be willing to spend the time to use. I dropped Eagle when they went to the "pay us to use the program you already bought" model, and re-learned KiCad. It's not as bad as you might think - a lot of the same principles apply.

It's also 100% worth it to create your own library with footprints for the most common parts you use. I made half a dozen resistor, capacitor, and (power) connector footprints, all on 50mil grids, and just add parts as I go as needed, or copy from a standard library into my library (for common SMD packages).

 

[gswan]

"Best"? There's no such thing. That's like asking for the "best" DAW.
I've used heaps over the decades, including Ocad, Mentor, Pads, Protel, Altium and finally settled on Diptrace.
Always be prepared to have to build your own libraries, however having a good starting selection speeds things up.

 

[Somkereki]

Feel free to laugh! I have been using the "stone age" TANGO (DOS) program for more than 30 years. Ever since 286 computers. Of course, today on a Dell inspiron I 7 notebook with Win 10 operational system and Dosbox utility. I like it because I can easily create a library for any part and I can also draw it manually. Especially for sound engineering circuits, where you have to solve everything in your head and by hand anyway, if you really want something good! (Although you can already do this based on the schematic, it is difficult.)

 

[Екатерина]

Altium Designer Not the best, but it's easy to use, probably more because I'm used to using this

 

[Lampie519]

I use Multisim/Ultiboard (EWB) as i am used to use it....
It can also import netlists from some competitors plus CAD files (also export to AutoCad).

 

[andow]

Fusion 360 is a 3D CAD program, so not surprising that you did not find it easy for circuit design. Use a dedicated electrical CAD program for circuit boards, not a mechanical CAD program.

Eagle is part of Fusion 360, so it's actually very versatile.

 

[TheFibs]

Fusion 360 is a 3D CAD program, so not surprising that you did not find it easy for circuit design. Use a dedicated electrical CAD program for circuit boards, not a mechanical CAD program.

CircuitMaker is certainly a PCB specific program, so strange that you did not find the parts you wanted. Either you are missing a library of parts that you should have installed, or you are missing some concepts about how circuit design programs often work.

If it is just a missing component library, you may be able to find a library at Altium, or you may be able to use some of the libraries that Digikey makes available:
Digikey design tools resource page

That page also includes links to the freeware schematic and PCB tools which Digikey distributes.

What I meant by missing a concept is that for commodity parts like transistors in standard packages, you will often just use something like "npn transistor" instead of "2N3904," and then in the schematic symbol properties you will call out the specific part number you want to use, and which package style, so that when the schematic editor creates the netlist for the PCB editor it will indicate whether it is a through-hole footprint, if so which type, surface mount footprint, if so which specific package, etc.
Different programs and libraries handle the specifics in different ways, so you will have to figure out the way that goes with the usual flow for the tool you decide to use.

Fusion has a separate section for circuit design. I’ll try what you suggested and check for other CircuitMaker libraries! Thanks for the help!