From Advanced Circuits:
PCB Artist is a user friendly, fully integrated schematic capture & Free PCB Layout Software that you will find easy to use. You can download PCB Artist and install the product at no charge and start designing you PCB design almost immediately. Once complete, your files are saved to your computer, or you can upload and send to us for order placement. There are tutorials to get started and Gerber files are available with your order.
What's new in this version: Version 2.0 of PCB Artist now has Schematic Busses, Spice Output for various 3rd Party programs and Bug fixes.
Quick Specs
Version: 2.0File
size: 90.57MB
Date added: May 24, 2013
Price: Free
Operating system: Windows 2000/XP/Vista/7/8
Product ranking: #19 in CAD Software
Additional Requirements: Not available
Download:
User Reviews:
(1)"A really good program for the novice."
March 25, 2011 | By sandyclariss
Version: PCB Artist 1.3.3
Pros
Creating the actual circuit was really a lot easier than I expected for being a complete newbee at designing.
Cons
Difficult to find specific components. The libraries could use a little bit more "real world" graphic names such as cpxxxx for capacitors, resxxx for resistors, and so on.
Summary
Once you get used to the way the libraries are laid out, you can get right into setting up the boards and submitting them to be fabricated.
(2)"Mildly adequate for serious use."
October 8, 2010 | By vanrenway
Version: PCB Artist 1.3.3
Pros
Has the best library and flexibility of the two other free wares I have tried. Support fast and pleasant. Closer to what a professional would want to use.
Cons
Tutorials do not match the version downloaded. Features in tutorial not available in download. Library still limited, missing very common parts, very laborious to design missing parts. I can design on Unigraphics in a fourth the time.
Summary
It's like owning a YUGO. It's better than walking but not by much, and you could still be doing a lot of walking. It has the potential to be the best software there is. However, they need to design this for a person with little design skill and make the library more extensive and have tutorials that match the software. Via email the support department seems knowledgeable and polite. I want to layout some PCB's for my company, these are not simple five part boards. There software has so far proved to be very tedious. As stated above, Unigraphics is 1000 times faster and easier to layout a schematic. Even Cad Std. that is mechanical software is easier and faster for designing a circuit. The library is missing normal parts that one would expect to be in the que. A 7808 with a TO-220 footprint? A through hole resistor? This software is designed to be used by the designer of the software, not the average person. I will finally wade through this thing without much help from the Manuals and tutorials, fortunately I don't need these board soon. It's not something that you can just jump into and knock out in 20 minutes. Little is straight forward. You use a generic part and you battle ref. des. and other text that are difficult to get rid of and change. It's like driving a British Ford. It's just like the one you have here, except everything is backwards and a great deal of relearning and trial and error has to be endured before you get the hang of it. Sometimes when you zoom the image, it will disintegrate and you have to refresh. I guess I just expect too much for free, but it actually isn't free. A 4 layer board is not cheap. And it does tend to insure that you use their service. On a scale of 1-10, 10 being best. I would give it a 4, however, compared to the other freeware for designing schematics and PCB's, I would give it a 7.
(3)"easy to use much help from component library"
February 15, 2010 | By kazt6761
Version: PCB Artist 1.3.2
Pros
the library is most helpful tools
Cons
component pads cannot be create as new
(4)"An Excellent easy-to-use freeware"
November 15, 2009 | By Prof. R. Jayaram
Version: PCB Artist 1.3.1
Pros
Even the final auto-routed circuit can be easily modified.
Cons
Provision to print black & white image is to be added.
Summary
Thank you for the excellent freeware. Adding provision to print a black figureof the circuit in white background would be of much help to those using conventional PCB etching methods.
