electrical CAD software

[Matt Krass]

Originally Posted by woody

expresspcb.com has a nice schematic layout program, including a number of pre-made connectors, ic's, passive components, etc. They also allow you to create your own components. It may be worth a look.

I've used their program, it's not bad, it's not great either, often times I found myself fighting with it. Then when I finished the PCB, I had no way of easily getting it out of the program. It uses a proprietary file format, and watermarks all the printouts so you can't etch your own board. It's only good for ordering from Express PCB, which is a bit pricey for someone who already has the etching stuff available.

Eagle is cross platform as well, and the professional version has a nice autorouter for PCB layouts, and many PCB fabrication companies accept Eagle files.