[SGVLUG] CAD - circuit diagrams

[juanslayton at dialup4less.com]

    My bovine instincts said go with the 5 cows.  The package downloaded routinely, but hung looking for one of the python files.  The readme had warned that python included in distros might have files in the wrong places, but that a current download would place them in the desired location.  So deleted the old python, downloaded the new one from the official site and installed it. xcircuit still hung looking for python.

  So we downloaded eagle.  Good dog, everything works without complications.  Thanks for your help.

John

Tod E. Kurt wrote ..
> On May 5, 2006, at 9:41 AM, <juanslayton at dialup4less.com>  
> <juanslayton at dialup4less.com> wrote:
> > Does anyone know of a good program to draw and print circuit  
> > diagrams.  Not PC board layout, just the diagrams.
> >
> > John
> 
> 
> Eagle (http://www.cadsoftusa.com/ ) is pretty much the standard of  
> free schematic capture programs used by hobbyists. It works on Linux, 
> Mac OS X, Windows. There are many good tutorials on the net for using 
> Eagle.  It *requires* a 3-button mouse and breaks many rules of good  
> GUI design. (putting it in league with most other schematic  
> programs)  I recommend it.
> 
> Still clunky, but getting better and open-source, is the 'gschem'  
> part of the gEDA suite (http://www.geda.seul.org/ )  Last time I used 
> it it went even farther than Eagle in throwing out the two decades of 
> GUI guidelines, but I've seen a few intrepid souls produce working  
> schematics and boards built with it.
> 
> With any schematic capture program, the first most important aspect  
> is "how big is its part library?"  Eagle's is nicely big, no idea  
> about gschema.  The second most important is "can I create my own  
> parts?".  In Eagle you can and it's pretty easy.  gEDA's "symbol"  
> library is smaller but seems to be only schematic symbols with no  
> physical footprints, making it useless to quickly lay out boards.   
> (not something you think you need right now, but may in the future)
> 
> In short, download Eagle and it's tutorials and draw a few circuits.  
> It works.
> 
> -=tod