How to Select The Perfect PCB Design Software For You?

It doesn’t matter what kind of hardware you have planned to design and build; Printed Circuit Boards or PCBs for short are an integral part of almost all the technology that exists in the current world. That’s why the job of a PCB designer is pretty tough and requires utmost dedication on his/her part. Even a single error in PCB design can crumble the entire technology itself in which that particular PCB is utilized. However, as compared to the past, the PCB designing process has become much simpler and less intricate due to the advent of advanced PCB Design Software. A lot many PCB design software like Altium PCB Software, Eagle from Cadsoft, Upverter etc. are available in the market and it becomes difficult for a PCB designer to select one out of them. In this post, we are going to make this task of selection comparatively easier by sharing with you the basic attributes of a perfect PCB design software. Going through the mentioned attributes the task of selecting the perfect PCB design software will become a lot simpler for you.

• Great Content Library & Fantastic Editing Interface

Printed Circuit Boards have gone through a long history of evolution and in this process, their design and components have changed a lot. It is because of this phenomenon a printed circuit board has got a variety of components. A PCB designer may require a lot of different components while designing the printed circuit board. Hence, it is vital for the library to host all the different components that exist for designing a PCB so that the designer doesn’t have to face tough time gathering the required components.

Apart from the availability of components; a PCB design software library must facilitate the addition of new components as well. This is because the design of a PCB is not a static entity. It is still undergoing a lot of changes and as such various new components are being introduced. So, for a PCB design software to be reliable and effective; its library must allow the addition of new components as well.

• Cool Error Handling

A perfect PCB design software must be able to spot all the errors that may have crept in the PCB design created by the designer. This needs to be done before the designer finalizes the design and sends the same for manufacturing.

If error handling is not proper or not present in a PCB design software, it could result in a defective PCB be manufactured and as a result essential resources are wasted which could cost a company millions. This makes it essential for the designer to fix all kinds of functionality problems and defects prior to sending the board for manufacturing.

• Ability to View the PCB in 3D

Nowadays 3D has become an integral part of the PCB design process as when a designer is able to see the board in 3D he/she can get an accurate measurement of the heights of different components and various other kinds of information which a board designed in a 2-D environment is unable to provide.

• Awesome Customer Support

There’s no use buying a software when it doesn’t have a professional and a robust customer support team on the back of it. Several parts of the PCB design software could be unfamiliar to the designer and here the customer support team comes into play. If the customer support team is careless and unprofessional the entire point of going for that PCB design software is useless.

Moreover, the customer support team must have ample knowledge of the PCB design process so that as and when the PCB designer requires some help; the same can be put to use.

• Trial Period

This is an absolute necessity. A PCB design software that doesn’t offer a trial period is no good spending money on. You might not find all the features that you require and your hard-earned money could go waste if the trial period is not provided by the software company. The trial period is essential to test the software and once it comes out to be according to your needs; you can go ahead and invest your money in buying the same.

Conclusion

So, designing a PCB might have become a lot easier as compared to the past but the task of selecting a PCB software has, definitely, become difficult. We hope these basic attributes will help you in selecting a perfect PCB design software that fits your needs.

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