1:40 PM

20+ Free PCB Design Software

20+ Free PCB Design Software:

Printed Circuit Boards (PCB) are an integral part of the electronic products, large and small. The size of the electronic gadgets is heavily dependent on the design of the PCB. They are not only used by professionals but also by small designers and hobbyists who want implement the prototypes in a more practical way.

There are many PCB Design Softwares available. Some softwares are proprietary and paid while some are available for free with some restrictions. The article gives a list of few commonly used PCB layout design softwares. The softwares mentioned here are not listed or categorized in any specific order. Depending on the requirement of the user and the project, one must select the software.To download these softwares click on their names.

Free or Open Source Software:

KiCad

KiCad is very easy to use and has a huge support in the open source hardware community.

Features:

KiCad is available for different platforms like Windows, Mac and Linux.

KiCad has an integrated environment for schematic entry (Eeschema) and PCB design (Pcbnew) along with some tools like 3D visualization of PCB, bill of materials and Gerber file generation (GerbView).

It has tools to import components from other EDA tools such as eagle.

ExpressPCB

ExpressPCB is another popular free PCB design software.

Features:

Here are some features of this software

Add on device drivers
Rats-nest generation from simple net lists
Drawing directly on the silk layer
Netlist window
Trace optimizer
Connectivity verification
Auto router

ExpressPCB design software has two applications included: ExpressSCH, for drawing schematics and ExpressPCB, for PCB layout.

The schematic files can be easily linked with the PCB application.

It is available only for Windows.

DesignSpark PCB

DesignSpark PCB is a free software package for schematic capture and PCB layout.

The software consists of schematic entry and PCB layout and the link between them is very easy.
The libraries for components are aligned with RSComponents.
It can be easily interfaced with other tools like LTSpice, Tina and Eagle. Even though it is free of cost, users must register with the website to unlock all features.

PCB/gEDA/XCircuit

PCB is a free, open source and interactive PCB editor available for Windows, Linux, Mac and UNIX systems.

PCB includes many professional features like 16 copper layers, auto-router, trace optimizer, DRC etc.

While PCB is the printed circuit board layout tool, gEDA is the free schematic capture software.

XCircuit can also be used for schematic diagrams. PCB can be interoperated with gEDA and XCircuit.

Fritzing

Fritzing is an open source EDA tool for Arduino prototyping and PCB design.

It is created to allow artists, hobbyists and designers to create their own PCB’s so that non-engineers can also learn, teach and share electronics.
Fritzing is one of the easiest tool to produce PCB’s and the designed PCB can be manufactured with the help of FritzingFab.

ZenitPCB

ZenitPCB is another excellent PCB design software tool to create professional printed circuit boards.

ZenitPCB has a friendly user interface and a huge part libraries.
It It can be used for personal and hobby projects and the only restriction is it is limited to 800 pins.
The software consists of two applications: ZenitCapture, for schematic designs and ZenithPCB, for PCB layout.

TinyCAD

TinyCAD is a free and open source program for schematic capture and PCB layout. It is available only for Windows systems.

TinyCAD supports several standard libraries as well as custom symbol libraries. TinyCAD can also be used for one line diagrams, block diagrams and also presentation diagrams.

TinyCAD allows the users to publish the PCB layouts as image files in PNG or BMP formats for documentation.

Osmond PCB

Osmond PCB is a free PCB design software for Macintosh systems.
There are no restrictions and limitations imposed and boards of any size and shape can be designed.
Osmond PCB supports multiple copper layers and has libraries for both through-hole and SMD parts.
Small designs up to 700 pins can be designed freely and is suitable for beginners and hobbyists.
For larger designs (boards with more than 700 pins), we need to purchase the license to generate and view Gerber files.

PCBWeb

PCBWeb is another good platform for PCB layout. It is a free software with no restrictions on the copper layers, size of the board and number of components on the board.
It is currently available for Windows systems and support for other platform is being planned.
We cannot import files from other CAD tools at present. The software is developed by Digi-Key.
The schematic capture tool is called SchemeIt and the parts are from Digi-Key.

PCB123

PCB123 is developed by Sunstone circuits.

It is a free and award winning PCB design software.
A schematic editor can be used to create multi-page schematics or the PCB layout can be directly designed by placing the components and the software will automatically create the schematic.
PCB123 has 750,000+ predefined parts which can be used while designing.
Other features include flexible importing of NETLIST, inbuilt DRC (Design Rule Check) and DFM (Design for Manufacturing), user friendly graphical user interface and real time search option to check the availability of components in the market.
PCB123 is fast and easy to use and got proven from Intel, Texas Instruments, HP, Honeywell etc.

FreePCB

Free PCB is an open source PCB design software for Windows systems.
Even though it doesn’t have an auto-router tool, a free web based routing tool called Freerouting can be used for partial or full auto-routing.
The FreePCB software can support up to 16 copper layers.

Proprietary or Paid Software:

Altium Designer

Altium Designer is a premium EDA software for PCB, FPGA and embedded system design.

It is one of the popular PCB design package. Altium Designer tool suite includes all aspects of product development like schematic capture, PCB design or layout, embedded software development, FPGA design etc. in a single design environment.

It is available for Windows platform.

OrCAD PCB Designer

OrCAD PCB Designer is another popular PCB design software from Cadence. It is a part of OrCAD Circuit Design Suite, which also includes OrCAD Capture, OrCAD PSpice Designer etc.

OrCAD PCB Designer includes various automation features for PCB design, board-level analysis and design rule checks (DRC).

The routing in the PCB design can be done either manually or using the Auto-Router provided.

It is available for Windows and Linux platforms.

DipTrace

DipTrace offers everything to create simple or complex multi-layer printed circuit boards.
The DipTrace software has four modules: Schematic capture, PCB Layout editor, component & pattern editor and 3D modelling of PCB. It supports Windows, Mac and Linux.
There are different versions like starter, standard and full with DipTrace full version being the ultimate edition will no restrictions.
There is also a 30-day trial version available for free.

Eagle

EAGLE stands for Easy Applicable Graphical Layout Editor.
It is a powerful schematic capture and PCB design software package developed by CadSoft.
Eagle is a fully integrated tool providing necessary features to create the simplest to complex designs.
It offers user friendly yet powerful solutions for PCB design with the help of three modules: Schematic Capture, Board Layout, and Auto-router.
It is available for all the major platforms like Windows, Mac and Linux.
There are both paid and free versions of Eagle available. The free version has many limitations and is suitable for hobbyists to design small circuits.

Mentor Graphics Xpedition

Xpedition is a PCB design software from Mentor Graphics.
It is generally used in FPGA designs. The software comprises of six PCB design tasks: Design creation, Simulation, PCB Layout, Design Collaboration, Library Management and Design for manufacturing.

Auto TRAX DEX

Auto TRAX Design Express (DEX) is a powerful PCB design software for electronic engineers developed by DEX2020.

It is an integrated EDA tool that has tools like schematic capture, PCB design physical layout, built in SPICE simulator, 3D board visualization etc.

TINA

TINA Design Suite is an integrated circuit simulator for analog, digital and mixed signals and PCB design.
TINA is available for Windows, Linux and Mac and there is a cloud based online version which can be accessed using any web browser.
The integrated PCB design software has all the features needed for advanced PCB design like multilayer PCB’s, auto-placement, auto-routing, 3D view of the PCB design, Gerber file output and many more.

Proteus

Proteus is another paid tool.This available for different platforms like windows,MAC,linux.

Features:

Schematic Capture module
PCB Layout module
Hardware Accelerated Display Technology
Global Shape Based Autorouting
External Autorouter Interface
3D Board Visualisation

Web-based Software

Upverter

Upverter is another web-based EDA tool for PCB layout. The tool is an integration of schematic capture, PCB layout and design review.
The free version of the software allows up to two projects per registered user with certain restrictions and the professional paid version allows unlimited projects with all the feature unlocked.

CircuitMaker

Circuit Maker is a web-based schematic entry and PCB design software. It is developed Altium and is free for the open source hardware community.
There are no limitations on the copper layers and board size. It can be used by students, hobbyists, designers and even professionals for commercial or non-commercial purposes.
The designs can be shared in the open source community.

REFERENCE // Electronics Hub

6:20 PM

What is Relay and How it Works?

What is a Relay?

A relay can be defined as a switch. Switches are generally used to close or open the circuit manually .Relay is also a switch that connects or disconnects two circuits. But instead of manual operation a relay is applied with electrical signal, which in turn connects or disconnects another circuit.

Relays can be of different types like electromechanical, solid state. Electromechanical relays are frequently used. Let us see the internal parts of this relay before knowing about it working. Although many different types of relay were present, their working is same.

Every electromechanical relay consists of an consists of an

Electromagnet
Mechanically movable contact
Switching points and
Spring

Electromagnet is constructed by wounding a copper coil on a metal core. The two ends of the coil are connected to two pins of the relay as shown. These two are used as DC supply pins.

Generally two more contacts will be present, called as switching points to connect high ampere load. Another contact called common contact is present in order to connect the switching points.

These contacts are named as normally open (NO),normally closed(NC) and common(COM) contacts.

Relay can be operated using either AC or DC.

In case of AC relays, for every current zero position, the relay coil gets demagnetized and hence there would be a chance of continues breaking of the circuit.

So, AC relays are constructed with special mechanism such that continues magnetism is provided in order to avoid above problem. Such mechanisms include electronic circuit arrangement or shaded coil mechanism.

Working:

Relay works on the principle of electromagnetic induction.
When the electromagnet is applied with some current it induces a magnetic field around it.
Above image shows working of the relay .A switch is used to apply DC current to the load.
In the relay Copper coil and the iron core acts as electromagnet.
When the coil is applied with DC current it starts attracting the contact as shown. This is called energizing of relay.
When the supply is removed it retrieves back to the original position. This is called De energizing of relay.

There are also such relays, whose contacts are initially closed and opened when there is supply i.e. exactly to opposite to the above shown relay.

Solid state relays will have sensing element to sense the input voltage and switches the output using opto-coupling.

Relay Contact Types:

As we have seen that relay is a switch. The terminology “Poles and throws” is also applicable for relay. Depending on the number of contacts and number of circuits it switches relays can be classified.

Before we know about this classification of contacts we have to know the poles and throws of a relay switch.

Poles and Throws:

Relays can switch one or more circuits. Each switch in relay is referred as pole. Number of circuits a relay connects is indicated by throws.

Depending on the poles and throws, relays are classified into

Single pole single throw
Single pole double throw
Double pole single throw
Double pole double throw

Single Pole Single Throw:

A single pole single throw relay can control one circuit and can be connected to one output. It is used for the applications which require only ON or OFF state.

Single Pole Double Throw:

A single pole double throw relay connects one input circuit to one of the two outputs. This relay is also called as changeover relay.

Though the SPDT has two output positions, it may consist of more than two throws depends on the configuration and requirement of the application.

Double pole single throw:

A double pole single throw relay has two poles and single throw and it can be used to connect two terminals of a single circuit at a time. For example, this relay is used for connecting both phase and neutral terminals to the load at a time.

Double pole double throw:

A DPDT (double pole double throw) relay has two poles and two throws for each pole. In motor direction control, these are used for phase or polarity reversal.

The switching action between contacts for all these relays is performed when the coil get energized as shown in figure below.

Relays can be classified into different types depending on their functionality, structure, application etc. Learn about different types of relays .

Relay Applications:

Relays are used to protect the electrical system and to minimize the damage to the equipment connected in the system due to over currents/voltages. The relay is used for the purpose of protection of the equipment connected with it.

These are used to control the high voltage circuit with low voltage signal in applications audio amplifiers and some types of modems.

These are used to control a high current circuit by a low current signal in the applications like starter solenoid in automobile. These can detect and isolate the faults that occurred in power transmission and distribution system. Typical application areas of the relays include

Lighting control systems
Telecommunication
Industrial process controllers
Traffic control
Motor drives control
Protection systems of electrical power system
Computer interfaces
Automotive
Home appliances

5:09 PM

H-Bridge - Basics and Operation

H-Bridge - Basics and Operation:

Typical transistor based H-Bridge circuit.

The H-bridge is a circuit used in electronic control of high current devices, particularly where the device polarity may be reversed, e.g. DC motors. The name comes from the fact that the circuit typically looks like a letter "H".

Full bridge operation:

Diagrams of an H-bridge off, driving the motor forward and backward, using 4 switches

The circuit shown has four switches and a motor. To apply a voltage across the motor a pair of diagonally opposite switches need to be turned on. Depending on which pair of switches are turned on the motor will turn one way or another. If both the top or both the bottom switches are turned on the motor will have no voltage difference across it so it won't move at all. If the top and bottom switches on one side are turned on together by accident we will short out the supply, so you need to be careful if you're building your own H-bridge. Most pre-packaged ones will have internal logic to prevent this.

A simple H-bridge made out of NPN and PNP transistors

You can build an H-bridge like this out of relays instead of switches and control them with a lower current to drive big motors but most often the switches are replaced with transistors, a pair of PNP transistors (or p-type MOSFETS) at the top and a pair of NPN (or n-type MOSFETS) at the bottom.

PWM Control of a full bridge:

PWM is a method of digitally controlling an output with a variable equivalent voltage. Essentially if you take the average of the signal over time then it has a varying analog level, however in the short term it is digital. This makes it easy to generate and efficient as transistors are most efficient when on or off rather than partially conducting. Most modern microcontrollers have the ability to generate PWM built in, including the Arduino and derivatives.

Diagrams of the 4 signals needed to drive a full bridge

To control a plain H-bridge you need 4 signals to control the 4 transistors, to control it with PWM you need two PWM signals and two plain digital signals. You could theoretically use just the two PWM outputs, however you need to be careful about the polarity of the signal compared to the transistor you're driving. Some microcontrollers include a full bridge driver (Microchip call this Enhanced Capture/Compare/PWM or ECCP on their 8bit PIC chips) which drives 4 outputs and you can hook up to the H-bridge. However it still needs 4 control lines. If you can drive both your PNP and NPN transistors from the same logic line (i.e. your motor power and logic rails are the same) you can connect the PWM to both A and B inputs and a direction control to C and D. In this configuration however you have to invert the duty-cycle when you are running in reverse because it's the low part of the duty cycle that turns the motor on, shown as "Inverted PWM" above.

Better PWM control:

Transistor H-Bridge with an additional transistor to enable or disable the circuit.

There are a couple of ways I can think of to make the H-bridge much simpler to control. Essentially what we want is to add an over-all enable line to the H-bridge so we can use one enable line controlled by PWM rather than using a complex H-bridge driver. One way is to add another transistor to the circuit that only connects the bottom rail of the H-bridge to the negative supply. Pulsing this will make the motor run only while the control is high so PWM on this would make an overall speed control without having to worry about which direction the motor is running. The cost of the extra transistor could be quite high if you're using high power transistors or MOSFETS and depending on your voltage rails this might be eating into your motor voltage as there'll be a 0.7-0.4V drop across each transistor or MOSFET. The other option then is to use logic to filter the control lines so that the PWM signal is combined with the direction signals.

An H-bridge with a pair of OR gates added to enable or disable operation of the bridge.

Using an H-bridge chip:

In a lot of cases, especially with little toy motors, you don't need to build a whole H-bridge circuit from scratch. In fact using a chip can save you a lot of trouble with offset voltages; if you have a different motor supply voltage from your logic voltage you'll need drivers between the logic and the power transistors. There are a couple of chips I'd recommend and it depends really on how powerful your motors are which one to use, both are dual H-bridge chips (so you can control 2 motors) and both have 2 enable lines so you can connect a PWM line for each motor.

L298

The 298 is a high power dual-H-bridge driver which can handle 2A continuous current on each channel. It's in a big heat-sinkable package and if you're running it close to the limit I'd recommend using this heat sink. The 298 also has current sense lines on each of the two channels which you can add a low value resistor to ground and monitor the current being drawn by each motor. If you need to save some pins you can bridge the direction lines with a not gate and only use one line for direction control. Yu can also parallel up the inputs and outputs on this chip to make a 4A continuous drive bridge but you need to be careful to wire up the inputs in the right order. You need to provide your own protection diodes to suppress the inductive response of the motor and protect your circuit from negative voltages, these are wired "backwards" across your motor supply.

Paralleled L298 circuit for high current applications

L293/SN754410

A photo of the L293D and compatible SN75441 made by Texas Instruments

The L293 (and pin compatible SN754410) have a very similar block diagram to the L298 but a much lower current capacity. The continuous running current is 1A for the L293/SN754410 or 0.6A for the L293D. It is packaged as a normal DIP IC so if you need to heat sink it you're recommended to have a big ground plane connected rather than a heat sink block. This is fine if you have a PCB but it can be a bit difficult to achieve on strip board. The L293D can only handle about half the current of the L293 but has internal protection diodes so it really is a single component solution for driving low power motors. The SN754410 has the protection diodes for running inductive loads as well but can handle up to 1.1A continuous current, it has identical pinout and better absolute maximum ratings so is a safe drop in replacement for the L293D.

Datasheets:

st.com L298 Farnell: 403-295 ti.com L293/L293D Farnell: 147-0423 ti.com SN754410NE Farnell: 147-0411

12:04 AM

Solar Inverter for Home

Solar Inverter for Home:

Introduction to Solar Inverter:

We see many people using Solar inverters these days which proves that its necessity has been increased in the current years. A Solar inverter is similar to a normal electric inverter but uses the energy of the Sun i.e. Solar energy. A solar inverter helps in converting the direct current into alternate current with the help of solar power. Direct power is that power which runs in one direction inside the circuit and helps in supplying current when there is no electricity. Direct currents are used for small appliance like mobile e phones, MP3 players, IPod etc. where there is power stored in the form of battery. In case of alternative current it is the power that runs back and forth inside the circuit. The alternate power is generally used for house hold appliances. A solar inverter helps devices that run on DC power to run in AC power so that the user makes use of the AC power. If you are thinking why to use solar inverter instead of the normal electric one then it is because the solar one makes use of the solar energy which is available in abundant from the Sun and is clean and pollution free.

Solar inverters are also called as photovoltaic solar inverters. These devices can help you save lot of money. The small-scale grid one have just two components i.e. the panels and inverter while the off grid systems are complicated and consists of batteries which allows users to use appliances during the night when there is no Sunlight available. The solar panel and the batteries that are placed on rooftops attract Sun rays and then convert the Sunlight into electricity. The batteries too grab the extra electricity so that it can then be used to run appliances at night.

Working of Solar Inverter:

Now after knowing what a solar inverter is, let’s talk about its working. Solar panels produce direct electricity with the help of electrons that are moving from negative to positive direction. Most of the appliances that we use at home work on alternative current. This AC is created by the constant back and forth of the electrons from negative to positive. In AC electricity the voltage can be adjusted according to the use of the appliance. As solar panels only produce Direct current the solar inverter is used to convert the DC to AC.

An inverter produces square waves or a sine wave which can be used for running lights, televisions, lights, motors etc. However these inverters also produce harmonic distortion. Expensive inverters make use of lots of steps to produce a sine wave and thus are found in residential solar inverters. Basically inverters should be a large one so that it supplies enough power to all the necessary appliances.

An inverter s easy to buy but choosing the right solar inverter for your appliance is more important. Thus you must always consult a solar professional before buying on. We know that the energy derived from sun is solar energy which is one of the cleanest sources of energy. Also it can be used to provide lighting to houses.

You can make us of the photovoltaic tiles that attract energy from Sun and converts it into a clean form of electricity which can be used to light, houses, industries and companies. The cells of photovoltaic consist of positive and negative silicon that is placed underneath a slice of glass. When the protons of the Sunlight hit the PV cells they knock the neutrons present in the silicon. Now the negative charged neutrons get attracted to the silicon but then are held inside a magnetic field. The wires attached on the silicon catch hold of these neutrons and while connecting to the circuit, current is formed. This then gives space for direct electricity and for converting that into alternate electricity an inverter is used so that the house appliances can run. As mentioned before major of the house appliances work on alternate current hence an inverter is used to convert DC to AC.

Solar power apart from making your home appliances work can also be used to heat water and swimming pools too.

How to Make a Solar Inverter?

The energy derived from Sun is a renewable one and is totally free of cost. We have learnt how the solar inverter helps in providing electricity and now we shall learn how a solar inverter is made. A solar panel is capable enough to convert the heat or energy of the Sun into direct current.

Solar Inverter Design:

To easily understand the construction of a solar inverter lets discuss the following construction sample:-

According to the circuit diagram initially do the assembling of the oscillator part which consist of the small components & IC. It is finely completed by interrelating the part leads itself and fusing the joints.
Now place the power transistors into the acutely pierced aluminum heat sinks. This is crafted by cutting aluminum sheet into specified sizes and bending their sides, so that it can be hold tightly.
Make use of mica isolation kit to fix transistors in the aluminum heat sink, evade short circuiting & direct contact of the transistors from ground & each other.
Fasten the heat sink congregation to the bottom of a properly ventilated, strong, thick gauge metal enclosed space.
Also fasten the power transformer next to the aluminum heat sinks by making use of screw & bolts.
Now join the suitable points of the assembled circuit board & power transistors on the aluminum heat sinks.
At last connect the power transistor’s productions to the subsequent winding of the power transformer.
End the assembly by fastening and interlocking the outer electrical fittings such as switches, mains cord, fuses, sockets, and the battery inputs.
A voluntary solar power supply circuit and a transformer may be added within to charge the battery when necessary (check diagram).

Solar Inverter Circuit Diagram:

To understand well how to construct a solar inverter, it is vital to study how the circuit operates through with the help of following steps:

N1 & N2 gates of IC 4049 are employed as an oscillator. It carries out the key role of providing square waves to the inverter division.
N3 to N6 gates are employed as buffers so that the circuit is not dependent on load.
Continuously changing voltage from the buffer phase is useful to the bottom of the current amplifier transistors T1 & T2. These transistors perform in harmony with the practical changing voltage and boost it to the bottom of the output transistors T3 & T4.
These producing power transistors swing at a full oscillation, providing the total battery voltage.
This energy produced is from solar panel & is employed to power the output load.

Solar Inverter Advantages:

After knowing in detail what a solar inverter is and how different useful it is to make appliances work at residential and industrial levels we must discuss about the many advantages of the device.

Solar energy has always helped in reducing global warming and green house effect.
Also use of solar energy helps in saving money many people have started using solar based devices
A solar inverter helps in converting the Direct current into batteries or alternative current. This helps people who use limited amount of electricity.
There is this synchronous solar inverter that helps small homeowners and power companies as they are large in size
Then there is this multifunction solar inverter which is the best among all and works efficiently. It converts the DC power to AC very carefully which is perfect for commercial establishments
This inverter is cost effective i.e. less expensive than generators
Apart from solar inverters there are other devices too that make use of solar energy namely, solar cooker, heater.
Solar inverters are the best way and they are better than the normal electric ones. Also their maintenance does not cost much money

Solar Inverter Disadvantages:

Initially you need to shell out a lot of money for buying a solar inverter
It will work effectively and produce direct current only when the Sunlight is strong.
The solar panels that are used to attract Sunlight requires lots of space
The device can work efficiently only if the presence of the Sun is strong.
Solar Inverters can work when there is no Sunlight but provided their battery is charged fully with the help of Sunlight.

After counting on some of the disadvantages of solar inverter we can state that when a device is very useful at some point of time it too requires proper maintenance and when it comes to a solar device the equipment of solar energy is must. So buy a solar device only if you have plenty of solar energy available.

REFERENCE // Electronics Hub

Free or Open Source Software:

Proprietary or Paid Software:

Web-based Software

Working:

Relay Contact Types:

Poles and Throws:

Single Pole Single Throw:

Single Pole Double Throw:

Double pole single throw:

Double pole double throw:

Relay Applications:

Full bridge operation:

PWM Control of a full bridge:

Better PWM control:

Using an H-bridge chip:

Introduction to Solar Inverter:

Working of Solar Inverter:

How to Make a Solar Inverter?

Solar Inverter Design:

Solar Inverter Circuit Diagram:

Solar Inverter Advantages:

Solar Inverter Disadvantages:

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