Autodesk EAGLE

CadSoft EAGLE is proprietary EDA (electronic design automation) software for editing circuit schematics, PCB layouts and component libraries. It is available for Windows, Linux and OS X. EAGLE is quirky and unintuitive, but very widely supported.

Editions

The Light edition can be used for free, for non-profit or evaluation. This is limited to boards of 100 x 80 mm (4 x 3.2 inches), only top and bottom signal layers, and the schematic editor can only create one sheet. It can however Load, view and print drawings that exceed these limits.

For a single user doing non-commercial editing of e.g. the most commonly used Eurocard size, would require the Hobbyist edition, which costs €140. This allows boards of 100 x 160 mm (4 x 6.4 inches), up to 99 sheets and up to 6 signal layers. For commercial use, with the same limitations the Standard edition costs €690.

Edit features

With almost identical user interfaces EAGLE provides a schematic editor, a layout editor, and library editor.

Compatibility

EAGLE exports Gerber files.

In 2009 CadSoft Computer GmbH, developer of EAGLE was aqquired by Premier Farnell. Since version 5.11 EAGLE connects to the components database from Premier Farnell (also known as Farnell, Newark, element14), allowing immediate access to component information from within the design environment.

Further reading

• Build Your Own Printed Circuit Board by Al Williams, Tab, 2003, ISBN 9780071427838

External links

CadSoft

• CadSoft EAGLE homepage
• the EAGLE Forum based on Usenet newsgroups
• CadSoft Tutorials
• User created component libraries

Others

• Wikipedia:EAGLE
• PCB Design Eagle CadSoft user group
• FreeRouting, Eagle compatible free push & shove router
• Eagle Tutorials
• Cadsoft Eagle 4.0 Editor Tutorial by Kevin Bolding