EAGLE (program)
| Developer(s) | CadSoft Computer |
|---|---|
| Initial release | 1988 |
| Stable release | 7.2.0 / November 27, 2014 |
| Operating system | Windows, Linux, Mac OS X |
| Platform | 386 compatible PCs |
| Available in | English, German, Hungarian, Chinese |
| Type | ECAD/EDA, CAM |
| License | Proprietary, freeware version available |
| Website | www www |
EAGLE stands for, Easily Applicable Graphical Layout Editor in English and, Einfach anzuwendender grafischer Layout-Editor in German. It is designed and developed by CadSoft Computer GmbH and is a flexible, expandable and scriptable, electronic design automation (EDA) application with schematic capture editor, printed circuit board (PCB) layout editor, auto-router and computer-aided manufacturing (CAM) and bill of materials (BOM) tools. Premier Farnell bought EAGLE in 2008.[1]
Contents
History
EAGLE was developed in 1988 as a 16-bit application for Microsoft DOS, with support for OS/2 and Windows added later on. Starting with version 4.0, EAGLE was converted to 32-bit. EAGLE version 4.0 also dropped support for DOS and OS/2, but was among the first professional electronic CAD tools available for Linux. A 32-bit DPMI version of EAGLE 4.0 running under DOS was available on special request in order to help support existing customers, but was not released commercially.
Starting with version 4.13, EAGLE became available for Mac OS X, with versions before 5.0.0 still requiring X11. Version 5.0.0 officially dropped support for Windows 9x and Windows NT 3.x/4.x. EAGLE 6.0.0 no longer supports Mac OS X on the Power PC platform (only on Intel Macs), and the minimum requirements have been changed to Mac OS X 10.6, Linux 2.6 and Windows XP.
On 24 September 2009 Premier Farnell announced the acquisition of CadSoft Computer GmbH, developer of EAGLE.[2]
Schematic capture
EAGLE contains a schematic editor, for designing circuit diagrams. Parts can be placed on many sheets and connected together through ports.
PCB layout
The PCB layout editor allows back annotation to the schematic and auto-routing to automatically connect traces based on the connections defined in the schematic.
EAGLE saves Gerber and PostScript layout files and Excellon and Sieb & Meyer drill files. These standard files are accepted by many PCB fabrication companies.
Available versions
Comparison of features for the various available versions. Costs are referred to "Schematic+Layout+Autorouter, 1-User" license.
| Version | Schematic sheets | Layers | PCB size | Use | Note | Cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Professional | 999 | 16 | 4x4 m | Any | $ 1640, € 1385 | |
| Standard | 99 | 6 | 160x100 mm | Any | $ 820, € 690 | |
| Hobbyist | 99 | 6 | 160x100 mm | For individual, non commercial use only | $ 169, € 140 | |
| Light | 1 | 2 | 100x80 mm | Any | $ 69, € 62 | |
| Freeware | 1 | 2 | 100x80 mm | Non-profit applications | Support only via email or forum | $ 0, € 0 |
Notable users
Popular DIY electronics site SparkFun uses EAGLE, and releases the EAGLE files for boards designed in-house. Other popular sites/products that use EAGLE include Adafruit, Arduino[3] and Dangerous Prototypes.
Third-party libraries
Of particular note is the popular DIY electronics parts store SparkFun Electronics[4] that has grown up largely due to the hobbyist market exemplified by Make magazine and others. Many of these companies offer EAGLE part libraries[5] which define schematic shapes, pinouts, and part sizes to allow for correct layout in the PCB layout editor. Other popular libraries include Adafruit[6] and Dangerous prototypes,[7] element14 (a subsidiary of Farnell, owners of CadSoft) also have some libraries available from their site.[8]
Beginner usage
A large group of textual and video tutorials exists for beginners to design their own PCBs.[9][10]
See also
References
- ↑ Acquisition of CadSoft Computer GmbH
- ↑ Acquisition of CadSoft Computer GmbH
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