KiCAD or Eagle?

[jdduffield]

I’m ready to take the next step and start working on building custom PCBs. I’m a tech savvy guy and not worried about the learning curve, so if one is more complex, but better, that is ok with me. My question is, should I get into learning KiCAD or Eagle? Which is better and why?

Something I know I’ll want is a software that allows me to place the component values on the layout, not just R1, R2, R3, etc.

Also, what company do you use to order your layout creations?

A side question I have is are there people out there that offer a service that can take a hand-drawing schematic and convert it to a layout and how much does that type of service usually cost? (Just in case that would same me some time as I really prefer to focus on building.)

 

[vigilante398]

I don't have anything against KiCAD, I've heard good things about it, but I don't have much good to say about Eagle. I tried it a decade or so ago when I was first getting into things, and everything was so unintuitive and clunky. It may have gotten better, but at the time it felt like they were leaning into the "we've been the only option for hobbyists for years, you don't have a choice" and I hated it.

Diptrace was brilliant right out of the gate. Super intuitive, I never felt like I needed a tutorial, I was able to jump in and make things happen. Best free software out there in my opinion.

There are a fair number of places to order boards, I personally use JLCPCB and have used Elecrow in the past, I know people also like PCBWay and I've heard good things about them as well. OSHpark has been around a while and they're fine if you just need a couple of something small, but they charge by the square inch so boards can get expensive fast. OSHpark isn't a manufacturer, they just take a bunch of orders and organize them into panels to send to manufacturers, which is why you don't have a bunch of customization options and why the board size determines the price.

I've never tried a layout service as doing layouts is one of my favorite parts of this whole hobby, but I know JLCPCB has started offering it, and there are of course thousands of people on Fiverr that will do it for you as well. Hell, I'm sure there are people on this forum that will do it, there are enough of us here that you can probably find someone with the free time to do it for a little cash.

 

[MattG]

I originally started with Eagle, back in 2016. At the time, KiCad either didn't exist or I simply wasn't aware of it. I was active on diyAudio back then, and Eagle seemed to be the default everyone recommended. I didn't have any frame of reference for comparison, having never used any software that's at all similar.

Later Eagle changed their licensing terms... I don't recall the details. I think it was still "free" but required a login and/or had additional restrictions on the free version. Whatever the changes were, it frustrated me enough to look for a replacement.

That's what led me to KiCad. For me, multiplatform (i.e. Linux) support is important. It checks that box, plus free as in open source is a pro in my book (I actually just donated some cash to KiCad, as I've gotten a lot of utility out of the project). There were of course growing pains when I moved from Eagle to KiCad, but it's been long enough I don't really recall what they were. At least for my small hobby-level projects, KiCad provides all the utility I need and works reliably. Minor annoyances come up here and there, but what large software package doesn't have those?

I've never used Diptrace, so can't make any comparisons to that.

 

[Audandash]

I started with Eagle a long time ago using the tutorials on the madbean forum. They were great and showed you exactly what you needed and provided libraries to get started right away. Of course there is always a learning curve and the more you do it the easier it gets. A few years ago eagle kinda went the way of the dodo when they started integrating it with fusion. I am not sure what it is but I think you have to pay a fee to use the newer versions now. I do still have some older versions I occasionally use but have since migrated to KiCad. Making the transition from Eagle wasn’t super easy but now that I am used to KiCad and its features (plus it’s free) I actually like it better than I ever did Eagle. Regardless of which path you go expect to put in some time to working out the kinks. I know a lot of folks use diptrace and like it but I use a Mac and never could get it to work right. Make sure you search for the madbean library for KiCad or Eagle to get started. Having them is essential to getting started on the right foot.

 

[vigilante398]

I know a lot of folks use diptrace and like it but I use a Mac and never could get it to work right

That is an important factor, I've heard from a few people that Diptrace just doesn't work on Mac.

 

[jdduffield]

That is an important factor, I've heard from a few people that Diptrace just doesn't work on Mac.

I have a cheap $150 PC but my main computer is an iMac.

 

[Robert]

That is an important factor, I've heard from a few people that Diptrace just doesn't work on Mac.

I've used it, it works, but you don't want to.

 

[vigilante398]

I've used it, it works, but you don't want to.

Yeah one of my friends tried it and was having trouble getting libraries imported, something about a filesystem mismatch. The program technically ran, but that's about all it did.

 

[Robert]

Yeah one of my friends tried it and was having trouble getting libraries imported, something about a filesystem mismatch.

I can believe that. The Mac version is basically just the Windows version wrapped in a WINE emulator.

It runs in an emulated NTFS file system so (as far as I could tell with my limited Mac experience) it was a bit of a hassle loading/saving projects if they were stored in any other location.

 

[bean]

I’m ready to take the next step and start working on building custom PCBs. I’m a tech savvy guy and not worried about the learning curve, so if one is more complex, but better, that is ok with me. My question is, should I get into learning KiCAD or Eagle? Which is better and why?

Something I know I’ll want is a software that allows me to place the component values on the layout, not just R1, R2, R3, etc.

Also, what company do you use to order your layout creations?

A side question I have is are there people out there that offer a service that can take a hand-drawing schematic and convert it to a layout and how much does that type of service usually cost? (Just in case that would same me some time as I really prefer to focus on building.)

I use Eagle because that's the program I learned on. I think KiCAD might be the way to go for new users to CAD software. With Autodesk, one never knows how long they will keep a piece of software going.

As for your side question: Hand drawn schematics are fine so long as it is legible. There's no set cost as to what someone might charge. It's going to be all over the place. But, if you do go that route I can give you some advice: make sure you agree on the rate first AND if it's hourly be sure to ask for an estimate on the # of hours for completion. If they won't estimate of #hours to complete, find someone else.