Eagle

The Eagle tool is a powerful and flexible printed circuit board (PCB) design software that for 25 years has offered the high functionality of expensive commercial PCB design software at a fraction of their cost. EAGLE offers three modules, Scheme Editor, Switch Editor and Autorouter, which are combined in a single user interface. EAGLE is easy to learn, easy to use and easy to purchase. It runs on Linux, MAC, and Windows and allows for extended functionality such as simulation, 3D-visualization, data import and export, and defining custom user commands using user language programs (ULPs) that are partially integrated in EAGLE and available through the file download areas.

Limitations of the freeware version:

• Useable board area is limited to 100 x 80 mm (4 x 3.2 inches)
• Only two signal layer connections (top and bottom side)
can be used
• The schematic editor can only create a schematic on one sheet.

New features of EAGLE Version 7:

Autorouter - The new autorouter of version 7 extends the existing algorithm. The major change is that the new algorithm is multi-threaded and therefore can take advantage of multi-core processors.

Multi-threaded - this means that the autorouter can run in multiple configurations simultaneously. The user can then choose the best result that fits his/her vision. On computers with multi-core porcessors, each thread then owns its own processor core. This optimises the use of the hardware by the software.

TopRouter - the new autorouter includes an option to use TopRouter. This process results in boards with much less broken joints compared to the previous algorithm. This results in more cost-effective production of boards that require less manual intervention by the designer.

Hierarchical layout- this feature caters to many user requirements for the development team. Hierarchical design helps designers organize complex schemas into small functional blocks that can be assigned to different members of the development team for processing. This promotes the efficient use and collaboration of development teams in different areas of large and complex projects, which can then be more easily integrated into a single unit. In the end, all these sub-designs can then be merged thanks to the newly introduced hierarchical layout option. This also supports easier reuse of previously designed blocks from older projects into new ones.

Graphical Environment Change- Version 7 also brings a more modern graphical look to the user interface. Icons used since the beginning have been replaced with modern images that better capture the functionality behind them and improve user orientation in the program. The EAGLE user can choose between classic and new icons.