Electrical & Electronics

In electrical and electronic engineering the free tools cover the whole design chain: schematic, simulation, PCB layout and manufacturing files. Unlike other fields there is no real compromise here — an open-source PCB package works with no limit on layers or board area, which is exactly what the commercial free editions restrict.

Simulation is built around the SPICE engine. You can use it directly, or through a graphical front end that runs it behind the scenes. For power supplies and switching converters there is a dedicated vendor tool, distributed free and unusually accurate in that domain.

Two further areas are covered: electrical and control documentation — panel drawings, wire numbering and connection schedules — and digital design, from logic circuit simulation to hardware description language simulators.