Eagle VS Altium-What Is The Features And Differences

by Howie Liu Electronics Engineer

Abstract

On this article, you are provided with a comparison of two PCB design software "Eagle VS Altium".Advancements in technology have greatly revolutionized the PCB industry. Electronics engineers have a wide range of PCB CAD software to choose from for use in PCB design. These tools vary in their features and the prices too. Some of them are free of charge while others are not. It is necessary that a PCB engineer settles for good PCB design software.

1.Altium Designer

2.Features of Altium Designer

3.Eagle PCB CAD Software

4.Features of EAGLE CAD

5.Conclusion

1.Altium Designer

Altium designer is one of the powerful and commonly used PCB design software. Among other high-end design software, Altium Designer is gaining popularity at a high rate. The program is available with a price tag on it but a free package is available for the purpose of trials. Students who need the package for the purpose of learning may also get it free of charge. For the beginners, this is the package to have as it easy to learn and use.

Eagle VS Altium,it comprises of different tools used for performing different PCB design tasks. Its functions range from circuit simulation, analysis of signal integrity, HDL and schematic design capture. The package can also be customized and used in a wide range of Applications to meet the needs of the user. The package is commonly used by professionals due to the high end features it has, hobbyists, don't prefer it because of the cost attached to it. As much as it is also powerful, it lacks the FPGA design feature found in high-end programs. The FPA feature is found in the most powerful PCB design programs. Its most outstanding feature is the PCB editor.

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2.Features of Altium Designer

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Features of Altium designer include:

1.A high-quality 3D visualization that allows for routing using 3D.

2.The automatic appearance of net names on the pads of the printed circuit board editor.

3.An outstandingly advanced filtering which simplifies selection and modification of what a user wants.

4.A simplified design constraints creation procedure that has an in built helper.

5.Manufacturing and Generation of the output file are superior and its settings are easy to configure.

6.A good number of hot keys and shortcuts that allow efficiency in PCB design.

7.Its design system operates offline and can still function without a license.

8.The adds-on for export and import used in other programs and formats are quite decent.

9.Its project tree is simple and allows user drag-n-drop files to desired locations.

3.Eagle PCB CAD Software

Eagle CAD has commonly used PCB design software. The abbreviations EAGLE stand for Easily Applicable Graphical Layout Editor. Anyone looking for easy to use software with a reasonable price then this is right package for them. It is suitable for use by both professionals and hobbyist because its price is fair. A free package is available for students who need it for educational purposes for individuals and for those who use it for non-industrial purposes. Premium and standard packages are also available but their subscriptions are paid for on monthly basis. To purchase a single license, you may be required to pay up to $1640 but this will cater for all the features that come with the package. Fewer amounts may be paid if the user does not require all the features. For example, a package comprising of 999 sheets, 4M by 4M routing area and 16 layers which are suitable for advanced Printed Circuit Boards are sold at $820. For less advanced projects, you can purchase a package comprising of 99 sheets, 160mm by100mm and 6 layers which sells at $410. Eagle CAD is available in different versions: Eagle Business, Eagle Make, Eagle Learn and Freeware.

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4.Features of EAGLE CAD(Eagle VS Altium)

It has a wide range of tools for use in PCB layout and schematic design editing. The package also contains community-driven features and library content.

Eagle CAD has an electrical rule check and a net list generation that enable transfers to Printed Circuit Boards.

PCB layout editor has several distinct features that include:

1.An auto-router

2.Copper pouring

3.Different types of outputs for used to manufacture data.

4.Features and techniques that allow for routing at advanced levels.

5.Differential pair routing technique.

Other features of EAGLE CAD include;

1.Backward and forward annotations between printed circuit boards and schematic.

2.Users have the option of defining certain things such as the clearance, nets and width of wires among others.

5.Conclusion

A number of differences exist Eagle VS Altium. When it comes to the cost of purchasing the software, Eagle is much cheaper than Altium. Anyone with a tight budget can opt for Eagle rather than Altium. It is also important to note that for beginners, both programs are not easy to use, you may require a few to learn how to use them. When the two are compared, Altium is easier to use.

You can also check this video:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FfsPL0pIpxw