EAGLE (Easily Applicable Graphical Layout Editor) is an ECAD program produced by Cadsoft in Germany (American marketing division: Cadsoft USA). It is very commonly used by private electronics enthusiasts, because there is a very usable free demo version for nonprofit use and is available in English and German. Cadsoft has released versions for Microsoft Windows, Linux, and Mac OS X. “CAD” redirects here. ... EAGLE (Easily Applicable Graphical Layout Editor) is an ECAD program produced by Cadsoft in Germany (American marketing division: Cadsoft USA). ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, the lead section of this article may need to be expanded. ... Linux (IPA pronunciation: ) is a Unix-like computer operating system. ... Mac OS X (official IPA pronunciation: ) is a line of proprietary, graphical operating systems developed, marketed, and sold by Apple Inc. ...

The schematic editor.

The layout editor.

Image File history File links Download high resolution version (914x677, 44 KB)Screenshot of Eagle schematic editor Screenshot taken by the author, of a schematic of his own devising, and published under the FDL. File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert... Image File history File links Download high resolution version (914x677, 44 KB)Screenshot of Eagle schematic editor Screenshot taken by the author, of a schematic of his own devising, and published under the FDL. File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert... Image File history File links Download high resolution version (1189x816, 88 KB)Screenshot of Eagle layout editor Screenshot taken by the author, of a schematic of his own devising, and published under the FDL. File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert... Image File history File links Download high resolution version (1189x816, 88 KB)Screenshot of Eagle layout editor Screenshot taken by the author, of a schematic of his own devising, and published under the FDL. File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert...

Features

EAGLE provides a schematic editor, for designing circuit diagrams and a tightly integrated PCB layout editor, which automatically starts off with all of the components required by the schematic. Components are manually arranged on the board, with the help of coloured lines showing the eventual connections between pins that are required by the schematic, to aid in finding a placement that will allow the most efficient track layout. A schematic of the Washington Metro. ... The circuit diagram for a 4 bit TTL counter, a type of state machine A circuit diagram (also known as an electrical diagram, elementary diagram, or electronic schematic) is a simplified conventional pictorial representation of an electrical circuit. ... Part of a 1983 Sinclair ZX Spectrum computer board. ...

It also provides a good autorouter, which once the components have been placed will attempt to automatically find an optimal track layout to make the electrical connections. It does not always manage to find a way of routing all the signals, although it permits manual routing of critical paths such as power and high frequency lines before letting the autorouter handle the other connections.

The .brd files that EAGLE uses to store board layouts are accepted by many PCB production houses.

EAGLE is very popular with hobbyists because the free demo is able to create usable PCBs. (Free ECADs from some companies are crippled so that they won't save or won't print.) The only limitations of boards made with the EAGLE demo are: 2 copper layers; a maximum size of 80mm x 100mm (~3in x ~4in). The demo version of the schematic editor module can only create single-sheet schematics.

The licensing structure for the commercial version is very flexible. In order to use the demo version to make commercial products, it must be licensed for $49 USD. If more is needed, it is also possible to license the required extra modules (schematic capture, layout, autorouter) separately and simply purchase more if needs change.

External links

• http://www.cadsoft.de Homepage of Cadsoft in Germany
• http://www.cadsoftusa.com Homepage of Cadsoft in the USA
• http://www.cadsoftusa.com/prices.htm Prices
• http://chemie.pedf.cuni.cz/eagle/eagle.html Unofficial site with useful component libraries
• http://myhome.spu.edu/bolding/EE4211/EagleTutorial4.htm Cadsoft EAGLE 4.0 Editor Tutorial - Kevin Bolding