Is there a good, small freeware program for XP for drawing 
schematics?  I don't need to route boards, so I wouldn't need that 
function.  But it would be nice if it had a library of standard 
symbols.

On Thu, 06 Mar 2008 12:08:54 -0600, George <g...@cox.net>
wrote:

>Is there a good, small freeware program for XP for drawing 
>schematics?  I don't need to route boards, so I wouldn't need that 
>function.  But it would be nice if it had a library of standard 
>symbols.

Kicad http://kicad.sourceforge.net/wiki/index.php/Main_Page and
gEDA http://geda.seul.org/wiki/ are both FOSS apps that include
schematic capture. Both also include netlist generation and PCB layout
that you may not use BUT since they are intended to do real boards
they both have rule checking capability that you may not find in pure
drawing programs and which may be useful in warning you about
interconnection errors.

Kicad is a little easier to install under Windows. There is a Windows
port for the gEDA toolset but it's happier under Linux/Mac.

-- 
Rich Webb     Norfolk, VA

> On Thu, 06 Mar 2008 12:08:54 -0600, George <gh424NO824S...@cox.net>
> wrote:
>
> >Is there a good, small freeware program for XP for drawing
> >schematics?
===========================
tinycad?

Rich Webb wrote:
>Kicad is a little easier to install under Windows.
>
True, though understated.

>There is a Windows port for the gEDA toolset
>
Actually, no.
I had some old bookmarks to earlier Windows binaries of gEDA,
but those pages no longer exist.
The versions were so out of date that they were deleted (I'm
guessing).

Getting someone to put together a Windoze installer these days
seems to be a once-bitten--twice-shy thing.
Windoze weenies take a lot more hand-holding
and are very vocal and insistant that they get help;
Because of the relative cluelessness of those users,
releasing Windows binaries seems to simply hurt the brand.

It *is* possible for Windows users to build gEDA themselves:
www.geda.seul.org/download.html+There.is.no.supported+Stuart.Brorson+d" target=_blank rel="nofollow">http://www.google.com/search?q=cache:WTdypZlJUk4J:www.geda.seul.org/download.html+There.is.no.supported+Stuart.Brorson+d
epending.upon.your+Windows+only.works+Last.update+gEDA-is-free-*-*-*-*-*+your.*.*.expertise+theoretically.possible+*.*.y
ourself+version+ahvezda+distribution.and+2007+missing.dependencies+*-*-*-despair+Linux
"Words to the Wise" at the bottom.

>but it's happier under Linux/Mac.
>
I thinks it's more that users of Unix-like OSes are simply more
clueful
and more easily contented with works-in-progress software.

>[...]since they are intended to do real boards
>they both have rule checking capability
>that you may not find in pure drawing programs
>
That can't be emphasized enough.

"George" <g...@cox.net> wrote in message 
news:VqWzj.62510$F...@newsfe15.lga...
> Is there a good, small freeware program for XP for drawing
> schematics?  I don't need to route boards, so I wouldn't need that
> function.  But it would be nice if it had a library of standard
> symbols.
>


The one from www.expresspcb.com will do nicely. You'll need their ExpressSch 
package. I don't know if you need to download the pcb package, too.

The only odd thing is getting used to clicking then hitting the spacebar to 
end a wire connection.

Bob

Rich Webb wrote:
> On Thu, 06 Mar 2008 12:08:54 -0600, George <g...@cox.net>
> wrote:
>
>>Is there a good, small freeware program for XP for drawing 
>>schematics?  I don't need to route boards, so I wouldn't need that 
>>function.  But it would be nice if it had a library of standard 
>>symbols.
>
> Kicad http://kicad.sourceforge.net/wiki/index.php/Main_Page and
> gEDA http://geda.seul.org/wiki/ are both FOSS apps that include
> schematic capture. Both also include netlist generation and PCB layout
> that you may not use BUT since they are intended to do real boards
> they both have rule checking capability that you may not find in pure
> drawing programs and which may be useful in warning you about
> interconnection errors.
>
> Kicad is a little easier to install under Windows. There is a Windows
> port for the gEDA toolset but it's happier under Linux/Mac.

You could also give the free/student version of pspice a try. It has a
windows installer and the usual windows handholding.  

stan wrote:
>You could also give the free/student version of pspice a try.
>
Going that route, rather than using the crippleware version
of software that is increasingly poorly supported,
he could get a free copy of LTspice.

On Thu, 06 Mar 2008 12:08:54 -0600, George <g...@cox.net>
wrote:

>Is there a good, small freeware program for XP for drawing 
>schematics?  I don't need to route boards, so I wouldn't need that 
>function.  But it would be nice if it had a library of standard 
>symbols.
>

If you don't intend to produce PC boards, (or generate netlists or do
electrical rule checks) then almost any general CAD program that
allows you to create re-usable symbols or blocks can be used - your
first few drawings may take some extra time as you build a component
library, but you'll soon have all the symbols you commonly need built
(and they'll be built the way _you_ want them).  

Even after using professional ECAD program with a large component
library (Protel/Altium) for many years, I still find I have to build a
new component or two for each new job.


-- 
Peter Bennett, VE7CEI  
peterbb4 (at) interchange.ubc.ca  
GPS and NMEA info: http://vancouver-webpages.com/peter
Vancouver Power Squadron: http://vancouver.powersquadron.ca

George wrote:

> Is there a good, small freeware program for XP for drawing
> schematics?  I don't need to route boards, so I wouldn't need that
> function.  But it would be nice if it had a library of standard
> symbols.

Most of the commercial CAD pacakages have limited versions available
free of charge.

Otherwise you could try ExpressPCB's software
http://www.expresspcb.com/ExpressPCBHtm/Free_cad_software.htm

or one of the several freeware packages.

Graham

On Thu, 06 Mar 2008 12:08:54 -0600, George <g...@cox.net>
wrote:

>Is there a good, small freeware program for XP for drawing 
>schematics?  I don't need to route boards, so I wouldn't need that 
>function.  But it would be nice if it had a library of standard 
>symbols.
>

LT Spice draws decent schematics.

John