RS Components (UK) and Allied Electronics (US) released a new major revision (V 6.0) to DesignSpark PCB, their free schematic capture and PCB layout tool. Based on user feedback, this version includes simplified export to DesignSpark Mechanical, cross probe to move back and forth between PCB parts and schematic components, and custom UI shortcuts to improve the user experience and ease moving from other platforms. These features are presented in the following video segment.
What’s New in Version 6.0
DesignSpark is a free download that runs natively on all Windows PC-based platforms (has been run on Linux using Wine and MAC using Crossover) and is getting considerable attention in the open source community because of its commercial qualities, unlimited board size, and organized communities. It also receives frequent updates and improvements averaging slightly more than 8 months between each of its 5 updates since inception in July of 2010.
Since the release of the RS Components companion product, DesignSpark Mechanical, to wide acceptance, users have asked for better integration in providing mechanical enclosures for PCB designs and DesignSpark V6.0 delivered as outlined in a video.
DesignSpark Mechanical Integration with DesignSpark PCB
Cross probe (X-probe) in the new version allows for the user to move between PCB board parts and schematic components without getting lost. This works in both directions. Once again video screen captures demonstrate this new feature.
PCB Parts to Schematic Components Using X-probe
In order to make the use of DesignSpark easier and quicker V6.0 allows for custom shortcuts and hotkeys to be defined by the user. This feature could help ease the transition from other design software packages.