Free Electronic CAD Tools

Here are a few free electronic hardware development tools that I just became aware of:

• TinyCAD - TinyCAD is a program for drawing circuit diagrams commonly known as schematic drawings. It supports standard and custom symbol libraries. It supports PCB layout programs with several netlist formats and can also produce SPICE simulation netlists.
• FreePCB - FreePCB is a free, open-source PCB editor for Microsoft Windows, released under the GNU General Public License. It was designed to be easy to learn and easy to use, yet capable of professional-quality work. It does not have a built-in autorouter, but it can use the FreeRoute web-based autorouter.
• FreeRoute - This interactive push & shove router is production stable and unsurpassed in its free angle capabilities. The web-based version of the router is free. It communicates with host PCB design systems via the standard Specctra DSN interface. There exists also an interface to Cadsoft-Eagle.

Obviously, these are not professional level tools, but they're likely adequate for many hobbiest projects. And, of course, you can't beat the price.

Thanks to the Electronics-Lab.com Blog for the heads-up on these free tools!

If you're used these tools, please comment and let us know how well they worked for you.

Likewise, if you have other free tools you can recommend, please share your knowledge!