I know that most of you likely are Eagle or KiCAD users but I just wanted to give everyone a heads-up that there is a new version of DipTrace out. For those that are looking for a PCB design package, I strongly encourage you to add DipTrace to your list of ones to try. Personally, I found it much more intuitive than Eagle and KiCAD; at least from the hobbyist perspective. Plus, creating your own parts is by far the easiest of any of the programs. Very useful when you need to create a part for something obscure.
Also, their licensing is much more convenient for hobbyists. Its a pin/layers licensing scheme, not a board size scheme. For example, lets say you wanted to make a board that was 4ft long, with twenty LEDs on it, for under cabinet lighting. If you use Eagle you are SOL, but its no problem in DipTrace. The standard Freeware license is 300 pins/2 layers but if you contact them and let them know you are a hobbyist you can get a Non-Profit Lite license for free. This gives you 500 pins, 2 signal layer with unlimited ground/power layers. In my designs, I haven't bumped up against this limit yet.
Enough about DipTrace in general, what have they changed? First and foremost they updated the previously horrible library management system. As much as I loved DipTrace, I HATED the LMS; I hated it with a passion. It has been no secret that it was one of the biggest letdowns in DipTrace. You could work with it (mostly) but it wasn't pleasant or intuitive. Novarm has long admitted the system was broken and they weren't happy with it. More recently, they mentioned that a complete rewrite was in the works and it now appears to have gone live. The library management system has finally been completely revised. Libraries are now broken into groups, separating the user libraries from the standard included ones. This appears to allow them to automatically add all libraries created on the computer. You can still add/remove libraries manually via Library Setup if you so desire.
I seem to remember this at least partly occurring in 2.3.x versions but the standard libraries themselves have been revised. There are now libraries of common parts such as headers, connectors, caps, etc. Instead of the older system which only had everything broken down by vendor name.
While selecting components in the schematic phase is MUCH easier now. Showing both the schematic symbol and the pattern in large easy to see form:
Search of the libraries has been made much more prevalent and logical. Gone are the unintuitive concepts of active library, non-active library, etc. It is now called Filter and its kinda like the old search on steroids. It's easily available from the library menu on the side.You can search a single library, a group, all libraries. You can also search using one or MORE criteria by hitting the + button.
Quite honestly, these changes to the LMS have made working in DipTrace even more fluid. Making the system feel much more unified and intuitive overall. The LMS doesn't feel nearly as cumbersome and awkward.
Another area that saw some changes is 3D modeling. 3D modeling now supports the much more common STEPS/IGS files for 3D models. This makes finding 3D models for your boards MUCH easier. Additionally, the most recent 3D model file has a bunch of new models added (on top of any that you import yourself)
The Arduino Nano in this board is an IGS file I found online. The 3D model actually saved me from a huge blunder. On an initial design of this board, I actually had the nano rotated 90 degrees which meant that the USB port was rendered inaccessible by the pi-filter capacitors.
Being as this is a 2.3 to 2.4 update (and not to 3.0) most of the other stuff is behind the scenes and bug fixes. Such as switching to a new version of Delphi which supposedly will allow a native OSX version in the future(no more WINE). My guess is when that happens we will see version 3.0.
Edit: Also, they added full unicode support.
Edit2: Changelog here
Also, their licensing is much more convenient for hobbyists. Its a pin/layers licensing scheme, not a board size scheme. For example, lets say you wanted to make a board that was 4ft long, with twenty LEDs on it, for under cabinet lighting. If you use Eagle you are SOL, but its no problem in DipTrace. The standard Freeware license is 300 pins/2 layers but if you contact them and let them know you are a hobbyist you can get a Non-Profit Lite license for free. This gives you 500 pins, 2 signal layer with unlimited ground/power layers. In my designs, I haven't bumped up against this limit yet.
Enough about DipTrace in general, what have they changed? First and foremost they updated the previously horrible library management system. As much as I loved DipTrace, I HATED the LMS; I hated it with a passion. It has been no secret that it was one of the biggest letdowns in DipTrace. You could work with it (mostly) but it wasn't pleasant or intuitive. Novarm has long admitted the system was broken and they weren't happy with it. More recently, they mentioned that a complete rewrite was in the works and it now appears to have gone live. The library management system has finally been completely revised. Libraries are now broken into groups, separating the user libraries from the standard included ones. This appears to allow them to automatically add all libraries created on the computer. You can still add/remove libraries manually via Library Setup if you so desire.
I seem to remember this at least partly occurring in 2.3.x versions but the standard libraries themselves have been revised. There are now libraries of common parts such as headers, connectors, caps, etc. Instead of the older system which only had everything broken down by vendor name.
While selecting components in the schematic phase is MUCH easier now. Showing both the schematic symbol and the pattern in large easy to see form:
Search of the libraries has been made much more prevalent and logical. Gone are the unintuitive concepts of active library, non-active library, etc. It is now called Filter and its kinda like the old search on steroids. It's easily available from the library menu on the side.You can search a single library, a group, all libraries. You can also search using one or MORE criteria by hitting the + button.
Quite honestly, these changes to the LMS have made working in DipTrace even more fluid. Making the system feel much more unified and intuitive overall. The LMS doesn't feel nearly as cumbersome and awkward.
Another area that saw some changes is 3D modeling. 3D modeling now supports the much more common STEPS/IGS files for 3D models. This makes finding 3D models for your boards MUCH easier. Additionally, the most recent 3D model file has a bunch of new models added (on top of any that you import yourself)
The Arduino Nano in this board is an IGS file I found online. The 3D model actually saved me from a huge blunder. On an initial design of this board, I actually had the nano rotated 90 degrees which meant that the USB port was rendered inaccessible by the pi-filter capacitors.
Being as this is a 2.3 to 2.4 update (and not to 3.0) most of the other stuff is behind the scenes and bug fixes. Such as switching to a new version of Delphi which supposedly will allow a native OSX version in the future(no more WINE). My guess is when that happens we will see version 3.0.
Edit: Also, they added full unicode support.
Edit2: Changelog here
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Thanks for the info 
I always use Diptrace (freeware) and by coincidence installed this version some 48 hours ago (I'm building up a clean Windows 8.1 install). Apart from opening it and seeing it looked a bit different I hadn't got around to trying it yet.
Thanks for the info on the license, I didn't know they would do that for hobbyists... well I'd never even thought of it tbh. I've come up to the 300 pin limit before now but found you could work around that by placing pads separately rather than as part of a specified part such as a resistor.
(I know what you mean about the libraries... they were absolutely awful)
I always use Diptrace (freeware) and by coincidence installed this version some 48 hours ago (I'm building up a clean Windows 8.1 install). Apart from opening it and seeing it looked a bit different
I hadn't got around to trying it yet.Thanks for the info on the license, I didn't know they would do that for hobbyists... well I'd never even thought of it tbh. I've come up to the 300 pin limit before now but found you could work around that by placing pads separately rather than as part of a specified part such as a resistor.
(I know what you mean about the libraries... they were absolutely awful)
Thanks for the info
I always use Diptrace (freeware) and by coincidence installed this version some 48 hours ago (I'm building up a clean Windows 8.1 install). Apart from opening it and seeing it looked a bit different
Thanks for the info on the license, I didn't know they would do that for hobbyists... well I'd never even thought of it tbh. I've come up to the 300 pin limit before now but found you could work around that by placing pads separately rather than as part of a specified part such as a resistor.
(I know what you mean about the libraries... they were absolutely awful)
Finished editing my post. For some reason, on longer posts I always find stuff to change after I hit the submit reply button, preview never cuts it.
Here is the Non-Profit page which includes a link to contact them (and shows the Non-Profit Lite version is free).
Non-Profit - DipTrace
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I have always just added the code to unlock the 500 pin version. I'm not sure which installer I typically use. The spot to add the key is under the about menu.
By the way, some interesting news out of the Novarm camp.
Frankly, I think this is a wise move. The current capabilities in the library category are finally good now. I might change my mind in the future but I think the search and libraries are solid and should no longer be focus #1. I'm glad that they are focusing on the next largest drawback (high-speed capabilities).
Frankly, I think this is a wise move. The current capabilities in the library category are finally good now. I might change my mind in the future but I think the search and libraries are solid and should no longer be focus #1. I'm glad that they are focusing on the next largest drawback (high-speed capabilities).
Very Cool!!!
I just fired it up the other day and I got an update notice.
I haven't done it yet but I am glad to hear that they updated the library system, what a nightmare that thing was, it took me a long while to get used to it.
I am not sure if I had contacted them to increase my pin Capability or not but it is something I need to do if I haven't already.
The trick Mooly suggested works pretty good.
I had been creating some SMD adapter patterns with it, then I just export the pattern in a Lossless BMP or PNG (I forget which one I use right now) and repeat pattern to fill a whole page of paper using Irfanview and that works out nicely.
I wanted to post the files for all to use but they are rather large for the forum rules at 1200dpi.
Maybe once I get a good selection done I will up load them somewhere and post the link for my patterns.
I like Diptrace a lot!!
I just loaded the new version of Kicad on my linux system so I haven't had the chance to check it out yet.
Diptrace is my First choice, Cecond to good ole' Circuitmaker2000 and Traxmaker but that aging software lacks a lot of the newer packages as well.
Cheers!!!
jer
I just fired it up the other day and I got an update notice.
I haven't done it yet but I am glad to hear that they updated the library system, what a nightmare that thing was, it took me a long while to get used to it.
I am not sure if I had contacted them to increase my pin Capability or not but it is something I need to do if I haven't already.
The trick Mooly suggested works pretty good.
I had been creating some SMD adapter patterns with it, then I just export the pattern in a Lossless BMP or PNG (I forget which one I use right now) and repeat pattern to fill a whole page of paper using Irfanview and that works out nicely.
I wanted to post the files for all to use but they are rather large for the forum rules at 1200dpi.
Maybe once I get a good selection done I will up load them somewhere and post the link for my patterns.
I like Diptrace a lot!!
I just loaded the new version of Kicad on my linux system so I haven't had the chance to check it out yet.
Diptrace is my First choice, Cecond to good ole' Circuitmaker2000 and Traxmaker but that aging software lacks a lot of the newer packages as well.
Cheers!!!
jer
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By the way, I have noticed a lot of people want user-configurable shortcut keys. Similar to what is used in programs like Altium and EAGLE.
I have posted this as a feature request on the DipTrace forum here:
DipTrace Forum • View topic - User configurable shortcut keys
Chime in if you are actually interested because the more people that support this, the quicker they will add it.
I have posted this as a feature request on the DipTrace forum here:
DipTrace Forum • View topic - User configurable shortcut keys
Chime in if you are actually interested because the more people that support this, the quicker they will add it.
Hi,
I've been using DIPTrace 2.4.0.2 for a couple weeks now. It runs okay under Linux (Wine), but a native version would be absolutely super. I prefer Fedora to Windows any day.
About DIPTrace. I normally design boards with pencil and paper. I have never used a board layout program - ever. I find DIPTrace to be very intuitive and actually fun to use. Most the other programs I gave up on before actually being able to do something.
So today I still design boards in my head, but more and more work is being transferred to DIPTrace. I am very happy with the quality of layouts. Schematic capture is also intuitive, but I've never used an auto-router before. These remain separate activities for now. All the projects I had waiting for board designs are being looked after in this flurry of activity.
I really can't say enough good about the people at Novarm. They are extremely helpful and a real pleasure to deal with. That can be rare these days. Coming from a hobbyist, this is high praise. I hope they take market share from the other vendors, because they are very human and have what I consider to be the best product out there. I'm using it, and that says a lot given my lack of patience with software!
-Chris
I've been using DIPTrace 2.4.0.2 for a couple weeks now. It runs okay under Linux (Wine), but a native version would be absolutely super. I prefer Fedora to Windows any day.
About DIPTrace. I normally design boards with pencil and paper. I have never used a board layout program - ever. I find DIPTrace to be very intuitive and actually fun to use. Most the other programs I gave up on before actually being able to do something.
So today I still design boards in my head, but more and more work is being transferred to DIPTrace. I am very happy with the quality of layouts. Schematic capture is also intuitive, but I've never used an auto-router before. These remain separate activities for now. All the projects I had waiting for board designs are being looked after in this flurry of activity.
I really can't say enough good about the people at Novarm. They are extremely helpful and a real pleasure to deal with. That can be rare these days. Coming from a hobbyist, this is high praise. I hope they take market share from the other vendors, because they are very human and have what I consider to be the best product out there. I'm using it, and that says a lot given my lack of patience with software!
-Chris
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