Software for a beginner?

[Doomguy42]

Hi there, can anyone recommend me some cheap or free design software for an old PCB I'd like to reverse engineer?
I'm quite familiar with the boards in question as I've been repairing them recently. So I'd really like to just lay out the Pcb it's self and not have to build a schematic if that's possible?

It's a 2 sided through hole board of 2.54mm pitch aprox 150mm x 100mm and roughly 600 pins.
This is totally just a fun project to get me learning. Thanks for any help.

 

[Nigel Goodwin]

DesignSpark is totally free, and fairly fully featured.

You can do just the PCB if you want?, but it's probably just as easy to do the circuit first, and the PCB from that - plus it's VERY useful to have the circuit if you're repairing things.

 

[dr pepper]

Eagle is another popular package.
I think its still free.

 

[Doomguy42]

DesignSpark is totally free, and fairly fully featured.

You can do just the PCB if you want?, but it's probably just as easy to do the circuit first, and the PCB from that - plus it's VERY useful to have the circuit if you're repairing things.

Thanks... I will have a look. I can try and do the circuit but lots of it is obsolete components and the Ic are on sockets? Can it cope with that? I didn't know if that would be too difficult?

 

[KeepItSimpleStupid]

Target 3001 has some features that will help in reverse engineering. https://server.ibfriedrich.com/wiki/ibfwikien/index.php/Reverse_Engineering

Not a free package.

 

[gophert]

Hi there, can anyone recommend me some cheap or free design software for an old PCB I'd like to reverse engineer?
I'm quite familiar with the boards in question as I've been repairing them recently. So I'd really like to just lay out the Pcb it's self and not have to build a schematic if that's possible?

It's a 2 sided through hole board of 2.54mm pitch aprox 150mm x 100mm and roughly 600 pins.
This is totally just a fun project to get me learning. Thanks for any help.

I like to take digital photos of both sides of the board (very close to same size and right above the board.
Flip one image and lay it over the image of the other side of the board. Make the top image 50% "transparent" so you can see circuit traces and components on both sides of board at the same time.

 

[Pommie]

Eagle is stll available in a free version but is limited on boards size. Older boards tend to be much bigger - how big is the board?

Mike.
Edit, Just checked, limit is 80cm2 so 15x10 is too big.