Premium PCB Design Made Affordable

Printed circuit board designers have a difficult job. Many of the printed circuit board design tools available in the market are expensive (average cost is around $10,000 up to $18000 for very good ones) which puts them out of the reach of the average embedded developer, unless they are working for a big firm. The alternatives are free or low cost software which do not have important capabilities.

Embedded developers who design PCBs have to build prototypes, validate reference designs and even perform manufacturability studies, if they want to remain competitive. In more advanced cases, they also conduct detailed evaluations for thermal, power distribution network, signal integrity and manufacturability. All of this is not possible on free or low cost software.

Moreover, many of PCB engineers are located in developing countries where they may not have the resources to invest in such software. But there is good news. A Californian company recently released a low cost PCB design platform with a base price of $5000. This is half the price of some competent products. This is good news, because PCB firms can now become more competitive. It will also help them train new manpower, while making the most of their existing manpower capabilities.