DesignSpark PCB V6: the view from an educator

Jason Brett is an experienced lecturer in technology at the British Columbia Institute of Technology in Burnaby, Canada.  Jason tells us about how DesignSpark PCB is exciting his students and helping him to “whip up” Arduino shields in his spare time. 

DS: What design software were you using before DesignSpark PCB (DS PCB)?

I was using Eagle, but was concerned that my students, who are in training to be high school Technology Education teachers, would not be able to afford the software when they started teaching.

I tried several free and open source alternatives, looking for one that combined the power of a high-end design package with the ease of use of an introductory package. I’m really glad I did --DS PCB is not only easier for new users to learn, but removes all of the annoying restrictions on board size and complexity that intentionally cripple many competitor programs. 

Why is DS PCB a good tool for educators?

I can speak for my fellow educators when I say that having a free, easy-to-use, fully-featured circuit board design program like DS PCB makes it easier to get students excited about electronics, and encourages them to pursue their own designs.

The unlimited board size has proved very helpful, as I often make ‘class sets’ of circuit boards. I can prototype a single board and, when it works well, it’s a simple matter to copy and paste as many boards as I want to produce.

How does the software help your design process?

Right now I’ve got several Arduino shield designs under development. It has been very easy to create an Arduino UNO board model in DS PCB. All I need to do is whip up a quick schematic and drop the parts onto the board, knowing that all the pin connections and mounting holes will automatically come through in my new design.

DesignSpark PCB also makes it easy to produce new components. This comes in very handy as I have a variety of parts in stock that aren’t always easy to find in a parts library. The ModelSource libraries are really good.

One thing that has always impressed me about DS PCB is how responsive the support team is to any of my questions or concerns. I can’t believe I get that kind of helpful support for a free software package. I wish some of the vendors of my more expensive software were as responsive as the DesignSpark team!

What are your favourite features of DS PCB?

Where to begin? The fact that the program is free and fully-featured. Also, the ease of use in creating new components or editing existing ones. This means that I can have students, who have never designed a circuit board before, not only designing their own boards, but creating their own components with only a half-dozen or so lessons. 

Finally, what tips would you give to others who are starting out with the software?

Normally, when teaching new software to students, I say to read the manuals or watch some tutorials before jumping in. But DS PCB is pretty easy to figure out. I’d say just sit down with a simple project and start building. About the only thing I tell my students to watch out for is to remember to save both their .pcb and .sch files, and to make sure that they know what folder they are using to keep their own custom parts library in. 

I think one of the real ‘aha’ moments for my students comes when they start playing with the Design Technology settings, and discover that they can change all of their pad sizes, or trace sizes with a few simple keystrokes.

Download the new version of DesignSpark PCB now