DesignSpark PCB software is just one of the comprehensive tools in our free, and low-cost monthly plans, which provide students, pro-creators and design engineers with CAD software, design services, and training and support worth over £1000.
Version 13 has arrived with a suite of powerful enhancements, that deliver enhanced precision, visual clarity, and layout control of your PCB designs. An exhaustive list of features with descriptions is available in the update notes (access from the program Help menu > Online Manuals). Here are some exciting highlights from the new release:
Enhanced graphics:
Available in: Explorer, Creator and Engineer plans.
When enabled via Preferences > Display menu, circular pads and drill-holes are displayed using an anti-aliased effect, giving a smoother and more professional appearance. This will result in high-resolution outputs for documentation, marketing assets, and manufacturing files.
Set Symbol Origin at centre of pads:
Available in: Engineer plan.
A new context menu command, Set Symbol Origin at Centre of Pads, has been added to the PCB/Schematic Symbol Design context. When clicked, a centre point between all the pads in the design will be calculated and the Symbol’s origin will be set to this calculated point. It is useful for setting the position of the centre of a component, such as a push button switch, or LED etc., where the need is to align with an enclosure hole.
Serpentine Routing:
Available in: Engineer plan.
Serpentine routing is an advanced routing mode that adds controlled bends to signal traces to meet fixed length requirements or match other signals. This helps maintain timing accuracy and signal integrity in high-speed PCB designs like DDR or HDMI. It is especially useful in dense layouts where direct routing isn’t feasible. Another application is in automotive systems, like communication between Electronic Control Units (ECUs), where signal integrity needs to be preserved through complex wiring harnesses.
It is available with two new modes under Utilities > Serpentine Mode and Serpentine Selected Tracks.
Archimedean Spiral generator:
Available in: Creator and Engineer plans.
With significant improvements to low-level geometry in DSPCB v13, the spiral generator now uses the Archimedean equation to produce smooth, consistent spirals. This enhancement allows compact antenna designs for wide bandwidth wireless communication, where spiral geometry enables frequency-independent performance.
Interactive BOM Export:
Available in: Engineer plan.
Outputs an HTML file with a clickable PCB layout and parts list, making it easier to locate individual components and groups during hand-soldered prototyping. From the Output menu of a PCB design, select the Interactive IBOM option for export settings. Note that the generation of the Interactive BOM requires Python 3.8 (or later) to be installed.
Set System and Relative Origin Colour :
Available in: Explorer, Creator and Engineer plans.
In PCB and Schematic Settings and Highlights dialog (View > Colours), there are 2 new options: “System Origin” and “Relative Origin”. When enabled, the colour specified will be used to colour the corresponding origin. When disabled, the system origin will be coloured in the Primary Grid colour and the relative origin will be coloured in the Secondary Grid colour. Setting distinct colours helps minimise the risk of misalignment or misplacement in high-density PCBs.
PCB Colours dialog (captured with the Engineer plan):
Schematic colours dialog (captured with Engineer plan):
Improvements to manufacturing outputs:
Available in: Explorer, Creator and Engineer plans.
In summary, the following improvements have been made with more details shared in the update notes:
a) Automatic generation of All Plots option. This generates a set of plots for all layers used in your design.
b) The format button used is now highlighted for clarity of the selected format.
c) The now obsolete RS-274-D option has been removed.
d) The Plotting Report now shows the format used.
e) The Gerber Drill Plot has been removed due to it not being required by manufacturers, leading to confusion.
Drop Via Option added to context option when adding or editing a track :
Available in: Creator and Engineer plan.
When adding or editing a track, you can now right-click and select Drop Via from the context menu. This is useful for stitching in vias for shielding purposes or enhancing power distribution routes.
Quality of Life improvements :
Available in: Explorer, Creator and Engineer plans.
Enhancements have been made to these existing features to improve user experience:
- Edit Track - Backspace moves the cursor position to the end segment - This deletes the current segment, but also moves the cursor ready to continue track placement, making the process smoother and intuitive.
- Remove Highlight added to the context menu - A much faster and convenient way to clear highlights than using the menubar.
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