A List of Best Electrical Design Software

This list of top electrical design software tools will help you to create real-time applications with attractive and efficient GUI!

Electric diagrams are a pictorial representation of electronic circuits, similar to the ones we have in our electronics laboratories. Electrical Design Software represents these circuits on the computer in form of wireframes that can be re-graphed and re-phrased before creating the actual circuit. Electrical circuit design software is of great use to professionals such as electricians, electrical or electronics engineers, builders, technicians, programmers who can create an electric panel and free schematic drawings.

What are electrical circuit diagrams created for?

These are created to make professionals in electrical fields understand the intricacies of various connections in the electrical network, before creating an actual one. Breadboard, stripboard and printed circuit board are used for creating electrical circuit diagrams.

What can be the various types of electrical circuit diagrams?

• One-line Diagram or Single Line Diagram
• Block Diagram
• Pictorial Diagram
• Schematics Circuit Diagram
• Wiring Diagram
• Ladder Diagram or Line Diagram
• Riser Diagram
• Logic Diagram
• Electrical Floor Plan
• IC Layout Diagram

What are the challenges of electrical design?

Electrical designs are being used in the construction of industrial facilities for electric power generation commonly known as electricity generating stations. These are also called powerhouse, power station, and electrical generation plants. Although these digital electrical designs cannot help the engineers in diagnosing transmission faults, distribution system switching faults, lightning strikes, simultaneous operation of equipment, device interruption, data errors, memory loss, shutdowns but it can indicate wiring and grounding, dedicated circuits, spike suppressor, isolation transformers, voltage regulators or uninterruptible power supply.

What are the functions of electrical design software?

There can be many ways to create electrical panel drawings or electrical circuits but one of the easiest and most convenient options is by making use of electrical circuit design software. So let’s have a look at some of the best free and open-source circuit drawing software in 2020:

QElectroTech

QElectrotech is a free and open-source electrical design application to create all sorts of electronic circuits, electronic block diagrams, and control and automation circuits. This electronic diagram creating software can be used to sketch mechanical objects to illustrate processes and instrumentation drawings.

Main Features of QElectrotech

• It features an element editor and a diagram editor to create schematic symbols.
• It has a set of the library containing symbols with the IEC 60617 standardized symbols.
• Elements and drawings get saved in XML format. Also, the diagram can be exported into dxf, pdf, jpg, png, BMP, SVG formats.
• This software is configurable, is compatible across platforms and has multi-lingual support.

FreePCB

FreePCB is an open-source and free printed circuit board editor that includes much software within its range, working similarly like ZenitPCB, TinyCAD, Osmond PCB, BSch3V, ExpressPCB, Kicad, gEDA, Fritzing, DesignSpark PCB, EasyEDA. This editor is for Microsoft Windows and works under General Public License.

Main Features of FreePCB

• It is a free CAD application used for designing the hardware to be manufactured.
• It is fast and easy to use.
• It can be used to route multi-layered keyboards
• It can support copper pours and DRC checking
• It comes with an integrated Digi-key parts catalogue with a bill of material manager

TinyCAD

It is schematic capture software to draw electronic drawings and circuit diagrams. It has a user-friendly interface and libraries to support and create symbols/symbol references, parts list etc. It supports PCB, netlist formats, SPICE simulation netlists etc. It can export netlists for the PCB layout program. The finished circuit design can be copied and pasted into MS Word or can be printed across single or multiple pages.

Main Features of TinyCAD

• It comes with electronic components like symbols, wires, junctions, labels, power, no-connects.
• It brings some editing tools with it that allows you to drag and drop elements, make use of control to select more than one item, use block tools to flip and rotate areas of the schedule.
• The finished diagram can be exported and shared across multiple formats.
• It features some electrical tools to check wiring errors, creating a bill of materials, creating symbols automatically, and a reference painter tool.
• It makes use of multi-page schematics.
• Bitmaps can be inserted in the diagrams.
• The created electrical drawing can be printed.

XCircuit

It is free electrical panel design software for Unix, Windows and X11 to create publication-quality schematic circuit diagrams and related figures. It can write Postscript output and hierarchical SPICE netlists.

Main Features of XCircuit

• It features all common elements of an electrical drawing software free download free version
• It allows inserting an info label, drag and drop elements, import external images, manipulate parameters, edits libraries, zoom in and zooms out for design intricately.

CircuitMaker

CircuitMaker is a free and open-source EDA tool to create electronic circuit designs and invent circuits.

Main Features of CircuitMaker

• It is easy to install and use.
• It can be used to create, use and share 3D printed robots.
• Powerful ecad for open source hardware
• Unlimited & free
• Massive, rich component library
• Share & collaborate
• Native 3d™
• One-click manufacturing
• Push-n-shove routing
• Multi-sheet schematic editor
• Topological auto-router
• DRC/DFM validated outputs
• Import designs from other tools

KiCad

KiCad is a free and open-source software suite to create electronic automation (EDA). It makes it easy to design schematics for electronic circuits and convert them into PCB designs.

Main Features of KiCad

• It features Schematic Capture, PCB Layout and 3D Viewer

SimulIDE

It is a real-time electronic circuit simulator useful for students, new electrical engineers who wish to create simple electronic circuits.

Main Features of SimulIDE

• It is a real-time electronic circuit simulator.
• It is fast and easy to use.
• It is not preferable to perform critical analysis or to develop accurate models, but it is ideal for experimentation.
• It is good for designing simple circuits – not just putting resistors, capacitors, inductors together but often constructing meaningfully integrated circuits with simulators.
• AVR, Arduino, PIC microcontrollers that are accessible like other components.
• It also comes with GPSIM and SIMAVR that allow making use of PIC and AVR microcontrollers.
• Firmware can be loaded multiple times
• The data can be transferred in between registers on the screen

Fusion 360

Fusion 360 is a 3D CAD, CAM, and CAE tool that link the entire product development process in one integrated, concept-to-production toolset by combining industrial and mechanical design, simulation, collaboration, and machining.

Features of Fusion 360

• Mesh Modeling
• Parametric modeling
• CAD and CAM integration
• Surface Modeling
• Printed Circuit Board (PCB) layout, manufacturing, and planning
• Extremely realistic renders
• Topology and shape optimization
• Cooling of electronics

ArcSite

ArcSite is a CAD drawing and sales estimating software for technicians, inspectors, and estimators. Its precise and expert drawings increase operational efficiency, lower process and manual drawing errors, enhance sales workflow, and foster better teamwork both in the office and on the job.

It creates sales proposals from site drawings, which leads to completed transactions. It makes data collection, audits, and inspections easier, and it lets users record goods and data points in their drawings.

Features of ArcSite

• Collaborative drawing & data collection
• PDF tracing & room measurement
• Digital pen modeling & dimensioning
• Automated estimates & document attachment
• Custom quantity & currency settings

Ansys SpaceClaim

Ansys is a 3D design and engineering simulation tool that businesses in a variety of industries, such as consumer products, automotive, aerospace, construction, energy, healthcare, and the military, can use. It supports workflow automation, predictive analysis, simulation visualization, application modification, and product testing procedures for enterprises.

Features of Ansys SpaceClaim

• Simulation-ready model prep
• Comprehensive fluid analysis
• Rapid structural & modal analysis
• Thermal-fluid analysis tools
• Efficient topology optimization
• Streamlined design modeling

Towards The End: Selecting The Best Free And Open Source electronic Design Software

We hope this free schematic drawing software list will help you in making the best selection. We can add more schematic design tools to this list, to fit the specific needs of the businesses. Let us know if you would like to discuss any such requirements and want us to modify/add something to it.

Top FAQs – Electrical Design Software

What is electrical design software?

Electrical design software are CAD tools that enable electrical engineers build wiring diagrams and integrated system designs for making electrical equipments. The tools can be used to document, forecast, and model electrical diagrams, layouts, and systems, including both 2D & 3D models.

What are the benefits of electrical design software?

Electrical design software help electrical engineers greatly reduce the risk of errors in a design and facilitate them collaborate easily. There are several other benefits of using an electrical design tool in the organization, such as –

• Improved Accuracy
• Promotes Collaboration
• Provides Visualization Tools
• Complies with Standards
• Saves Time & Cost
• Better productivity
• Real Time Cross Reference
• Reusable Prefab Circuits

What are the top features in electrical design software?

It is important to consider the top features before considering an electrical design software for your project. Some of the most common features in a electrical design tool include –

• Layout Design Capabilities
• Schematic & Controls Design
• Design & Simulation
• Electrical Analysis
• Cable Layout Drawing
• Symbol Libraries
• Automatic Report Generation
• Voltage Drop Calculation