– RS, a global product and service solutions provider for industrial customers, today announced the release of its award-winning software, DesignSpark PCB version 12, backed by the support of Infineon, Germany’s largest semi conductor manufacturer. The latest iteration introduces new features in the tool for free and paid DesignSpark subscription plans, as part of a commitment to its community of 1.4 million members to continually develop and enhance its offer.
Launched in July 2010, DesignSpark PCB aimed to provide accessible, professional- grade PCB design tools for students and engineers and became popular for its user-friendly interface, supporting schematics capture and PCB layout design without cost.
The tool makes designing circuit boards easy and alongside the current features which include a huge database featuring millions of PCB symbols and footprints and unlimited circuit board layers, new advanced functionalities across the DesignSpark subscriptions include:
✅ Pre-plot checks, for correct layer selection
✅ New edit component options, useful for high-pin footprints like BGAs
✅Angular precision setting for design units
✅Dual units for measurement tool
✅Export component(s) from any Library including referenced symbols.
✅Segment mode for shape/track editing
✅Translate to PCB options to improve reference design conversion to PCB
✅Design rule check on current view
✅Save project-specific libraries
✅New component bin options like sort and filter for high component count designs
✅Additional Design Rule Check options, like Max Vias allowed in each Net, Max Stub route length allowed, and check PCB-only Nets.
https://www.rs-online.com/designspark/