Eagle 6 Available for download

[electrosonic]

I think I have figured out about 10% of the features of Eagle 5...

Andrew.

[Ronan]

Yeah, I would actually pay up to $200 for a simple program (for example like expresspcb) that can output gerber files. I have no need for schematic capture, 16 layers, autorouting, DRC, rats nests, massive libraries, unpredictable instability, etc, just to layout a circuit with 20 or 30 components. I have used Protel and played with Eagle in the past, just way overkill for simple circuits IMO. I would like simple software if it would do gerbers, because I could stop using it for 2 years and then pick it up again and be up to speed in about 15 minutes.

[DavenPaget]

Yeah, I would actually pay up to $200 for a simple program (for example like expresspcb) that can output gerber files. I have no need for schematic capture, 16 layers, autorouting, DRC, rats nests, massive libraries, unpredictable instability, etc, just to layout a circuit with 20 or 30 components. I have used Protel and played with Eagle in the past, just way overkill for simple circuits IMO. I would like simple software if it would do gerbers, because I could stop using it for 2 years and then pick it up again and be up to speed in about 15 minutes.

Well ... you could be a pirate 

[egasimus]

Actually, Eagle doesn't have a whole lot of features, at least compared to what I was using before (Proteus 7). I've also attempted using Altium once, and I didn't even know where to start - it also served to confirm my opinion that Eagle is on the simple side of things. Which is great for us hobbyists IMO. Although its interface is quite quirky, I've grown to like it - it makes sense in its own way.

[free electron]

Yeah, I would actually pay up to $200 for a simple program (for example like expresspcb) that can output gerber files. I have no need for schematic capture, 16 layers, autorouting, DRC, rats nests, massive libraries, unpredictable instability, etc, just to layout a circuit with 20 or 30 components.

No need to spend $200. Try SprintLayout:
http://www.abacom-online.de/uk/html/sprint-layout.html
I've been using it for the last two years and i really like it. Simple, intuitive, stable, worth every cent spent on it.

[Ice-9]

Yeah, I would actually pay up to $200 for a simple program (for example like expresspcb) that can output gerber files. I have no need for schematic capture, 16 layers, autorouting, DRC, rats nests, massive libraries, unpredictable instability, etc, just to layout a circuit with 20 or 30 components. I have used Protel and played with Eagle in the past, just way overkill for simple circuits IMO. I would like simple software if it would do gerbers, because I could stop using it for 2 years and then pick it up again and be up to speed in about 15 minutes.

Have you tried the free version of Diptrace, very easy to use, has 3d view and autouroute if needed. the free version allows upto 300 holes and dual layer, and it outputs gerbers as well.
www.diptrace.com

[alparent]

Eagle is great!
You do need to lern it ..... but it's in no way hard!
Even modifying the libraries is not hard.
And there is a lot of stuff out there for eagle. (Premade libraries, ULP's)

I tried a lot of the other free ones..........but eagle came on top......for me.

[CynicalMan]

I haven't tried it myself, but this program says it does gerber:
http://www.freepcb.com/

[egasimus]

^ not to belittle the devs' efforts, but it hurts my eyes just to look at it. It's 2011 - they sure could've put some form of antialiasing in there, and some nicer default colors.

[electrosonic]

On start up, there is now a popup window informing of a bug in the CAM processor, you might wait for 6.1...
Andrew.

[DavenPaget]

On start up, there is now a popup window informing of a bug in the CAM processor, you might wait for 6.1...
Andrew.

5.9 doesn't warn of anything .

[iccaros]

http://www.diptrace.com/

easy to use, almost as easy as PCBExpress. exports to many formats

[a soBer Newt]

I have been leaning KiCAD took a few days and customizing the hot keys but now I can do schematics fairly quickly as well as board layouts.  The java auto-router that they link you to I think is the bees knees, wouldn't trust it for stuff that us extreme HF I would worry a bit about it.

[Ronan]

Yeah, I would actually pay up to $200 for a simple program (for example like expresspcb) that can output gerber files. I have no need for schematic capture, 16 layers, autorouting, DRC, rats nests, massive libraries, unpredictable instability, etc, just to layout a circuit with 20 or 30 components.

No need to spend $200. Try SprintLayout:
http://www.abacom-online.de/uk/html/sprint-layout.html
I've been using it for the last two years and i really like it. Simple, intuitive, stable, worth every cent spent on it.

Hey thanks for that! Exactly what I was hoping to find Very easy to use, clever, fast, simple, can't say enough good things about it, and no schematic drawing or linking to schematic to slow the drawing process. Learning curve takes about 10 minutes. I can import a bitmap of an existing layout and have it drawn up with gerber files in under 20 minutes. Very impressive. Costs not much more than a carton of beer...

[therecordingart]

http://www.diptrace.com/

easy to use, almost as easy as PCBExpress. exports to many formats

How difficult is it to create new components? I have a few parts that would need to be custom built. Any good resources for tutorials?

[John Lyons]

Downloaded diptrace. There are a bunch of tutorials on youtube.
Played with it a bit and it seems pretty simple.

[iccaros]

http://www.diptrace.com/

easy to use, almost as easy as PCBExpress. exports to many formats

How difficult is it to create new components? I have a few parts that would need to be custom built. Any good resources for tutorials?

On the Forum are user made components, simple to make more.. At lest as easy as PCBexpress..

Can export to may formats...