Uncover the Best StripboardCAD Alternative for Your DIY Electronics Projects
StripboardCAD is a handy tool for anyone looking to design electronic circuits for stripboard and veroboard. It allows you to take your designs from a schematic to a printable layout, perfect for DIY projects, one-offs, and prototyping. However, like any software, users often seek alternatives that might offer different features, platforms, or price points. If you're looking for a powerful StripboardCAD alternative to streamline your circuit design process, you've come to the right place.
Top StripboardCAD Alternatives
Whether you're a seasoned electronics enthusiast or just starting, finding the right software to bring your circuit ideas to life is crucial. Here are some of the best alternatives to StripboardCAD, each offering unique advantages for your stripboard and veroboard projects.
Virtual Breadboard
Virtual Breadboard is a circuit simulator designed to work on a virtual breadboard. It stands out by supporting virtual components such as microcontrollers, TTL, graphical and alphanumerical LCDs, making it a powerful simulation tool. It's a freemium option available on Windows and offers robust simulation features, which could be a significant upgrade if you're looking for circuit behavior analysis beyond just layout design.
VeroRoute
VeroRoute is a cross-platform software suitable for Veroboard (stripboard), Perfboard, and even simple 1-layer or 2-layer PCBs. It offers connectivity checking and visualization, along with netlist import and interactive design. As a free and open-source solution available on Mac, Windows, and Linux, VeroRoute is an excellent StripboardCAD alternative if you need flexibility across operating systems and basic layout capabilities.
VeeCAD
VeeCAD assists in building layouts on various prototyping boards, including strip (Veroboard), matrix, donut, tripad, and Atarado Smart, by taking a schematic-generated netlist. This free and open-source software, primarily for Windows, focuses on layout assistance, making it a solid choice if you prefer generating your netlists externally and need help translating them into a physical board design.
LochMaster
LochMaster is a developer's tool specifically designed for strip board projects. It provides useful functions for designing, documenting, and testing project boards. While it's a commercial Windows-only application, its specialized features for stripboard work could make it a worthwhile investment if you're looking for a comprehensive, dedicated solution beyond what StripboardCAD offers.
DIYLC
DIY Layout Creator (DIYLC) is a popular freeware drawing tool, developed with the help of a large online community of DIY electronics enthusiasts. It incorporates many ideas from its users and is available for free on Mac, Windows, and Linux. DIYLC stands out with its feature for group selection of components, which can significantly speed up the design process compared to StripboardCAD, making it an excellent community-driven alternative.
BlackBoard Circuit Designer
BlackBoard Circuit Designer allows you to easily create breadboards (also known as stripe or perf boards) and simple, easy-to-read schematics. It even includes NGSpice integration, providing the ability to simulate circuits. As a free and open-source tool available on Mac, Windows, and Linux, BlackBoard Circuit Designer is a versatile StripboardCAD alternative for those who need both design and basic simulation capabilities in one package.
Choosing the right StripboardCAD alternative depends on your specific needs, whether that's cross-platform compatibility, advanced simulation features, open-source access, or dedicated layout assistance. Explore these options to find the perfect fit for your next electronic circuit design project!