DesignSpark PCB

DesignSpark PCB
DeveloperRS Components
ReleaseJuly 5, 2010
Stable release
13.0.3 / September 22, 2026; 27 days ago (2026-09-22)
Operating systemWindows, Linux under Wine
Available inEnglish
TypeElectronic design automation
LicenseProprietary software
Websitewww.rs-online.com/designspark/pcb-software

DesignSpark PCB is an electronic design automation software package for schematic capture and printed circuit board (PCB) design. The software is available through a free registration-based tier, with additional features available through paid subscription plans. DesignSpark PCB supports unlimited schematic sheets and PCB layers and is aimed at design engineers.

Background

DesignSpark PCB resulted from a collaboration between electronics distributor RS Components and EDA software developer 'Number One Systems', being a fork of their long-established EDA Easy-PC. Electronic design automation (EDA) software is a sub-class of computer-aided design (CAD) software.

Projects

Projects are used in DesignSpark PCB to organise design files. A project can have an unlimited number of schematic sheets and one PCB layout file.

Schematic capture

DesignSpark PCB has a Schematic editor. Schematics are used to draw up circuit diagrams and connections. A given project can have multiple schematic sheets that together combine to form the complete design.

There are some useful third party libraries that can be added.

PCB layout

Schematics are translated to a PCB layout file with a PCB Wizard. A PCB layout editor is then used to refine the physical layout of the printed circuit board. A design may have several iterations before a finalised printed circuit board is passed for production.

Manufacturing

DesignSpark PCB exports industry-standard Gerber and Excellon manufacturing files and includes bill-of-materials generation capabilities for production documentation. The software also supports mechanical design exchange through IDF export, enabling integration with MCAD workflows.

Autorouter

DesignSpark PCB includes an auto-router which automatically places tracks between components on a PCB layout. Components can also be auto-placed.

DesignSpark PCB Pro

DesignSpark PCB Pro
DeveloperRS Components
ReleaseOctober 2, 2019; 7 years ago (2019-10-02)
Final release(s)
10.0.1 / December 6, 2021; 4 years ago (2021-12-06)
Operating systemWindows, Linux under Wine
PlatformDesktop, Laptop
Available inEnglish
TypeElectronic design automation
LicenseProprietary software
Websitewww.rs-online.com/designspark/pcb-pro-software

DesignSpark PCB Pro was a paid upgrade from the free DesignSpark PCB software. It was aimed at professional electronic design engineers of SMEs with an expanded feature set compared to the free DesignSpark PCB software. It was discontinued in September 2022 and its features were merged into DesignSpark PCB as part of paid subscription plans.

Background

DesignSpark PCB Pro also resulted from a collaboration between electronics distributor RS Components and EDA software developer 'WestDev Ltd'.

Features

DesignSpark PCB Pro includes specialised tools to aid professionals with customising and managing large projects involving multi-layer PCBs. Noteworthy features referred to on the developer's website include:

See also

References

  1. ↑ "New Electronics - DesignSpark continues to evolve". newelectronics.co.uk. Archived from the original on 2025-05-22. Retrieved 2025-10-27.
  2. ↑ "Subscriptions | DesignSpark". www.rs-online.com. Retrieved 2026-09-23.
  3. ↑ "Easy-PC PCB Design Software by Number One Systems". numberone.com. Archived from the original on 2025-03-23. Retrieved 2025-03-26.
  4. ↑ "DesignSpark PCB Pro Version 10.0 released". newelectronics.
  5. ↑ "RS Components' DesignSpark PCB Pro aimed at SME engineers". ElectronicsWeekly.com. Archived from the original on 2020-08-17. Retrieved 2020-09-21.
  6. ↑ "DesignSpark PCB Pro discontinued". DesignSpark.com.
  7. ↑ "DesignSpark Subscription plans". DesignSpark.com.

Further reading