Changes to free-of-charge DesignSpark PCB include:
- disconnect from signal nets option
- component-to-component SMT check
- output drill data to Gerber
- library item time stamps
- improvements to the new component wizard
Pay-for DesignSpark PCB Pro gets those changes, and also:
- intelligent backups
- new design rule checks (DRC)
- new nets bar
- manufacturability enhancements
- plotting enhancements
“DesignSpark PCB offers a no-cost way for anyone to design their own printed circuit board,” according to RS. “With many features only found in commercial software, it remains popular with individual users and smaller teams. DesignSpark PCB Pro takes this to the next level by providing more advanced features that can really only be supported in professional PCB design software. The PRO version, which was introduced in 2019, offers organisations with larger engineering teams or more demanding requirements a migration path to advanced PCB design and manufacturing features.”
For RS account holders, purchasing the Pro version used to require extra payment details to be entered or the completion of an additional financial transaction, but now RS has simplified this by allocating stock numbers.
- 220-5326 buys new users a DesignSpark PCB Pro perpetual licence (£375 + VAT)
- 220-5327 upgrades existing Pro v9 customers to v10 (£75 + VAT)
If you want to know which version will suit you, click here.