PCBWeb - Hardware Design Made Easy

PCBWeb is a free CAD application for designing and manufacturing electronics hardware. It is a full-service Design and Manufacturing application where you can design multi-sheet schematics with its fast and easy-to-use wiring tool. Make PCB Layout where you can route multi-layer boards with support for copper pours and DRC checking.

PCBWeb has integrated Digi-Key Parts Catalog with Bill of Materials Manager. It is a Windows based PCB Web Application for now. But according to a source (One of the Authors of PCBWeb), they are still trying to get some resources to make it available on Mac and Linux and probably later they will develop it with iOS and Android - it would be cool to design a PCB with your finger. “Maybe not a motherboard, but I bet you could make something pretty cool for small boards,” a source said.

PCBWeb started out as a web tool using silverlight and then they transitioned to a desktop tool, you can see an example published project here: http://www.pcbweb.com/projects/ZYmV7nDMlE24cAauFYhec8H8rBdKro

Here’s an overview of their goals on PCBWeb tool to clear some confusions (words from the source's Reddit comments):

• Our goal is to create a free PCB tool with lots of great manufacturing services. Our business model is to not charge for the license, but instead make revenue through our manufacture partners. But don't worry, your data is open (XML) and we always export to standard gerber files so you can use the data however you like. Our goal is make the ordering process so cheap and efficient that it makes sense to use the built-in-ordering.
• We actually started this project out as a web tool using silverlight, back when Silverlight 5 was still in beta and they were promising XNA graphics (which blows away traditional webgl style graphics). Microsoft released Silverlight 5 in a half-baked form and announced an end-of-life for Silverlight. So this left us in a position to take our code and port it to a WPF app using our .Net codebase. Also, a lot of our users didn't really want a web app for performance and security issues - so we've had much better response with a desktop app.
• We decided to keep the name "PCBWeb" because this tool still includes a lot of web-based features and because we already established the domain and branding from the SL version. You can easily publish your design to the web with a full interactive viewer. Component libraries are also stored on the cloud so you don't have to manage libraries locally.
• We'd love to support more platforms and we're exploring making a mac and linux version using Mono.
• We'd love to support 3rd party libraries and other CAD tool files, but our focus now is to add more features to the tool.

Right now PCBWeb as a new tool, the goal is to expand the features before putting resources on 3rd party compatibility. This tool is really suited for an Engineering looking for a solid FREE TOOL to do new Designs with a simple workflow. PCBWeb is designed as a very “modeless” tool – so this might be something you like. They received a lot of feedback from people that needed just that.

PCBWeb designer is a free full-featured design tool without restrictions. No matter what is the size of your board or number of components in your design, PCBWeb designer is limitless, so you can create what is in your mind without giving you restrictions, plus your data is never held “captive” as they offer full gerber export. When they started this PCB tool application, they are supporting Win XP and Vista but with the recent updates due to technology’s fast development, PCBWeb designer is no longer supporting Windows XP and Windows Vista Operating system but the codebase they are using is architected with other platforms, so the idea of supporting Mac and Linux isn’t impossible.

 

Contact PCBWeb:

Email: support@pcbweb.com

Website: http://www.pcbweb.com

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The Wide World of Regulatory Testing and Certifications for New Product Introductions

Introducing new products should begin by working with the appropriate agencies for regulatory testing and certifications. But learning which certifications are needed, and how to receive them can be overwhelming. This infographic features some of the more well known certifications, what they represent, and what countries they are accepted in.



UL
Underwriter Laboratories – UL is the most widely known and respected marks. Established in 1894 to find out if products being developed were safe, which remains the company’s primary goal to this day. They have expanded into different fields from consumer products to construction focusing on safety in each of the fields they expanded with. Certifying products at the component level by giving the “Recognized Component Mark,” indicating certified component but not automatically the end product.

CE
Conformité Européenne or CE mark indicates conformance to European Union standards and limits, but it is not an organization. The standards they are following  could be for safety, environment and/or health related certifications. If certain product fails under one of CE Directives, it will then required to meet the EU standards before it can be distributed within the European Economic area.

RoHS
Reduction of Hazardous Substances, sets limits on the amount of certain substances in electronics. One of many directives in the CE it is almost a household term because of its widespread effect around the world. Often referred to as the “lead-free directive” by everyone like hobbyists and manufacturers since the move to lead-free solder as the most apparent change in the certification. RoHS also limits the amount of mercury, cadmium, hexavalent chromium, polybrominated biphenyls, though inaccurate since the directives covers several other hazardous materials as well.

You can read more of the Wide World Regulatory Testing and Certifications at AA-PCBAssembly site 

Including the WEEE (Waste Electrical and Electronics Equipment), ETL (Electrical Testing Laboratories), CSA (Canadian Standards Association), and those Certification for Electromagnetic Compatibility Certifications such as FCC (Federal Communications Commission, The New Zealand’s FCC equivalent, a mandatory requirement for all products covered by Australia’s EMC regulatory arrangements. - C-Tick, BSMI - Taiwan’s Bureau of Standards, Metrology and Inspection, and KC or the Korea Certification.

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