We use KiCAD So you don't pay fees for PCB design tools

Over the last decade, certain tools have become the de facto schematic capture and PCB layout tools across a whole swathe of the electronics industry. There is no doubt that these are extremely powerful with more features than anyone one of us could ever hope to use, which is great if you are working at the cutting edge of technology, on an pretty much unlimited budget, on an aerospace project or simply don't realise the costs.

However, if you are a startup or just need some electronics as part of your overall product (it's not your main focus but you need it) it's all too easy to end up having to pay a hefty licence every year because your contract designers have used a tool that ties you into annually paying fees. You might not even realise it at the time, you may not even think about discussing how you will access your design files six or twelve months later when you want to make a simple modification or deal with an obsolete component.

Here at Andibee, we use KiCAD as our default Schematic Capture and PCB package. It's open source, free to use and isn't tied into the cloud so that when we finish your design, you can have all the data and actually open it, edit it and keep going without ever having to pay any fees.

For small companies on a budget, we think that this makes for a much more cost effective solution for your schematic and PCB needs.

We have now completed dozens of customer projects, including complex microprocessor layouts, high voltage circuits and (albeit simple) RF designs using KiCAD and it has never let us down.

If you are considering an electronics design and need our help, please contact us to have a chat.