CircuitMaker
CircuitMaker v1.3 running in Linux Mint 18.1, showing a project page.
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| Developer(s) | Altium |
|---|---|
| Initial release | January 2015 |
| Stable release |
1.3.0.119 / August 2016
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| Development status | Released |
| Written in | Delphi, C++, C# |
| Operating system | Microsoft Windows |
| Size | ca. 600 MB |
| Available in | English |
| Type | Electronic design automation |
| License | Proprietary |
| Website | www |
CircuitMaker is electronic design automation software for printed circuit board design targeted at the hobby, hacker, and maker community. CircuitMaker is available as freeware, and the hardware designed with it may be used for commercial and non-commercial purposes without limitations. It is currently available publicly as version 1.3 by Altium Limited, with the first non-beta release on January 17, 2016.
Electronic design automation software (EDA) developer Protel marketed CircuitMaker 2000 as a schematic capture tool, together with Traxmaker as its PCB layout counterpart, as a powerful yet affordable solution for circuit board needs. Its ease of use and comparatively low cost quickly gained it popularity among students, and the software suite was commonly used to teach circuit board design to engineering students in universities. The wide availability of plug-ins and component libraries have accelerated adoption, and quickly amassed a worldwide community. When Protel was acquired by Altium Limited in the early 2000s, engineering efforts were redirected towards the development of DXP2004, and CircuitMaker 2000 was eventually discontinued. Due to its new status as abandonware, CircuitMaker 2000 remained popular among hobby users and students. This popularity has been observed by Altium, and the most successful features of CircuitMaker 2000 have since been integrated in DXP2004 and later found their way into Altium Designer.
Open source hardware and easy-to-use development boards such as the Arduino and the Raspberry Pi have increased community interest in electronics, particularly in fablabs,hackerspaces and makerspaces. The leading EDA software vendors traditionally lack free versions, and professional licenses are unaffordable for amateurs. This resulted in high piracy rates for professional software packages, or users sticking to outdated software, including CircuitMaker 2000. Several initiatives such as Eagle have attempted to fill this void, releasing restricted versions of semi-professional EDA tools. The rise of KiCAD further fragmented the market. This pressure eventually provided the incentive for Altium to release a simplified and more user friendly version of their professional EDA software package and flagship product, Altium Designer, targeted at less complex circuit board projects, culminating in the rebirth of CircuitMaker as schematic capture and PCB design software.
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