Help downloading Logisim Evolution

Hello,

I joined GitHub.  I can't see how to download (and install) a copy of Logisim Evolution.  

Help?

Thanks,
Bill

I think...

You go to the program page ( https://github.com/reds-heig/logisim-evolution) and look on the right side for the "Releases" section. Click on latest and it will take you to the page you can download the .jar file from. 

Suggestions

These suggestions are from the voice of experience.  My total is somewhere around 9 board designs I've designed and had produced using two different design programs and three different suppliers.

1.  KiCAD is a fully functional open source PCB design suite.  Download for no cost.  I'd call it professional grade.  It has it's quirks and a learning curve but it is worth it because it has no limits on board size, number of layers or other punitive limits placed on "free" versions.  Schematic and board layout are linked.  Swapping from one to the other is one click.  The Gerber files produced are acceptable to PCB houses without any extra "CAM" operations.  The included Gerber file viewer works well.  The first board I did was with Eagle, I'll never go back.

2.  Compare prices of suppliers.  https://pcbshopper.com/ is an excellent resource.  My preferred Chinese PCB supplier is JLCPCB.  My latest order for FIVE 100mm x 100mm (~4"x4") cost $2.00 + $10.17shipping.  Cheapest, slowest shipping took 3 weeks to arrive.  Faster shipping options available.  Boards are professional quality with solder mask, silk screen printing on both sides at no extra charge.  Never had an issue with JLCPCB other than MY mistakes.  I've used a couple other Chinese PCB houses with similar results.  Some of the so-called "American" PCB suppliers are actually made in China.

@ Ted

Ted,

Will KiCAD run on a Windows 7 Professional platform?

Bernd 

Will KiCAD run on a Windows 7 Professional platform?

I had it running on Windows 7 Home edition 3 years ago.  Since then I have switched to Linux.

https://www.kicad.org/  Check the downloads page, system requirements.

Technically, this circuit

Technically, this circuit board article may have merit.  However, most model railroaders, I think, would not consider allocating time for technical stuff like this.  Page 58 :  "Now comes the fun part, converting the schematic to a circuit board."   I think not !

@ Ted

Completely forgot about this question. Found the answer here.  https://kicad.org/help/system-requirements/  Says that it's "unsupported, will most likely still function". Loaded Okay for me but haven't tried it out yet.

Bernd

Narrow appeal

Narrow appeal should not disqualify it for publication.  It is relevant to activities in the hobby.  The process is no more, maybe even less difficult to learn and do than creating a 3D printed item.  When more people learn the process the appeal may not be so narrow.

When you don't know what you don't know...

When I first started looking for ways to make my own PC boards, I couldn't find any places that would do a hobby quantity on a hobby budget.  The only ones I could find would end up costing $50-100 per board when all was said and done.  It took me years to find a place that would make them at affordable (for a hobbyist) rates.

Articles like this are great for folks that might be working on an electronics project (or have something they would like to do), but aren't familiar with available tools. The only options they may be aware of are to use a breadboard with lots of wire and soldering, or to cobble together something from a bunch of "building block" components.  Both options can become very tedious and/or expensive if you need to make more than a couple of instances.  With this, you now know there are tools and vendors available to make your own boards fairly easily and affordably.

I have been helping a local modeler with the electronics to implement CTC on his layout, and I have made a number of custom boards for mounting signals and handling trackside electronics.  They are all fairly simple designs, but since there are so many signals to install (over 70),  they make installation much easier.

I use the free version of Eagle for my PCB layout and design, and currently use Seeed Studio ( https://www.seeedstudio.com/fusion_pcb.html) for my fabrication.  Even with DHL/UPS/FedEx shipping from China, the cost is still less than $2 per board (even less if I can panelize like for the signal boards to get multiple boards on a single PCB panel).

And now you know!

Craig

Very cool article

Even though I don’t have any plans right now for any custom boards, I love learning about new skills and things that can be applied to our hobby. You never know one day when you are doing something and then think, wait a minute, what if I made my own board? Even if I don’t really need it, this article and the comments help point you to learn some new skills and give it a try!  Thanks!

good kicad book

Been using Kicad on a linux box and am very happy with it.  I found the Kicad Like a Pro book very helpful in getting up to speed quickly.  There's a second edition available but, last I checked, only as a kindle download. I have both the first edition paperback and the second edition kindle. Not sure how different the two editions are, I seem to do OK with the paperback as I prefer print. But, there's no index in either version.  So, if you do go for the print, if you can spring for the kindle as well, then you can search for things on the kindle and quickly find them in the print.

Oh, I learned it's pronounced Key-cad by the way

-Tim