Here is a selection of software you will need for the course
Cick on the images to go to the respective download pages
Eagle PCB SoftwareWhether you are a team of one, or part of a large engineering department, EAGLE provides quality PCB design software with the features that get the job done. For over 20 years, EAGLE has been satisfying design engineers around the world, by offering the same core functionality as expensive commercial software, at the fraction of the cost.
Actually it is free, because the freeware version will suit our needs perfectly! If you want to create g-code for CNC routing you will need this old version of Eagle (7.7.0) Eagle is a powerful program which does mean it is a little tricky to learn how to use. This tutorial on schematic layout and this one on PCB layout are short but useful. This library file for Eagle is stripped down to the basic components you will need for most of your projects. It should make it easier to find what you need here than in the entire library. |
Autodesk CircuitsThis isn't really software as such but more web 2.0, regardless it is amazing! You can breadboard circuits, connect an Arduino to it, write some code and simulate the circuit functioning! You will need to create an account but it is free and really powerful. Have fun!
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ArduinoArduino is an open-source electronics platform based on easy-to-use hardware and software. It's intended for anyone making interactive projects.
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Phet Circuit Construction KitA very basic but useful piece of software to help you better understand what is happening in simple circuits. Great for helping you learn Ohm's Law and how current and voltage behave in series and parallel circuits.
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ProcessingProcessing is a programming language, development environment, and online community. Since 2001, Processing has promoted software literacy within the visual arts and visual literacy within technology. Initially created to serve as a software sketchbook and to teach computer programming fundamentals within a visual context, Processing evolved into a development tool for professionals. Today, there are tens of thousands of students, artists, designers, researchers, and hobbyists who use Processing for learning, prototyping, and production.
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PicaxeAn opportunity for you to evaluate the differences between different microcontrollers. This is a link to the IDE, if you are running Linux or OS you might have to use this instead.
Here's how you get the USB cable working also. Some more documentations showing how to breadboard the axe029 and a picaxe 08M2 here. |