This is the feature list for HobECAD.

HobECAD Features

The HobECAD features are:

Schematic Capture

Getting a complete document of the electronic schematic for a project is valuable. A hobbiest frequently tweaks circuits as they are developed and it is quite likely that the original paper document for a cirucuit will be out-of-date with respect to the actual circuit as manufactured. Thus, having an easy way to update a schematic on-line and print it out is quite valuable.

Printed Circuit Board Layout

The technology for producing low quantity printed circuit boards runs has dropped dramatically over the past 10-15 years. For many projects, laying out and producing a single printed circuit board can be done faster and cheaper than using wire-wrap technology. Obviously, once a printed circuit board has been layed out, multiple copies can be produced.

Consistency Check

It is extremely desirable to have a tool that can verify that the circuit drawn in a schematic exactly matches the circuit layed out for a printed circuit board.

Low Grade Logic Simulator (not started)

Many people like to dabble in digital circuits. For these people a low logic simulator could be useful. The overall problem with logic simulators is getting/constructing accurate models for the digital components. For this reason, a full up simulator does not seem practical for the hobbiest market. What is readily available on data sheets is the setup and hold times for logic levels. A low grade logic simulator that allows the for the checking of digital logic setup and hold times should have a low enough learning curve and data entry cost to be useful to digital circuit hobbiest.