Tools#
The software and bench equipment the operator reaches for between “this circuit could work” and “this PCB is in the field”. Schematic capture, PCB layout, simulation, firmware programming, and the hardware on the bench.
EDA#
Electronic Design Automation. Schematic capture, PCB layout, gerber generation, BOM export.
Tool |
Notes |
|---|---|
KiCad |
Open-source schematic and PCB layout. The default open-source choice. Cross-platform, free, production-grade. |
Eagle |
Autodesk EDA. Hobbyist-popular for years; now folded into Fusion 360 Electronics. |
Altium Designer |
Industry-standard commercial EDA. Deep feature set, deep price. |
Fritzing |
Beginner-friendly schematic and breadboard-view tool. Good for documentation, not production layout. |
EasyEDA |
Browser-based EDA tied to the LCSC component library and JLCPCB fab pipeline. |
DipTrace |
Commercial EDA with a free tier for small boards. |
Horizon EDA |
Open-source, package-database driven EDA. |
3D and Mechanical CAD#
Enclosures, brackets, PCB mounts, and the parts the operator designs around the board.
Tool |
Notes |
|---|---|
FreeCAD |
Open-source parametric 3D CAD. The default open-source choice for enclosure work. |
OpenSCAD |
Script-based parametric modeller. Good for repeatable parametric parts. |
Fusion 360 |
Autodesk commercial 3D CAD with a hobbyist tier. Tight integration with Eagle / Fusion Electronics. |
Onshape |
Browser-based parametric CAD. Free public tier, paid private. |
SolidWorks |
Industry-standard commercial mechanical CAD. |
PrusaSlicer, Bambu Studio, Cura |
3D-print slicers that turn STL into machine G-code. |
Simulation#
Verify analog and system behavior before building.
Tool |
Notes |
|---|---|
LTspice |
Analog Devices’ free SPICE simulator. Ubiquitous for quick analog circuit checks. |
ngspice |
Open-source SPICE. The engine behind several front-ends, including KiCad’s built-in simulator. |
Qucs / Qucs-S |
Open-source schematic-driven simulator. |
Falstad Circuit Simulator |
Browser-based real-time simulator. Educational sweet spot. |
PSpice |
Cadence’s commercial SPICE. Common in industry and universities. |
Wokwi |
Browser-based Arduino / ESP32 / Pi Pico simulator. Quick firmware iteration without hardware. |
Tinkercad Circuits |
Browser-based logic and Arduino simulator with breadboard view. Education-focused. |
QEMU |
Full-system emulator. Runs ARM and RISC-V firmware images without target hardware. |
Renode |
Multi-MCU full-system simulator. Models peripherals deeply enough to run real firmware. |
Lab Bench#
The hardware the operator measures with.
Instrument |
Use |
|---|---|
Digital multimeter (DMM) |
Voltage, current, resistance, continuity, diode test. The single most-used tool. |
Oscilloscope |
Voltage over time. Sees waveforms, glitches, ringing, timing. |
Logic analyzer |
Multi-channel digital capture. Decodes UART, SPI, I2C, USB, CAN. |
Bench power supply |
Adjustable voltage and current with current limiting. |
Electronic load |
Sinks programmable current. Verify a supply or battery under realistic load. |
Function generator |
Sine, square, triangle, arbitrary waveforms for testing. |
LCR meter |
Inductance, capacitance, ESR of unmarked or suspect components. |
NanoVNA / VNA |
Vector network analyzer. RF impedance, S-parameters, antenna tuning. |
Spectrum analyzer |
Frequency-domain view. Hunt for unwanted RF emissions or characterize filters. |
Thermal camera (FLIR, Seek) |
Spot hot components, shorted dies, misrouted current. |
Soldering station |
Temperature-controlled iron, often paired with hot-air rework. |
Hot air rework station |
SMD removal and reflow. |
Reflow oven |
Solder-paste reflow for batch SMD assembly. |
Microscope or USB inspection camera |
Inspect solder joints, read 0402 markings. |
SDR (HackRF, RTL-SDR, USRP) |
Software-defined radio for RF capture, decode, and replay. |
Hand Tools and Consumables#
The bench staples. Cheap individually, painful when missing.
Item |
Use |
|---|---|
Flush cutters |
Cut component leads close to the board. |
Wire strippers |
Strip insulation without nicking copper. |
Tweezers (ESD-safe) |
Handle SMD parts down to 0402. |
Solder wick / braid |
Wick excess solder off pads. |
Solder sucker / pump |
Remove melted solder by suction. |
Flux pen / paste |
Improve wetting on dirty or oxidised pads. |
Solder paste |
SMD reflow assembly. |
Isopropyl alcohol (99%) |
Clean flux residue after soldering. |
PCB cleaning brush |
Scrub flux during cleaning. |
Helping hands / PCB vise |
Hold the board while soldering. |
ESD wrist strap / mat |
Discharge static before touching sensitive parts. |
Heat-shrink tubing and gun |
Insulate splices and strain-relieve cables. |
Programming and ISP#
Get firmware onto the chip.
Tool |
Use |
|---|---|
USBasp |
Cheap AVR ISP programmer. |
J-Link |
SEGGER ARM debug probe. Industry standard for STM32 and Nordic targets. |
ST-Link |
STMicro’s debug probe for STM32. Cheap clones widespread. |
OpenOCD |
Open-source on-chip debugger. Drives most JTAG and SWD probes. |
CMSIS-DAP |
ARM’s open debug-probe protocol. Many low-cost probes implement it. |
avrdude |
Flash AVR microcontrollers from the command line. |
esptool |
Espressif’s flash and chip-info tool for ESP32 and ESP8266. |
dfu-util |
USB Device Firmware Upgrade host tool. Common for STM32 bootloaders and Nordic. |
Hardware Reverse Engineering#
Read what an unfamiliar board is doing, find unmarked pins, recover firmware from a chip the operator does not own the toolchain for.
Tool |
Use |
|---|---|
Bus Pirate |
Multi-protocol probe (UART, SPI, I2C, JTAG, 1-Wire). Bridges the laptop to a board with no marked pinout. |
JTAGulator |
Identifies JTAG and UART pinouts on unknown boards by brute force. |
Saleae Logic / Pro |
Commercial logic analyzer with deep protocol decoders. |
PulseView + sigrok |
Open-source logic-analyzer front-end and library. |
ChipWhisperer |
Side-channel and fault-injection platform for embedded security research. |
HackRF, PortaPack |
Wideband SDR for RF capture, replay, and analysis. |
Flipper Zero |
Multi-protocol pocket tool (sub-GHz RF, NFC, IR, GPIO, 125 kHz RFID). |
Glasgow |
Open-source FPGA-based debug interface platform. |
PicoEMP |
Cheap RP2040-based EMFI tool for fault injection on a budget. |
Fabrication#
Get the PCB and assembly off the bench.
Service / tool |
Notes |
|---|---|
JLCPCB, PCBWay, OSH Park |
Low-volume PCB fabrication and assembly. Gerbers in, boards out in days to a couple of weeks. |
Pick-and-place |
SMD placement. Hobbyist machines (LumenPnP) and contract assembly both feed reflow. |
Stencil |
Mylar or stainless-steel stencil for solder-paste application. Often shipped with PCB orders. |
Component Sourcing#
Where the operator buys parts and looks up datasheets.
Source |
Notes |
|---|---|
DigiKey, Mouser, Newark |
The big Western distributors. Reliable stock, deep datasheets, fast US/EU delivery. |
LCSC |
Major Chinese distributor; primary feed for JLCPCB assembly. |
Arrow, Avnet, Future |
Authorized franchise distributors. Industrial and higher-volume. |
Octopart |
Multi-distributor parts search and price comparison. |
SnapEDA, Ultra Librarian |
Free CAD symbols and footprints for KiCad, Eagle, Altium. |
AliExpress, eBay |
Cheap modules, dev boards, and unauthorised parts. Counterfeit risk is real. |
References#
Microcontrollers for firmware development on the chips these tools program.