Hardware Hacking Projects for Geeks

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A

As you design your own hacks, you may need to draw a schematic diagram

of the circuits involved.

Schematic diagrams can be drawn by hand (a time-consuming process) or

by using a computer-aided design (CAD) tool. There are numerous sche-

matic capture software packages available for both the professional and

the hobbyist. If you have a few dollars to spend, I recommend the OrCad

package available from Cadence Design (http://www.orcad.com). It is one of

the most popular and well-supported packages available. As of this writing,

the company offers a free CD with a “light” version that allows schematic

capture of up to 60 parts. If you want to try out low-cost or free tools, check

out the following web sites:

http://members.aol.com/atpclogic/index.html

http://www.advancedmsinc.com/

http://www.pulsonix.com/

Several drawing packages, such as Visio, include some schematic symbols,

which can be used to generate simple schematic diagrams. You can also cre-

ate your own schematic symbols inside a drawing software package.

A. Schematic Capture

Software

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