Draw PCB, Perfboard or Stripboard layouts in Ubuntu with DIYLC

Last updated: November 21, 2013

Want to draw PCB, Perfboard or Stripboard layouts on your Ubuntu or Linux Mint machine? Well, there is a free, open source application called DIY Layout Creator which works on Linux, Windows, and Mac OS X.

DIY Layout Creator (DIYLC in short) is freeware drawing tool developed with help of a large online community of DIY electronics enthusiasts.

The goal is to provide a simple interface and enough power to let the user draw schematics, board/chassis layouts and guitar wiring diagrams quickly and without a steep learning curve. Also, it is build around the flexible open source framework that may be used to draw pretty much anything.

Below is a sample board layout drawn in DIYLC3 (Click to enlarge).

diy layout creator sample

Features:

  • platform independence, will run on any machine having Java JRE/JDK 1.6.0_10 or newer
  • easy to use interface, most of the operations can be done using mouse
  • draws schematics, board layouts and chassis layouts
  • high flexibility, has the API to allow plug-ins and new components to be added without much trouble
  • improved performance and reduced memory consumption compared to the previous versions
  • save default values for each property of a component individually
  • group components together and treat them as one, e.g. move, edit or delete
  • export the output to image, PDF or printer
  • export PCB trace mask suitable for toner transfer
  • create a Bill of Materials as a part of the project or export it to few different file formats
  • zoom in/out feature
  • configurable grid spacing on the project level
  • auto update checks for new versions
  • import files created with older versions of the application
  • create and load project templates
  • [pending] integration with online project library, sharing your drawings with ease

Install DIY Layout Creator in Ubuntu:

We can easily install DIYLC in Ubuntu 14.04, Ubuntu 13.10, Ubuntu 13.04, Ubuntu 12.04, Linux Mint from its repository.

To get started, press Ctrl+Alt+T on keyboard to open terminal. When it open, copy and paste the code below and run to add the repository:

sudo sh -c 'echo "deb http://www.diy-fever.com/diylc_repository binary/">/etc/apt/sources.list.d/diylc.list'

Then you can install the app after checking for updates. To do so, run:

sudo apt-get update; sudo apt-get install diylc

Once installed, open it from Unity Dash or Menu.

DIY Layout Creator Main window

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I'm a freelance blogger who started using Ubuntu in 2007 and wishes to share my experiences and some useful tips with Ubuntu beginners and lovers. Please comment to let me know if the tutorial is outdated! And, notify me if you find any typo/grammar/language mistakes. English is not my native language. Contact me via ubuntuhandbook1@gmail.com Buy me a coffee: https://ko-fi.com/ubuntuhandbook1