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RS Components Supports Rapid Prototyping by Launching Further Enhancements to Its Award-Winning DesignSpark PCB Software

Version 7.0 comes with new functionality and additional features requested by the DesignSpark user community, making the software more powerful than ever before
2014-11-28 11:00 3612

HONG KONG, Nov. 28, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- RS Components (RS), the trading brand of Electrocomponents plc (LSE:ECM), the global distributor for engineers, has unveiled the latest release of DesignSpark PCB, the company's award-winning rapid prototyping software for electronics.

Supporting engineers in the design phase, DesignSpark PCB Version 7.0 adds three of the most popular requests for new features, thereby further enhancing ease-of-use for designers: Enhanced Part Number handling that ensures designers' Bill of Material (BoM)  is complete at any stage of the design; Sketch Routes that draw the approximate routing path and allow algorithms to draw the best tracks, enabling faster time-to-market in new designs, both in schematics and PCB layout; and an additional ODB++ export format, regularly requested by DesignSpark's user community and increasingly supported by PCB manufacturing houses.

Due to its advanced project design and production capabilities, DesignSpark PCB has gained extraordinarily high adoption, with more than 350,000 users globally, and has become the tool of choice for sharing and collaborating on open-source hardware designs and projects. This latest edition of DesignSpark PCB builds upon the previous version of the tool, which was announced in January 2014 with simplified export functionality to DesignSpark Mechanical, Cross Probe and Custom Shortcuts features. With the Enhanced Part Number handling feature designers can focus on innovation, research and development rather than spending time manually compiling purchasing information into a parts list.

"Our aim has always been to allow the creation of rapid PCB prototypes by removing the barriers to innovation in electronics design and to assist our customers to focus on their creativity instead," said Mark Cundle, Head of Technical Marketing at RS Components. "DesignSpark PCB continues to evolve on the basis of the significant feedback received by our DesignSpark community and this new version of the software is a reflection of our ongoing support to enhance their design journey."

DesignSpark PCB is a part of the DesignSpark suite of software and resources that combined with the RS product offer create a unique innovation environment. For more details see the Rapid Prototyping Design Centre: http://www.rs-online.com/designspark/electronics/eng/nodes/view/type:design-centre/slug:rapid-prototyping

DesignSpark features a 'DSPCB Change Log', which highlights the new features and bug fixes of each version, and is a popular reference point for engineers wanting to know more about the software or keep pulse on the latest additions: http://www.rs-online.com/designspark/electronics/eng/knowledge-item/designspark-pcb-change-log

The DesignSpark PCB Timeline:

November 2014 - Addition of Enhanced Part Number handling, Sketch Routes and ODB++ export.

January 2014 - Simplified export to DesignSpark Mechanical, addition of Cross Probe and Custom Shortcuts functionalities.

April 2013 - Integration of online Design Rule Check and buses.

October 2012 - Enhanced library manager with access to 80,000 part numbers in ModelSource component library, and addition of Bill-Of-Materials quote and PCB manufacturing quote functionality.

November 2011 - Addition of simulation interface, design calculators and component-grouping functionality.

March 2011 - Addition of 3D visualisation of PCB layouts and increased library management functionality.

July 2010 - First Release of DesignSpark PCB.

About RS Components

RS Components and Allied Electronics are the trading brands of Electrocomponents plc, the global distributor for engineers. With operations in 32 countries, we offer around 500,000 products through the internet, catalogues and at trade counters to over one million customers, shipping more than 44,000 parcels a day. Our products, sourced from 2,500 leading suppliers, include semiconductors, interconnect, passives and electromechanical, automation and control, electrical, test and measurement, tools and consumables.

Electrocomponents is listed on the London Stock Exchange and in the last financial year ended 31 March 2014 had revenues of GBP1.27bn.

For more information, please visit the website at www.rs-components.com.

RS Components
Tan Soo Chun
Public Relations Manager - Asia Pacific
Email: soochun.tan@rs-components.com
Telephone: +65-6391-5745

Edelman Public Relations (Singapore)
Yvette Yeo
Manager
Email: yvette.yeo@edelman.com
Telephone: +65-6347-2355

Further information is available via these links:

@RSElectronics; @alliedelec; @designsparkRS

RS Components on Linkedin
http://www.linkedin.com/company/rs-components

RS Components on Weibo
http://e.weibo.com/u/3206377000?type=0

Relevant Links:

Electrocomponents plc
www.electrocomponents.com

RS Components
www.rs-online.com/

DesignSpark
www.designspark.com

Logo - http://www.prnasia.com/sa/2011/05/04/20110504368830.jpg

Source: RS Components Singapore
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