The electronics design library now provides access to thousands of Switchcraft ECAD models.
SnapEDA recently announced a partnership that will bring Switchcraft components and capabilities into its electronics design library. Switchcraft offerings include connectors, cable assemblies, switches, and several other components. Product data sheets, drawing schematics, 3D models, and footprints are available for all Switchcraft products. SnapEDA also noted that current partner sites that use their models, like DigiKey and Mouser, will also have access to the Switchcraft components.
When SnapEDA announced the partnership, it gave a step-by-step guide to using Switchcraft components. First, a user account needs to be created. Next, the user either searches for the desired piece or uses a blanket “Switchcraft” search. After a fast account signup—using my Twitter handle, of all things—a search for Switchcraft on SnapEDA yielded 4,176 products. The user then selects the desired component, filetype, and download format. The component can be exported into Altium, Cadence, CircuitStudio, DipTrace, Eagle, KiCad, OrCAD, PADS, P-CAD, PCB123, Pulsonix, Proteus, or Target 3001!
SnapEDA InstaBuild
This is the basic approach to using SnapEDA as a tool—finding the components and building your own virtual device. Poking around in the software, the other piece I found the most useful is the InstaBuild, where users can take pin definitions from a chip data sheet and automatically generate a symbol schematic linked to the component footprint. There are a few example parts that let you play with the build system to get a feel for it. My time with the Maxim Integrated MAX1651ESA+ took a few tries and I gained some skill with the system, but the option for InstaBuild to pull the pin information automatically worked even better.
Another part of the SnapEDA system that stood out is the Electronics Questions and Answers page, a fairly active forum full of user questions. The first thing I looked at on a question forum for a supplier is how many of the questions are answered, and whether the answers appear to address the user’s problem. Every question posted on this page has an answer, but a good portion of them are asking for additional functionalities that SnapEDA says it will add to an action items list. Partnering with Switchcraft is another of many wins that SnapEDA has announced lately, with its blog touting new functionalities for Autodesk Fusion 360, ExpressPCB and TraceParts.
Quicker Switch Hunts
For a virtual parts builder, it makes good sense to let your users have access to as many companies and parts as possible. The more customers you can keep happy using your service without having to go outside for alternate components, the better. The same holds true for component manufacturers. Having Switchcraft parts and assemblies available through a new build tool can only mean more theoretical sales for Switchcraft components. Switchcraft has an interesting company history that dates back to 1946 and includes a few ownership changes as the company made its way to becoming “a leading supplier of a broad line of components for the audio, video, telecommunication, computer, medical, military, appliance, transportation and instrumentation industries.”
Most of my early CAD experience was with mechanical components and assemblies, and being able to pull a fastener or subassembly file from a manufacturer’s website or a catalog site can save so much time while also making your assemblies more robust. It’s great to see an online building tool like SnapEDA gaining a solid component supplier like Switchcraft, with wins up and down the supply chain.
