VeroCAD3.42.268

VeroCAD is a free software application that gives you the possibility to create prototypes with perforated circuit boards, by selecting the modules you need from a library, in order to put together a design and arrange parts by pins or groups of pins.Before proceeding any further, you should know that this is an old tool that hasn't been updated for a long time, so you may experience compatibility issues on newer Windows.

Clear-cut interface with design modules

It's wrapped in a classical interface represented by a standard window with a well-structured layout, where you can open .vcd project files. A sample is included in VeroCAD's installed directory.The utility puts at your disposal seven modes for components: dual inline, Z-Pack, Q-Pack, Sliding, orthogonal, and mean XY. It's possible to place or remove components in the design, move a bin, block movement, slide components, cut traces, zoom in and out, re-draw the design, and toggle between horizontal or vertical view.Furthermore, you can customize board colors, preview labels, show pads, remove all cuts, print information, as well as import and export data to Orcad PCB II or Tango format.

Evaluation and conclusion

The software program comes packed with several approachable options dedicated to designing, printing and exporting circuit boards. It used predefined component libraries and contains a comprehensive help manual with examples and part creation details. No error dialogs were shown in our tests and it didn't hang or crash. It had a low impact on the computer's performance, using low CPU and RAM.To sum it up, VeroCAD is a free and advanced tool for building circuit boards using various modules. For components that exceed 100 vectors or the application's size limit, you can check out the professional edition.