EasyEDA: Browser-Based Schematic & PCB Design
First session with EasyEDA — learning the schematic editor, component library, and how it connects to JLCPCB for fabrication.
What EasyEDA Is
EasyEDA is a browser-based EDA (Electronic Design Automation) tool — schematic capture and PCB layout in one place, no installation required. It’s made by JLCPCB’s parent company, which means the path from schematic to manufactured board is unusually short.
The free tier is fully functional. The main trade-off vs. KiCad or Altium is that your designs live on their servers, but for prototyping and learning it’s hard to beat the setup time of zero.
The Basic Workflow
Schematic Editor → Assign Footprints → PCB Editor → Generate Gerbers → Order via JLCPCB
Everything is in the same tool. No import/export between schematic and PCB steps — the netlist transfers automatically when you open the PCB editor from your schematic.
Schematic Editor
The schematic editor works like most EDA tools: place components, wire them together, add power symbols (VCC, GND), label nets.
Key things that work well:
- Component search — type a part number and it usually finds it with the correct symbol and footprint already paired
- Power symbols — VCC and GND are placed as symbols, not drawn as wires to rails; any two nodes with the same power symbol name are connected
- Net labels — name a wire and use the same label elsewhere to connect without drawing a line across the schematic
The schematic is essentially documentation of intent. The PCB is where geometry happens.
Component Library
The LCSC component library is built in — LCSC is JLCPCB’s parts supplier. Every part has a real-world price and stock count visible while you’re placing it. Filtering by “basic” parts (cheaper assembly cost) vs. “extended” parts is useful once you’re thinking about PCB assembly.
For generic passives (resistors, caps, transistors) the library has standard footprints ready. You pick the value, it already knows the 0402 / 0805 / through-hole footprint options.
PCB Editor
After the schematic is done: Design → Convert to PCB.
The PCB editor opens with all components placed in a pile, connected by thin “ratsnest” lines showing what needs to be wired. The workflow:
- Set board outline — draw the edge cuts layer (the physical boundary)
- Place components — drag them into logical positions on the board
- Route traces — follow the ratsnest lines, drawing copper connections on top and bottom layers
- Design Rule Check (DRC) — verify no clearance violations, unrouted nets, etc.
- Generate Gerbers — the standard format PCB fabs need
The auto-router exists but is mostly useful for sanity checks. Manual routing is worth learning.
What Clicked
The ratsnest visualization is the clearest representation of what “netlist” means in practice — you can see every electrical connection as a rubber band before there’s any copper. Routing is the act of replacing rubber bands with real traces.
The layer system also clicked: F.Cu (front copper), B.Cu (back copper), F.Silkscreen (labels), Edge.Cuts (board shape). A two-layer board has two routing planes, which is usually plenty for simple circuits. Complex designs need 4+ layers to escape dense ICs.