RS South Africa has announced the local availability of DesignSpark PCB version 13, the latest evolution of its award-winning PCB design software. Sponsored by Würth Elektronik, a leading manufacturer of electronic and electromechanical components, this release delivers significant enhancements to PCB design functionality while empowering engineers, students and innovators across South Africa.
Since its launch in 2010, DesignSpark PCB has remained committed to providing accessible, professional-grade design tools for engineers of all levels. Over the years, the platform has become an essential tool for South African students, startups and SMEs who are innovating across industries such as telecommunications, renewable energy, automotive and advanced manufacturing.
The new release introduces advanced capabilities to make PCB design more powerful and intuitive, including:
• Enhanced graphics: Improved rendering and visual clarity for smoother design experiences and high-resolution outputs.
• Set symbol origin at centre of pads: Simplifies alignment and improves accuracy in component placement.
• Serpentine routing: Ensures high-speed signal integrity in dense spaces with advanced trace shaping.
• Archimedean spiral generator: Updated to enable compact antenna design for wide bandwidth wireless communication.
• Interactive BOM export: Makes prototyping easier by visually correlating components in the BOM with their PCB placement.
These updates strengthen RS’s commitment to South Africa’s engineering community, making advanced tools more accessible to local innovators who are working to solve real-world challenges.
Wesley Hood, education and social impact specialist at RS South Africa, highlights that tools like DesignSpark PCB version13 are game changers for South Africa’s engineers, makers and students. “By providing world-class, professional-grade design capabilities at no cost, RS is lowering the barriers to entry for innovation. This means young innovators, startups and SMEs can compete on a global level, accelerate their ideas and contribute to building solutions that address South Africa’s unique challenges.”
DesignSpark PCB forms part of the comprehensive suite of engineering tools and resources available on the DesignSpark website, which includes mechanical and circuit simulation software, technical articles, community forums and a vast library of components and reference designs. With these resources, RS South Africa continues to invest in enabling local talent, driving digital skills development and ensuring that the country’s engineering community has access to the latest global technologies.
New compact robotics computer for intelligent machines, robotics and vision AI RS South Africa
Industrial Computer Hardware
RS is supporting the NVIDIA Jetson Orin Nano 2, an entry-level edge AI platform delivering twice the inference performance of its predecessor in the same compact 40 W form factor, giving South African developers new options for intelligent machines, robotics and vision AI.
Read more...Helping mines get results from water improvements
News
South African mines operate under constrained, water-scarce conditions where every investment must be justified. Xylem’s Chetan Mistry explains how the right water technology partner helps mines prioritise high-value water systems across the mining lifecycle.
Read more...Maximising uptime in data centres through smarter MRO strategies RS South Africa
Industrial Computer Hardware
RS South Africa is supporting data centre operators with access to more than 875 000 MRO products, digital procurement tools and inventory management solutions, as Africa’s data centre market continues to grow and operational resilience becomes a strategic priority.
Read more...From the editor's desk: Pushing engineering to the limit Technews Publishing
News
Among the many things robots can do, it’s a lot of fun to follow how fast they are. They go from the Boston Dynamics cheetah, which first reached a record-breaking speed of 45,5 km/h, to the robot Charlie ...
Read more...Schneider Electric concludes Innovation Summit Middle East and Africa Schneider Electric South Africa
News
Schneider Electric's Innovation Summit Middle East and Africa, held in Abu Dhabi with more than 2500 attendees, explored the convergence of energy, AI and industrial software, launched an Industrial AI study and announced the NEST Accelerator Programme for energy and industrial tech startups.
Read more...VEGA brings measurement expertise beyond mining to Electra Mining Africa 2026 VEGA Controls SA
News
VEGA used its Electra Mining Africa 2026 stand to demonstrate that its level and pressure measurement instruments extend well beyond mining, covering water, food and beverage, pharmaceuticals, chemicals, and oil and gas applications across the continent.
Read more...Sustainable solutions for sugar Bearing Man Group t/a BMG
News
BMG received a Special Commendation Exhibition Stand Award at the South African Sugar Technologists’ Association Congress, where it showcased an integrated turnkey drive solution designed to simplify the upgrading of ageing crushing-mill drive systems.
Read more...Measure, Manage, Maintain: The operating model behind SA’s water resilience Siemens South Africa
News
South Africa’s growing water crisis is putting pressure on infrastructure, municipalities and the economy. Siemens highlights how digital technologies, smarter operations and safe water reuse could help shift the country from crisis response towards a more resilient and sustainable water future.
Read more...VEGA brings measurement expertise beyond mining to Electra Mining Africa 2026 VEGA Controls SA
News
VEGA used its Electra Mining Africa 2026 stand to demonstrate that its level and pressure measurement instruments extend well beyond mining, covering water, food and beverage, pharmaceuticals, chemicals, and oil and gas applications across the continent.
While every effort has been made to ensure the accuracy of the information contained herein, the publisher and its agents cannot be held responsible for any errors contained, or any loss incurred as a result. Articles published do not necessarily reflect the views of the publishers. The editor reserves the right to alter or cut copy. Articles submitted are deemed to have been cleared for publication. Advertisements and company contact details are published as provided by the advertiser. Technews Publishing (Pty) Ltd cannot be held responsible for the accuracy or veracity of supplied material.
printer friendly version