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.
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