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General Category => General Discussion => Topic started by: berniebee on June 22, 2022, 11:13:16 AM

Title: Recommendations for cheap n easy CAD? (electrical drawing)
Post by: berniebee on June 22, 2022, 11:13:16 AM
Hey all,

I completely rewired my SP. Non stock handlebar switches and fuse box, added relays, aftermarket alternator and ignition system and of course non stock wire colours. I've hand drawn a schematic. It's about 30" by 24",  so a little too big to fold up and tuck under the seat.  :grin:

(https://i.ibb.co/dDBRVJB/P1070659.jpg) (https://ibb.co/dDBRVJB)


 I want to redraw, shrink it and add colour to the wires. In a former life (15 years ago.) I played with some CAD programs, but I'm out of touch with what's available now.

Any suggestions for CAD software?  This is my one and only project, so I'm looking for a short learning curve and low cost.  I know, it would make more sense to have someone do it for me, but it's an excuse to learn something new...

Title: Re: Recommendations for cheap n easy CAD? (electrical drawing)
Post by: StuCorpe on June 22, 2022, 01:15:35 PM
I have not tried this one but I use their companion LibreOffice all the time and that is pretty good software.  LibreCAD
Price: Free with no commercial restrictions
Operating System Compatibility: Windows, macOS, Linux
Supported File Formats: DXF, DWG, JWW, LFF, CXF, SVG, BMP, CUR, GIF, ICO, JPEG, PNG, TIF, XPM, and more
LibreCAD free 2D CAD software
LibreCAD is one of the few no-strings-attached free 2D CAD software around.

No trial period, limited license, or capped commercial use here – LibreCAD is free to download and use as you see fit.
Title: Re: Recommendations for cheap n easy CAD? (electrical drawing)
Post by: Wayne Orwig on June 22, 2022, 03:49:48 PM
I have used TinyCAD. It is OK and not to complicated.
Title: Re: Recommendations for cheap n easy CAD? (electrical drawing)
Post by: lucian on June 22, 2022, 04:55:35 PM
That's some impressive work right there. A cad plan would not do it justice.  :thumb: :thumb: :thumb:
Title: Re: Recommendations for cheap n easy CAD? (electrical drawing)
Post by: Canuck750 on June 22, 2022, 05:34:16 PM
you can download a free 30 day trial of Autocad Lite.
Title: Re: Recommendations for cheap n easy CAD? (electrical drawing)
Post by: V7Record on June 22, 2022, 06:59:56 PM
If you own microsoft office you could do this in Visio... might be able to do it for free with an online version but I haven't checked that.  I started using Visio back in the '90's before Microsoft bought and bloated it, and have used it for a number of non-standard projects.
Title: Re: Recommendations for cheap n easy CAD? (electrical drawing)
Post by: old head on June 22, 2022, 07:25:54 PM
sketchup....

I use it everyday as I design outdoor structures, pergolas, pavilions, decks, carports that kind of thing.
it is primarily a 3d modeler, but it works fine as a 2d cad.
its free, its very easy to use, and you can view on your smart phones and tablets.

Old Head
Title: Re: Recommendations for cheap n easy CAD? (electrical drawing)
Post by: Kiwi_Roy on June 22, 2022, 09:23:43 PM
I use Easydraw for Mac it does all I need.
Title: Re: Recommendations for cheap n easy CAD? (electrical drawing)
Post by: Pescatore on June 23, 2022, 07:41:45 AM
+1 on TinyCAD. Have used it for years to design electronics, block diagrams and occasionally for construction.
I think it will handle a page size as big as your printer can handle.
Free with no ads.

Impressive work you did. I don't think you'll be able to shrink it and still be able to read it.
Title: Re: Recommendations for cheap n easy CAD? (electrical drawing)
Post by: moto on June 23, 2022, 01:22:06 PM
I use the free scheme-it circuit diagramming tool on the digikey site to develop my projects. Here's my final drawing for my integrated airhorn/OEM horn/headlights/spotlights system on my T3:


(https://i.ibb.co/ykNVFGC/Integral-Horn-Spotlight-Warning-System.png) (https://ibb.co/ykNVFGC)


https://www.digikey.com/schemeit/project/guzzi-t3-integrated-horn-and-spotlight-warning-system-64a1398152c548f588ea87b32cec0142 (https://www.digikey.com/schemeit/project/guzzi-t3-integrated-horn-and-spotlight-warning-system-64a1398152c548f588ea87b32cec0142)

Moto
Title: Re: Recommendations for cheap n easy CAD? (electrical drawing)
Post by: berniebee on June 23, 2022, 08:53:54 PM
Wow, thanks for all the suggestions. As usual the wildguzziers come through!