Press Releases

RS Components Unveils Major Electronics Design Innovations and Reinforces Position as Leading Online Resource Hub for Global Engineering Community

DesignSpark PCB Version 4.0 and ModelSource Component Library represent significant milestone in evolution of highly functional free design tools: RS now offers complete engineering solution and design ecosystem

New Zealand, 16 October 2012 :

RS Components, the trading brand of Electrocomponents plc (LSE:ECM), the world's leading high service distributor of electronics and maintenance products, has revealed major new developments in the company's evolutionary programme to transform the online sourcing, design and purchasing experience for electronics engineers and purchasing professionals worldwide. The latest innovations in RS' free suite of technical solutions designed to support engineers throughout the entire electronics design process include:

• DesignSpark PCB Version 4.0, the company's award-winning PCB design tool, now featuring access to an industry-leading component library, PCB manufacturing service and BOM quote functionality;

• ModelSource, a unique new web-based component library, downloadable from DesignSpark, RS' online community for engineers.

Version 4.0 of DesignSpark PCB, the world's most powerful free electronics design software for schematic entry and PCB layout, now features a new library manager, which enhances the functionality of the tool's existing library by integrating with ModelSource, a unique new online component library which is freely available as a standalone tool via the DesignSpark website.

The ModelSource library contains over 80,000 PCB schematics and footprints from leading manufacturers and is available for download in more than 20 different formats compliant with the most popular PCB design software packages. In addition, it contains over 30,000 3D models in 24 formats for widely used mechanical 3D software. The libraries are aligned with the RS board-level product offer and enable engineers to focus on innovation, research and development rather than spending time on creating the basic building blocks of the design.

A new Bill of Materials (BOM) Quote function integrated within DesignSpark PCB Version 4.0 provides an instant quotation for the components in the PCB design. The tool automatically generates a BOM user report using the RS part numbers embedded in the new PCB component libraries.

A further time saving feature of the new software revision is the PCB Quote service, which provides independent quote comparisons from a variety of bare-board PCB manufacturers based on the engineer's design specifications. The engineer can then proceed with a direct quote from the selected PCB subcontractor.

Developed by RS in conjunction with Number One Systems, DesignSpark PCB has attracted engineers from all over the world to the RS website since its launch in July 2010, and the number of downloads of the unrestricted schematic capture and PCB layout software has now reached almost 160,000.

DesignSpark PCB Version 4.0 and ModelSource are available at designspark.com, RS' online gateway created to support engineers throughout the design process by bringing together design information, user reviews and blogs, and free-of-charge tools, which today boasts more than 90,000 registered members.

"Supporting innovation in electronics design is an important focus of our business, and we recognise the critical value of time in an engineer's efforts to bring a product to market," said Mark Cundle, Head of Technical Marketing at RS. "Through our advanced eCommerce capabilities, and our continued investment in evolving and upgrading our online tools and resources, we have made major leaps forward in accelerating the find, design and buy process for engineers and purchasing professionals across the globe."

For further information, please visit www.designspark.com.