Digital Design Tools
- Logic Friday is a free boolean logic optimization, analysis, and synthesis tool. It uses espresso for minimization and misII for gate synthesis. Expresso is a fundamental algorithm.
- Xilinx design guide for FPGAs.
Design Environments
Sometimes called Electronics Computer Aided Design (ECAD) or Electronics Design Automation (EDA). Covers analog design and digital design.
- Mentor Graphics produces the top of the line systems for ECAD. If money is not an object it is the way to go.
- Cadence makes a really nice and affordable suite of tools, including OrCAD, the most used product in electronic design.
- Analog Devices does signal processing, but this overlaps electronics design.
Modeling
- 5SPICE is an analog modeling environment. While EDA Tools typically have SPICE, this is aimed at easily testing small sectors and the underlying design.
- SystemC is an open-source C++ based language for modeling, design, and verification. Aimed at Electronic Systems-Level (ESL) and System on a Chip (SoC).
Lists of Tools
- EE Times Open Source List EE Times is the trade magazine for electronic designers, and they have a big list of open source software.