Fritzing

Fritzing Software
	Fritzing's breadboard view
Developer(s)	Interaction Design Lab Potsdam
Stable release	1.0.5 / 14 April 2025; 24 days ago
Repository	github.com/fritzing/fritzing-app ;
Written in	C++
Operating system	Windows, macOS, Linux
Type	EDA
License	GPL 3.0 or later (software); CC BY-SA 3.0 (component images)
Website	fritzing.org

Fritzing is an open-source initiative^[3] to develop amateur or hobby CAD software for the design of electronics hardware, intended to allow designers and artists to build more permanent circuits from prototypes. It was developed at the University of Applied Sciences Potsdam.^[4] Fritzing is free software under the GPL 3.0 or later license, with the source code available on GitHub and the binaries at a monetary cost, which is allowed by the GPL.^[5]

Goals

The software was created with inspiration from the Processing programming language and the Arduino microcontroller^[6] and allows a designer, artist, researcher, or hobbyist to document their Arduino-based prototype and create a PCB layout for manufacturing. The associated website helps users share and discuss drafts and experiences as well as to reduce manufacturing costs.

Fritzing can be seen as an electronic design automation (EDA) tool for non-engineers: the input metaphor is inspired by the environment of designers (the breadboard-based prototype), while the output is focused on accessible means of production. As of December 2, 2014 Fritzing has made a code view option, where one can modify code and upload it directly to an Arduino device.^[7]

Component images are distributed under CC BY-SA 3.0, which will also be the license for any generated breadboard views.

Maker

Fritzing allows for creation of printed circuit boards. Fritzing provides access to a commercial service known as ‘FritzingFab’ to order PCBs created with designs made on the Fritzing software.

2016-2019 Fritzing Development Stall

^{[additional citation(s) needed]}

From 2016-2019, development for version 0.9.4 stopped, mainly because Fritzing’s revenue declined. Before 2016, when Fritzing 0.9.3b was released, donations were not mandatory, so only a few users who downloaded Fritzing donated. Some users wanted development to continue and even tried to convince some developers to continue, but failed.

Finally, in 2019, Aisler arranged a development team for Fritzing, and version 0.9.4 was released. Since then, donations were compulsory, with options to donate either 8€ or 25€

Simulator

Since version 0.9.10, Fritzing incorporates a basic simulator,^[8] which is still in beta. The main aim of the simulator is to teach electronics to beginners, and Fritzing version 0.9.10 only supports analysis of DC circuits. The simulator works on the breadboard and schematic views. In addition, it checks that the parts are working within their specifications (otherwise, a smoke symbol appears). The simulator provides multimeters to read voltages and currents and it attempts to recreate a realistic laboratory session.

The simulator was officially supported in Fritzing 1.0.0, and improvements have been made since.

Friends of Fritzing e.V.

Friends of Fritzing e.V. was a non-profit association established in 2012 to support the development and sustainability of the Fritzing project. Fritzing itself began in 2007 as a publicly funded research initiative at the University of Applied Sciences Potsdam, Germany, and later transitioned to community-driven development.

The foundation played a crucial role in maintaining the Fritzing software and its ecosystem. However, due to administrative overhead, Friends of Fritzing e.V. ceased operations in 2018.

Following the closure, the Fritzing team sought alternative methods to sustain the project. In 2019, they transitioned to using Open Collective, a platform that facilitates transparent financial contributions to open-source projects.

Release history

[please help to improve the notable changes column. Please note that information must come from releases here Thank you]

Version	Release date	Notable features, changes
0.8.7b	24 January 2014	No information has been found
0.9.1b	2 December 2014	New code view, new parts, bug fixes, updated translations
0.9.2b	3 April 2015	New parts, added Romanian translation
0.9.3b	2 June 2016	Continuously updated parts library, critical bug fix for messed up PCB traces, high-DPI display support, easier handling of self-created parts, load/save uncompressed fritzing files (.fz), file icons, new parts
0.9.4	1 December 2019	Critical bug fix for autorouter, color coded wires, Transport Layer Security, Fixed bug where Fritzing would potentially search the whole disk for parts, new/updated translations
0.9.6	22 February 2021	Windows and Mac versions aresigned and certified, many bug fixes
0.9.7	21 July 2021	Built AppImage for Linux, ability to read single .fzp files, 249 issues closed, new part
0.9.8	9 August 2021	Fixed broken Generic IC
0.9.9	24 September 2021	Remember uploads to Fritzing Fab, keyboard shortcuts "[" and "]" for 90-degree rotation in addition to the existing Ctrl+R for 45-degree rotation, keyboard shortcut for searching, bug fixes, part fixes
0.9.10	22 May 2022	Added Japanese translation, updated translations, added simulator, image export in higher resolution, bug fixes, new parts
1.0.0	19 June 2023	Simulator officially supported, new OCR-Fritzing font, IPC-D-356 export, UI improvements, and updated translations
1.0.1	6 September 2023	Minor improvements and bug fixes.
1.0.2	2 January 2024	Allowed schematic subparts, improved swapping mechanism, bug fixes
1.0.3	26 June 2024	Minor improvements and bug fixes.
1.0.4	10 October 2024	Enhanced QFN support, improved PCB interaction, better wire creation UX, support for alpha channel in board images.
1.0.5	14 April 2025	Support for Arduino CLI v2+, improved font rendering with NotoSans, experimental hardware acceleration, ARM64 installer for Windows 11 on ARM devices
1.0.6	Not released yet

References

^ https://fritzing.org/releases/1-0-5. {{cite web}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
^ What license is Fritzing released under? FAQ
^ McRoberts, Michael (2010). Beginning Arduino. APress. pp. xx. ISBN 978-1-4302-3240-7.
^ Brühlmann, Thomas (2010). Arduino: Praxiseinstieg. Hüthig Jehle Rehm. p. 270. ISBN 978-3-8266-5605-7.
^ "Frequently Asked Questions about the GNU Licenses".
^ Gläser, Thomas; Markus Jaritz; Philipp Sackl (13 September 2009). "Hardware-Hacking: So baut man einen Tentakel-Roboter für 100 Euro". Der Spiegel. Retrieved 14 April 2011.
^ http://blog.fritzing.org/2014/12/02/its-fritzmas-new-fritzing-code-view-release-and-a-little-present. Archived 2021-05-06 at the Wayback Machine
^ Faíña, Andrés (27 June 2022). "Simulating Circuits with Fritzing". Fritzing.

External links

This computer-aided design software article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it.

[wikidata-aa4cc829fc8ae8925f52d548c7cd476f73404fce-v18-1] ttps://fritzing.org/releases/1-0-5. {{cite web}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)

[2] What license is Fritzing released under? FAQ

[3] McRoberts, Michael (2010). Beginning Arduino. APress. pp. xx. ISBN 978-1-4302-3240-7.

[4] Brühlmann, Thomas (2010). Arduino: Praxiseinstieg. Hüthig Jehle Rehm. p. 270. ISBN 978-3-8266-5605-7.

[5] "Frequently Asked Questions about the GNU Licenses".

[6] Gläser, Thomas; Markus Jaritz; Philipp Sackl (13 September 2009). "Hardware-Hacking: So baut man einen Tentakel-Roboter für 100 Euro". Der Spiegel. Retrieved 14 April 2011.

[7] ttp://blog.fritzing.org/2014/12/02/its-fritzmas-new-fritzing-code-view-release-and-a-little-present. Archived 2021-05-06 at the Wayback Machine

[8] Faíña, Andrés (27 June 2022). "Simulating Circuits with Fritzing". Fritzing.

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