OpenBoardView: Tool for Electronic Technicians on Linux

According to its official GitHub page, OpenBoardView is:

Linux SDL/ImGui edition software for viewing .brd files, intended as a drop-in replacement for the “Test_Link” software and “Landrex”

Github.com – OpenBoardView

OpenBoardView (OBV) is a powerful software tool designed for viewing .brd files, which are commonly used for board schematic repairs. It’s widely utilized by board repair mechanics and hardware professionals.

See also: Boardviewer Software

Boardview for Linux

Here are some key details about OpenBoardView:

Features:

• Cross-Platform: OBV runs on multiple operating systems, including Linux, Windows, and macOS.
• File Format Support: It can handle various file formats, making it versatile for different projects.
• PDF and Schematic Support: OBV allows you to view PDFs and schematics associated with the board layout.
• Custom Keyboard Bindings: You can configure your own keyboard shortcuts.
• Background Board Image: Add a custom background image to enhance visualization.
• Annotations: (per board database file)
• Best represented: part and pin sizes
• Better delineation: of irregular objects (such as connectors)
• Drag and drop
• History of recently used files
• Non-orthogonally oriented: capacitors/resistors/diodes are now drawn more realistically
• Adjustable DPI: (to work on 2K/4K screens)
• Works with multiple concurrent instances

OpenBoardView Installation

Linux

In your personal folder:

git clone --recursive 'https://github.com/OpenBoardView/OpenBoardView'

Compilation:

Requirements:

In Debian the following packages must be installed:

sudo apt install git build-essential cmake libsdl2-dev libgtk-3-dev

On Fedora:

sudo dnf groupinstall "Development Tools"

sudo dnf install SDL2-devel gtk3-devel fontconfig-devel

On Ubuntu:

sudo snap install openboardview

Compile:

cd OpenBoardView

./build.sh

Run OpenBoardView:

./bin/openboardview

o

./openboardview.sh

For Windows

Windows users will be pleased to learn that OpenBoardView (OBV) requires no installation. Simply visit the download link and run it directly from a folder. Please note that this build is compatible only with Windows 7 or later. 😊🔧🖥️

Explore OBV’s interface

Basically, it is like a dimensional CAD system where you can interact with the components on the board. In the following images you can see the PCB diagram of the motherboard (Toshiba L645, front/back) with its respective components. The software is very easy to use, therefore you can extract the maximum potential from it.

It has two panels: a central one, where it shows the PCB, and a side panel where all the information relevant to the selected tracks or components is detailed. As relevant information, it can also be said that it has different types of views such as:

• Pins
• Annotations
• Track list
• List of parts
• Rotation
• Rotation (front/reverse)
• Zoom +/-
• Further…

To cite an example: Selecting +1.5V_S5 (Net List) will display all components receiving that voltage on that particular track.

Additionally, in the option: Program Preferences you can define different aspects of the program, such as:

• Font size and DPI
• Window size
• Diameter of through holes
• Zoom Options
• FPS information
• Options for slow CPU
• Viewport/Mouse mode
• Etc.

On the other hand, it has two modes: light/dark and complete customization through the color scheme, among other interesting options. Another aspect, no less important, is the modification of the keyboard shortcuts by the user.

OpenBoarview default keyboard shortcuts

• Ctrl-O: Open file select dialog
• w/a/s/d: pan viewport over board
• x: Reset zoom and center
• Mouse scroll, -/=: Zoom out/in
• Mouse click-hold-drag, Numeric pad up/down/left/right: pan viewport over board
• Numeric pad +/-: zoom board
• Numeric pad 5: Reset zoom and center
• Space, Middle mouse click: Flip board
• R/./Numpad-Del: Rotate clockwise
• ,/Numpad-Ins: Rotate counter-clockwise
• /, Ctrl-F: Search
• ESC: Clear search results and selected parts
• p: Toggle pin display
• m: Mirror board across Y-axis
• L: Show net list
• K: Show part list

FAQs:

Conclusion:

OBV is an open-source project, and many contributors have improved its functionality over time. Whether you’re troubleshooting electronics or analyzing circuit boards, OpenBoardView is a valuable tool for technicians and hobbyists alike! 😊🔧📏

Source:

https://openboardview.org

https://github.com/

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