Free Software Tools

There seems to be a vast array of software tools we can use that are free downloads from the internet. The trick is finding them. I would like to share the tools I have found and get input from others of tools they have found useful to them.


An AutoCAD imitation that works about 95% like AutoCAD and reads and writes in the DWG format. I use it for electrical drawings and panel layouts:

www.progecad.com



A PDF creator. I use it to share files with others that don't have the same software that I do or for files I don't want someone to be able to edit:

http://www.cutepdf.com/Products/CutePDF/writer.asp



The lastest visual basic 2005 compiler. Used for a multitude of purposes. HMI's , data aquisition, custom utilities.

http://msdn.microsoft.com/vstudio/express/vb/

Also:
The open CD at http://www.theopencd.org/

Contains:
Open Office
PDFwriter
and other tools

A real great conversion utility...

www.joshmadison.com/software

Here are some that I would not want to do without:

http://www.irfanview.com/

http://www.eluent.com/wheeler.htm

http://www.maxthon.com/

http://www.doom9.org/Soft21/Rippers/SetupDVDDecrypter_3.5.4.0.exe

http://www.dvdshrink.org/what.html

http://audacity.sourceforge.net/

http://www.jsifaq.com/reghack.htm 'This is a site.

http://www.sysinternals.com/Utilities/ProcessExplorer.html

http://www.freedownloadmanager.org/download.htm

http://www.quickzip.org/

I have a few more but I can not locate the url or they are so old that the url's do not work.

Microsofts power tools are also fairly handy..Specialy the image resizer..great for posting pics on sites like this..

Great thread.
There are many websites that link to free software, but they are not directly aimed at PLC geeks like us.

Here is one:
Incredibly, it looks like Siemens has changed the price of STEP7 LITE from "very very cheap" to "completely free" !

You have to register as a support user, but then you are allowed to download the whole thing:

http://support.automation.siemens.com/WW/llisapi.dll?func=cslib.csinfo&lang=en&objid=22764522&caller=view

Grab it before they change their minds.

That's one huge download JesperMP! 212MB! Thanks for the heads up.

I'll try few hints myself, maybe interestng for you

File manager
http://www.mucommander.com/
Free DWG viewer,
http://www.bravaviewer.com/
C++ compilers+IDE (well... my favourite is bloodshed)
http://www.thefreecountry.com/compilers/cpp.shtml
TinyHexer HexaEditor
http://www.mirkes.de/de/freeware/tinyhex.php

Zoom Wizard

http://www.softwaretoolbox.com/spwizlib/html/zoomwiz.html


A must have for anybody that does HMI's and is a perfectionist. You just have to have all those pixels lined up perfectly you know.

I guess its a pay program now. When I got it, it was a free download off the wonderware site (works with any HMI or windows program though). Maybe there is still a few of the old versions floating about.