What file formats do you support?

We currently support Cadence Allegro brd and dsn files; Altium designer schdoc, pcbdoc, schlib, pcblib; KiCad pcb, KiCad Schematics, Footprint Libraries (very soon), Schematic Symbols, Cadence System Capture Schematics (SDAX). For other formats reach out to our dev team at support@allspice.io.

How does AllSpice.io connect to Github/Bitbucket/Gitlab?

We offer optional Github/Bitbucket/Gitlab authenticators for signing in to AllSpice.io. This makes it easier to login without having to create and manage a new account if you already use one of those Git services. In addition, you can use our migrator tool to photocopy your existing Github/Bitbucket/Gitlab projects to AllSpice.io and even keep them as mirror backups for your AllSpice.io repositories. As always, you have the ability to link to external Github/Bitbucket/Gitlab repositories in your AllSpice.io repos using Git submodule links.

Can I host AllSpice.io on-premise?

Though most of our users are on the cloud, we do have a self-hosting option if that’s a policy for your company. Given the added complexity in deployment and support requirements, we only offer this alternative for teams with a minimum of 10 users. For ITAR controlled designs, there’s a Gov Cloud alternative as well. To check for specific IT security requirements, send us a note at support@allspice.io and we’ll be happy to verify those for you.

Do people need an ECAD license to look at my designs on AllSpice.io?

No. We render images of your designs that can be viewed by all collaborators who have access to your AllSpice.io review. Think of it as view and comment privileges only. However, to make design changes to your schematics or PCB files, you’ll need an ECAD license.

Does AllSpice.io host my designs?

Yes. Although we understand some users already have hardware projects in other hosting services (such as Github/Bitbucket/Gitlab), in order to build an amazing user experience for hardware designs, it’s necessary that we host and render files directly. However, we’ve worked to ensure a seamless transition between other hosting services. You can use our migrator tool to photocopy your existing Github/Bitbucket/Gitlab projects to AllSpice.io and even keep them as mirror backups for your AllSpice.io repositories.

How do you protect our data?

Protecting customer data is our highest priority. Our policy is to match or exceed all security measures for comparable products, such as GitHub & Gitlab. Here are a few examples of the many ways we protect your data: We use only encrypted transfers to our servers (SSH + HTTPS) and use a one-way hash of all user passwords using bcrypt (same as GitHub). We use only SOC 3 Type 2 and/or ISO27001 compliant servers with customer data encrypted at rest with LUKs encrypted mounts. We continuously test our systems against common attack vectors, including XSS, dependency injection, ReDOS, MitM, etc. We use multiple levels of protection including rootless runners on our servers, which prevent malicious actors from installing or running arbitrary code to collect user data in the case of an XSS attack. If you have further questions or concerns, please email us at security@allspice.io.

Do I need Git revision control in order to use AllSpice.io?

In a nutshell, yes. If you use SVN and are interested in migrating to Git, the process is fairly well documented. For example, Git explains it in this migration resource. If you are a new user, our team will be happy to help you with the process.

Will the diff tool continue to be free?

Yes, the diff tool is our gift to the HW community we so much appreciate. We’re engineers as well, and we want to make the hardware development process better for as many people as we can.

6 best hardware engineering blogs and substacks

Many hardware engineers and electrical engineers rely on written content to stay updated, gain insights, and explore fresh ideas—especially when it’s straight from the experts. These blogs/substacks offer everything from practical tips to industry updates, written by those who live and breathe engineering.

Hardware FYI

Formerly known as The Analog, Hardware FYI is a go-to weekly, technical newsletter and site that covers various topics in hardware engineering and manufacturing hardware. The newsletter structure gives a clean and simple look that is effectively jam-packed with relevant links to interesting weekly highlights, startups, links, and jobs.

Hardware engineers interested in the personal side of engineering with in-depth interviews of individuals, or companies that are actively working in the field will find this particularly nifty.

EEV Blog

Looking to find a community of electrical engineers? The EEVblog forum provides just that with its “free and open forum for electronics enthusiasts and professionals.” There are a variety of unscripted tutorials and blog videos on their YouTube channel designed to educate and entertain their viewers. It is based on creator David L. Jones passionate charisma and knowledge from his 25+ years in the electronic data interchange (EDI).

The EEVblog is a great site for beginners and experts alike as it spans multiple topics from microcontrollers to thermal imaging.

Hackaday

Starting as the world’s largest collaborative repository of open hardware projects, Hackaday became a go to standard for all hardware. It features opinion pieces, tutorials, and aggregation of third party conten. There are reviews of products, a podcast series, a very active forum, and more. Engineers looking for a mix of DIY projects, personal takes on electronics related current events will enjoy this platform.

Simply Smarter Circuitry Blog

Circuit Specialists, one of the 6 best blogs.

The Circuit Specialists blog was created to bring knowledgeable articles on products, tools, and fields in which products may be used. It has periodical coverage of projects ranging from 3D printers, batteries, CNC, Arduino, and a lot more. It’s great for engineers looking for advice from circuit specialists.

Adafruit Industries

Also a manufacturer of some incredible gift ideas for EEs, their customer forums have 100,000s of posts. Many posts are useful to even non-Adafruit customers. For example, there are over 20,000 posts troubleshooting microcontrollers alone.

The Orbital Index

This newsletter summarizes news and resources related to aerospace. Their content leans more towards the corporate side. However, each issue also has a technical theme/topic to supplement the aggregated links. The content generated caters primarily to engineers in the aerospace industry and general space enthusiasts.

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