EasyEDA Plugin Installation Guide

The PCB Auto Router EasyEDA plugin (JLCEDA / LCEDA in China) lets you autoroute directly in EasyEDA. This guide will help you complete the installation process.

How It Works

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flowchart LR
    subgraph EDA["EasyEDA"]
        P("PCB Auto Router plugin")
    end
    subgraph APP["PcbAutoRouter app"]
        R("GPU-accelerated autorouting")
    end
    P <-- "HTTP loopback<br/>127.0.0.1" --> R
  • The plugin lives inside EasyEDA. It only hands the board to the main program and writes the routing result back to your PCB.
  • The main program runs on your computer and does the actual routing on your GPU. The plugin launches it automatically when you start routing.
  • That is why you need both: the plugin alone cannot route, and the main program alone means exporting and importing files by hand.

What if the versions don't match? You'll be prompted to update when the plugin and main program versions differ. It usually doesn't affect anything; just update both to the latest version when convenient.

Step 1: Install PcbAutoRouter Main Program

Windows Installation

  1. Visit the official website homepage and download the Windows version .exe installer.
  2. Double-click the downloaded .exe file.
  3. If the system shows "Windows protected your PC", click "More info" → "Run anyway".
  4. Follow the installation wizard to complete the installation (default path is recommended).
  5. PcbAutoRouter will start automatically after installation is complete.

Browser blocking the download? Click the "Downloads" icon in the top-right corner of the browser, then click "Keep" or "Allow" on the blocked file.

Linux Installation

Run the following commands in the terminal:

sudo dpkg -i pcbautorouter_*.deb
sudo apt-get install -f
sudo dpkg -i pcbautorouter_*.deb

Alternatively, you can double-click the .deb package in the file manager and install through the software center.

Step 2: Install Plugin in EasyEDA

  1. Open EasyEDA design tool.
  2. Click menu: Advanced → Extension Manager.
  3. Search for pcbautorouter.
  4. Click "Install" when you find the plugin.
  5. After installation is complete, enter plugin settings and check the Allow External Interaction option (very important, otherwise the plugin won't work).

Version lag notice: The version in the built-in plugin market may have slight delays. If you need the latest version, please refer to "Method 2" below.

Method 2: Manual Download Installation (Get Latest Version)

If the plugin market version is outdated or installation fails, you can download and install the latest version directly from the official website:

  1. Visit the official website and download the .exxt plugin file.
  2. Open EasyEDA design tool.
  3. Click menu: Advanced → Extension Manager.
  4. In the Extension Manager window, click the Import button.
  5. Select the downloaded .exxt file and click "Open" or "OK".
  6. After installation is complete, enter plugin settings and check the Allow External Interaction option (very important, otherwise the plugin won't work).

Step 3: Verify Plugin Installation

  1. Restart EasyEDA.
  2. Open or create a new PCB project.
  3. Click menu Advanced, you should see the PCB Auto Router option.
  4. Hover over PCB Auto Router and you should see its submenu: Auto Set Rules, Route All, Settings..., About....

Once installed, see EasyEDA Autorouting to get started.

FAQ

Always prompting that the main program is not installed?

This is usually caused by plugin-to-program communication failure.

Solution:

  1. Make sure you have checked the Allow External Interaction option in plugin settings (this is necessary, otherwise the plugin cannot communicate with the main program).
  2. Make sure the PcbAutoRouter main program is running and working properly.
  3. Try using a different browser (such as Chrome, Firefox), because Edge may block local communication, preventing the plugin from connecting to the main program.
  4. Check firewall settings to ensure EasyEDA and PcbAutoRouter communication is not blocked.

Get Help

  • Check the help documentation for the PcbAutoRouter main program.
  • Visit the official website forums or community for support.
  • Make sure both EasyEDA and PcbAutoRouter are updated to the latest version.