Microcontroller tinkering & Electronic design and simulation

I have been interested in tinkering with microcontrollers and electronics for some time.  You can learn a lot through some trial and error but I would also like a slightly more formal method to help with designs and debugging.

My educational background predates easily accessible electronic design software.  I only worked with digital logic in college but would like to toy with some analog and digital/analog hybrid projects.

I went looking for some open source software which would provide enough functionality but hopefully not be too outrageously hard to understand.  I research some info online and finally decided to give QUCS a try.

I must say that my first thought was that it was going to be impossible to use without some sort of training.  That was based on some quick random attempts at using the software which was the wrong way to go about it.  I am glad I finally had a free minute to sit down and work through some of the examples and help.  I found the examples in the help system useful but it seems like the text could have been a little clearer.  Overall, I am now pretty impressed with the software.

We'll see how well things scale [performance, usability and technically].  Some of the projects I would like to implement and seem feasible include:

• CNC router
• Solar power augmented RC plane or quadcopter
• small robot with features interesting enough for our kids to want to be involved in the project

I'm still researching to see what particular boards may be good candidates for the ideas.  We have an Arduino Uno and it could likely work for the CNC router if combined with the GRBL software and some stepper drivers.  Hard to give up features for simplicity and low cost sometimes.  I really would like to try out the Mach 3 (and eventually 4) software but that pushing into the more capable boards below.

Some other boards might have higher benefits.  I know there are number of other board/shield type combos but these are some initial items I found interesting.

• Arduino Due 
• nice but sounds like it is electrically fragile if you are not extra careful (compared to an Uno).
• Arduino Ire
• TBD
• Teensy 3.1
• Very small; could be a good candidate to support an RC project.
• BeagleBone based system
• This is more like the Raspberry Pi of which we have one; not sure this fits projects I mention in this post.
• Intel Galileo 
• It is nice to have alternatives but I have some reservations about a few things.  I am not an expert by any stretch and look forward to hearing what both users and more knowledgeable folks have to say.
• TI Launchpad
• In my research on this; it seems like the HW is a great deal but you don't get a free fully featured/capable development environment.  Unless I just misread things, the IDE available from TI is limited unless you buy the ~$400-$500 license.  If I were trying to make money by selling products, this makes sense but I can't justify it for the 1 off type things I am thinking about.  If I find a nice idea for post-retirement income someday then maybe but not right now; Arduino based products seem better from a hobby/tinker perspective.

A few other projects of interest if time and money present themselves would be:

• 3D laser scanner
• Direct metal laser sintering machine

Those would take substantial research on top of what I have already done.  I have a feeling that those would fall outside any potential budget I may set.

I have some other higher power items that would be interesting but likely outside my hobby budget and current skills.