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Thread: Circuit Board Cad.

  1. #21
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    if you want it to be free (as in beer) continue using eagle, but use the cam post processor for your vendor (sparkfun has a good one for batchbcb that works well for other companies)
    if you want it to be Free (as in speech), use KiCad, which in my opinion is better than eagle (but has a much smaller following and is not as well supported)
    if you want it to work use Altium (good for anything up to and including small computers), or if you really want to go big get Mentor Graphics (really only necessary if you are doing LARGE designs).

  2. #22
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    Hey James,

    I use Eagle quite a bit. I'm you've got everything you need, as a board house will notify you if something doesn't look right to them.

    Eagle is very flexible if you learn to use it well. There are lots of good tips and tricks one should be able to use if they want to make complex boards with multiple layers.

    Best thing is, you can make a perfect custom footprint in just a few minutes - so every single part you want to use can be a part of the board.

    I'm willing to take a look at your GERBERs or your .brd and .sch files if you have them. Auto-route is nice, but I prefer to do layout manually. Its worth putting good thought into the layout, and investing the time to decide if its just "right" or not. So there's nothing wrong with going one component at a time...


  3. #23
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    Quote Originally Posted by dnar View Post
    As a hobbiest in the 70's I used a Dalo resist pen. In the 80's I progressed to the cutting edge tape method. Boy I am glad computers took over...
    Geez... That brings back some OLD memories of past endeavors myself. Did wire-wrap too - how sick is that? How many of the young folks on the forum know what fun they missed out on?

    Greg
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  4. #24
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    Thanks everyone for the comments.

    (I think) I had a breakthrough today. I got the schemo part sorted out nicely and once I got all the parts on the board in just the right places, I actually figured out how to manually rout.

    I still need to figure out a lot more stuff about how to put text in the silk screen layer and how to put mounting holes in the board.

    I have no problem sharing the .sch and the .brd files for some other eyeballs to go over. I think that's probably a good idea!

    I've already built it up and torn it down about four or five times now..... So one more time is no big deal.

    I'll keep you posted.

    I remember when I was just a kid, I used a brush-on paint resist and acid to make a board that was for an electric guitar fuzz box.

    I think if you want to just make one or two projects, it's probably easier to just use copper clad proto-boards.

    I've certainly made quite a few LaserBoy Correction Amps that way!

    James.
    Creator of LaserBoy!
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  5. #25
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    James -

    I have been thinking about doing the same board in Eagle, so if I get to it, perhaps we can compare notes. I have already done a 6 way DMX opto isolated driver, but it's been a while, so I get to relearn the package . . .

    - Tim

  6. #26
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    OK. Here's what I have so far.

    Check it out and let me know!

    I would like to make a bunch of these, so it would probably be cheaper to buy them from me than it would be to make just one or two for yourself.

    I plan to sell kits with all the parts, naked boards, naked boards with the DC/DC converter and finished boards (plus modified USB sound devices).

    If you would, please check this out and offer some suggestions for fixing this up for fabrication.

    I need to know how to size the holes and put text into the silk screen layer.

    Thanks in advance.

    The attachment is for Eagle Cad!

    James.
    Attached Files Attached Files
    Creator of LaserBoy!
    LaserBoy is free and runs in Windows, MacOS and Linux (including Raspberry Pi!).
    Download LaserBoy!
    YouTube Tutorials
    Ask me about my LaserBoy Correction Amp Kit for sale!
    All software has a learning curve usually proportional to its capabilities and unique features. Pointing with a mouse is in no way easier than tapping a key.

  7. #27
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    Save yourself a lot of problems with the default Eagle files and use the free Sparkfun tutorials. Then use the Sparkfun provided render files for rendering the Gerber and Excelon drill files. Then check ALL the layers with a Gerber viewer and with the DFM pre-check available from a few board vendors.

    Also check that the trace widths are set to something more reasonable by hand, for ALL the hand laid traces, and any of the machine laid traces that you forgot to set the sizes on, prior to auto-route. The default traces in Eagle are very thin, thin enough to cause problems with some board vendors, or if you run any substantial current through them. Pay for the solder masks when you have the boards ran, its not worth running without them to save a few bucks. Watch for short jumper traces between main traces and through holes, it has a habit of making those hard to see in the viewer. Zoom In.

    Buy the "Adult" version of Eagle and print the boards to check them with actual parts. Especially if you have created your own components. Watch for correct mirroring in the files you send out. Hopefully the folks who bought Eagle three years ago put paid the printing issue in the free version.

    While I'm sure some of this has been fixed lately, some versions of Eagle and the included files default out to some weird stuff. I stick to a older version.

    The above comes from a expensive lessons learned session a few years ago.

    Sound card dacs need to die, but I'd hate to see you hit the thin trace problem with any customers.



    Steve
    Last edited by mixedgas; 07-15-2013 at 09:58.
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  8. #28
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    Quote Originally Posted by mixedgas View Post
    Sound card dacs need to die
    Steve
    There is just no good reason to make comments like this, Steve.

    The LaserBoy DAC has a well established use and user base.

    This board will serve the purpose of both internal PCI and external USB devices.

    James.
    Creator of LaserBoy!
    LaserBoy is free and runs in Windows, MacOS and Linux (including Raspberry Pi!).
    Download LaserBoy!
    YouTube Tutorials
    Ask me about my LaserBoy Correction Amp Kit for sale!
    All software has a learning curve usually proportional to its capabilities and unique features. Pointing with a mouse is in no way easier than tapping a key.

  9. #29
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    Quote Originally Posted by mixedgas View Post
    Save yourself a lot of problems with the default Eagle files and use the free Sparkfun tutorials. Then use the Sparkfun provided render files for rendering the Gerber and Excelon drill files. Then check ALL the layers with a Gerber viewer and with the DFM pre-check available from a few board vendors.

    Also check that the trace widths are set to something more reasonable by hand, for ALL the hand laid traces, and any of the machine laid traces that you forgot to set the sizes on, prior to auto-route. The default traces in Eagle are very thin, thin enough to cause problems with some board vendors, or if you run any substantial current through them. Pay for the solder masks when you have the boards ran, its not worth running without them to save a few bucks. Watch for short jumper traces between main traces and through holes, it has a habit of making those hard to see in the viewer. Zoom In.

    Buy the "Adult" version of Eagle and print the boards to check them with actual parts. Especially if you have created your own components. Watch for correct mirroring in the files you send out. Hopefully the folks who bought Eagle three years ago put paid the printing issue in the free version.

    While I'm sure some of this has been fixed lately, some versions of Eagle and the included files default out to some weird stuff. I stick to a older version.

    The above comes from a expensive lessons learned session a few years ago.

    Sound card dacs need to die, but I'd hate to see you hit the thin trace problem with any customers.



    Steve
    The last I used Eagle, I paid nothing and used no external software other than a Gerber viewer to verify and had zero issues. I'm not sure what you did, but it does not match my experience, and frankly, of all the free/low cost PCB sw I tried, Eagle seemed to be the best, and was also not crippled by being WhinDuhs based.

    I have not tried a recent build yet, but still have the old one if they have regressed or gotten greedy.

    James - I'll load up your files and look as soon as I can. Regarding cost, I don't think I would be out much more than $25 each for these doing my own, so not sure what you were going to price at, but with the suppliers I have, I doubt anything other than the dc/dc conv. would even get close to a buck, and resistors and such cost me $.07 as I recall . . . .

    - Tim
    Last edited by tadawson; 07-16-2013 at 14:08.

  10. #30
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    Don't get me wrong, Eagle is awesome, but if you don't render it's output correctly, you get problems with the board house. I'm not the only one to have that issue by a long shot. Which is why Sparkfun offers the corrected files.

    If you want to suffer, try Express PCB's free CAD. Then rip up your design for a layout change. That is very painful.

    Steve
    Qui habet Christos, habet Vitam!
    I should have rented the space under my name for advertising.
    When I still could have...

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