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making PCBs without an inkjet printer

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ah.....eagle is very hard i can find any parts
power source
ICs
LEDs

were is all of this stuff
IC's depend on the IC... some are by vendor some are by family as in 74xx-us

LEDs try LED->LED where you will see LED3MM and LED5MM

I do not use power sources. I add a connector and label the connected nets as needed.
 
IC's depend on the IC... some are by vendor some are by family as in 74xx-us

LEDs try LED->LED where you will see LED3MM and LED5MM

I do not use power sources. I add a connector and label the connected nets as needed.

i do not see any of this at all. i am do libary-part but after i click on the part it wont add nothing happens
 
alright i found out how to but the componets and place them on the board. but is there a way so the program can make the easiest way to place the componets.

also it is very hard to make the circuit/schematic look neat any seggestions
 
Never mind to all of that i figured it all out i really like it so far

how do i convert into a PC board with the traces
This is one app where reading the docs and doing the tutorials would be helpful.

On the schematic editor main toolbar starting on the left you see a folder, floppy, printer, cam, and then the board icon. It is a logic gate with what may be a chip under it. (quite small)

Select the board icon and the program will ask if you want to create a board from the schematic. Say yes.

It will provide you with an empty board. All the parts will be off the board. It is your job to arrange them on the board and draw the traces between them. You can do a much better job of drawing the traces then the auto-router can. I suggest you not use it.

Laying out a board is an art. It takes practice to get it right.

EDIT: Once you have a board make sure you have both it and the schematic open when you work on either. If not they will be out of sync and you do not want that to happen.
 
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Never mind to all of that i figured it all out i really like it so far

how do i convert into a PC board with the traces

Go to File|Switch to Board. The PCB editor will pop up and you will see a black screen with a rectangle. Outside of the rectangle will be a group of components linked together with thin yellow lines. The rectangle is the extent of the board; the skinny lines are called "airwires" and represent the connections between components before you turn them into traces (by either drawing the traces or using the autorouter).

Drag the components onto the board area (into the rectangle, that is) and place them where you want them.

After this, click on the Route button (or type "route" and press Enter). A new toolbar will appear near the top of the screen. Here you can set things like the width of the traces (I always make mine slightly thicker than the default because my transfer paper isn't that great at the moment). You can also use the little icons on that toolbar to set whether the traces you draw with the Route command will have 90 degree angles, 45 degree angles, and so on.

With the route tool, click on a component pin and start dragging. The airwire attached to that pin will start being replaced by a trace; just draw that out where you want it to go.

You will probably find that it takes a while A) to put things in reasonable positions, and B) find a way to route things to your liking. Don't get discouraged; for all but very simple circuits it's not an easy or terribly quick task--but you *will* get better with practice.

There are all sorts of other things you can do (change layers, etc) but this should get you started.


Good luck!

Torben

Edit: I see 3v0 beat me to the punch. :) He's right--the autorouter is goofy and is only good if you want a cheap laugh. (Note: I've never used a "good" autorouter; I just know that this one has never been helpful to me.) Read the docs. Persevere. It is an art, and like 3v0 (I think) said in another thread on routing, you can *always* see something in a layout which you think you can improve. Like painting, it's a matter of deciding when it's Good Enough (TM), so you don't get stuck constantly revising the thing every time you look at it.
 
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alright i found out how to but the componets and place them on the board. but is there a way so the program can make the easiest way to place the componets.

If at some point you study computer science you'll learn that this isn't an easily solved task for a computer. Like the saying goes: if it were easy, everyone would be doing it. :)

also it is very hard to make the circuit/schematic look neat any seggestions

Practice. :) Look at good schematics and figure out what kinds of conventions you see in use, and adopt them. Ask if you don't know. Check out a copy of Art of Electronics by Horowitz and Hill and read the chapter in the back about good schematic design hints. And when in doubt, I expect folks here will be happy to help you out.


Torben
 
(Note: I've never used a "good" autorouter; I just know that this one has never been helpful to me.)
I find the Eagle autorouter helpful to show me when a component placement is getting better. When the autorouter can almost handle it, I rip up all the traces and finish by hand.
 
I find the Eagle autorouter helpful to show me when a component placement is getting better. When the autorouter can almost handle it, I rip up all the traces and finish by hand.

That's a good point. I must admit to using a little hyperbole. Mind you, I haven't done anything too terribly complex with Eagle yet. I do recall doing exactly what you just described at least once, though. And I sometimes run it just to see what comes up, or when I want to watch the draw/erase/redraw cycles; there's something kind of cool about the retro-futuristic way it looks while it's working.


Torben
 
Part placement can make or break a layout. Look at your schematic to see how your components are connected. Place the ones with the most connections to each other near each other. Try flipping components around to reduce the number of wires that cross.
 
Part placement can make or break a layout. Look at your schematic to see how your components are connected. Place the ones with the most connections to each other near each other. Try flipping components around to reduce the number of wires that cross.

I second all of that, plus this: components, laid out right, can make good jumpers. You can often sneak traces and pours under resistors, diodes, ICs, etc to join things up without needing a wire jumper or top layer.

I bet that there are more than a few tips and tricks we haven't mentioned yet.


Torben
 
Added hint: Don't route the ground airwires. Use a pour instead.

If there are special considerations for ground, they of course need to be addressed. I am referring to something simple like the OP proposes. John
 
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Added hint: Don't route the ground airwires. Use a pour instead.

If there are special considerations for ground, they of course need to be addressed. I am referring to something simple like the OP proposes. John

David:

You can do this by using the polygon tool to draw a rectangle around the circuit borders and giving the polygon the ground net's name. When you hit "ratsnest", the area will fill and try to connect any pins or nets which are connected to the ground net in the schematic together.


Torben
 
Small addition to the pour directions, at least for v.4.1x. When you first draw the polygon, enter the ground name (most likely "gnd") on the command line. Hit enter. Then with the "name" tool, click on the polygon, it will ask about re-naming the net. Enter "gnd" again, hit enter, etc.

I really support the concept, now expressed by several forum regulars, that a sub-forum for Eagle or Schematic Capture Programs would be a good addition. John
 
I agree with John regarding a new sub-forum. One could argue that Eagle questions are better asked on the Eagle form. One could make the same argument about PIC's AVR's spice, nearly everything. A form here could be helpful for the people getting started and a place for the more experienced users to trade info.

It would be great to have a sticky explaining the different programs and their merits. A answer to which PCB layout program is best.

I do not think we should limit it to Eagle.

There is a similar need for DIY PCB making but I am not crazy about combining the two.
 
WOW. thank you that was a lot of great info. i will work with the program a lot more to practous
also i was going to add a 9volt battery clip into one of my schematics(it was just a power symble. but i hit drop insted of hitting add/ok and now it is gone. i can find this object any more. how can i get it back
 
but i hit drop insted of hitting add/ok and now it is gone. i can find this object any more. how can i get it back

There was an answer to this a short while back in another thread, but I couldn't find it. This method may or may not be the same.

With you schematic open, click on the Library tab to expand it. Click "Use." Scroll down to the library of the part you deleted, left click it to highlight. Click "open." Go back to the add part dialog in your schematic, and the library should be there.

Don't hit the drop button again. :D

John
 
There was an answer to this a short while back in another thread, but I couldn't find it. This method may or may not be the same.

With you schematic open, click on the Library tab to expand it. Click "Use." Scroll down to the library of the part you deleted, left click it to highlight. Click "open." Go back to the add part dialog in your schematic, and the library should be there.

Don't hit the drop button again. :D

John

yeah i dont think i will be hitting drop again
 
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