What's new
By:
Pinball info

Register a free account today to become a member! Once signed in, you'll be able to participate on this site by adding your own topics and posts, as well as connect with other members through your own private inbox!

Return of the PCB editing software

HomerRamone

HomerRamone

Site Supporter
10 Years
Joined
Mar 20, 2013
Messages
1,359
Location
Newcastle
Decided it would be a good idea to plan out a circuit for my roadshow mod. (I'm most likely going to put it onto some prototype board before I worry about a PCB - cant be doing with fiddling on the breadboard arrangement I have to try it connected to the machine).
I do recall a thread about this and I have a bunch of software installed for it. After some twiddling with KiCad I eventually went over to Easy EDA. Got a schematic done (or so I think). Tried telling it to "convert to PCB".
This illustrated some issues right away - the ICs were set as SMD ones and the resistors the size of liquorice torpedoes. So I adjusted all that.
However the result I get... just looks wrong. Am I fighting a loosing battle trying to get this to autogeneratee - maybe I should just try placing the various "footprints" myself and drawing the tracks. (I can forsee an issue there - because in the schematic there are a couple of line that cross - not sure the best approach to working around that).
(It has occoured to me that an electronics/arduino forum might be a better place to ask - but there are some folks on here im sure that have dabbled in this area :) )
 
First of all, EasyEDA is awesome - so you've chosen a good path! Not just in terms of the editing software (which is amazing in it's own right) but also in terms of ordering your finished product. It directly connects to JLCPCB parts libraries and assembly front end, making the whole process much, much simpler.

Personally, even though it's a bit backward and counter intuitive, I usually go straight into PCB design, just because I find it easier to think about that way. I knew Christoph (Afterflow) tends to do the schematics and then use auto routing, but generally there is a fair bit of work to do after the case tidying things up. Personally, I would forgo auto routing.

Instead of using the EasyEDA parts search, find what you're after here instead:

jlcpcb.com

JLCPCB SMT Parts Library & Component Sourcing

100k+ in-stock electronic components for online parts sourcing & PCB assembly, 24-hour rapid SMT assembly
jlcpcb.com jlcpcb.com

Copy the part number:

1670074477582.png

And then find it in the EasyEDA parts library. The search is better, it shows price and availability (pay attention to 'basic' and 'extended' parts as basic are cheaper for assembly), and you'll have easy access to the datasheet to work out what pins do what. Even though @myPinballs will disagree, don't discount SMD parts! Getting the whole mod fabricated means no late nights soldering in your shed, actually works out cheaper, and if something breaks, SMD soldering isn't as difficult as people make out.

One technique I find very useful when doing complex, multilayer designs is to always try and make your traces go in the same direction, on the same layer. For example, vertical on the top layer and horizontal on the bottom layer. This doesn't have to be overly strict, but just where things tend to get congested around the processor for example.

Don't forget to use a ground plane, they are very beneficial design wise and also massively simplify the layout.
 
Last edited:
Lots of useful info for me there. Thanks.
Sounds like it might make more sense to just draw the PCB manually then. (The schematic will still help me get my head around fabricating the prototype I think)
 
Never autoroute unless your designing some pcb motherboard or something, it’s lazy and looks horrendous! Much better to lay out your self :) Routing is my fav part the pcb designing process :D
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom