Anyone using EAGLE for PCB design or similar? Noob layout design questions!

[steveyraff]

Don't you just right-click and click "use" ?

Yea I just had to copy them in to EAGLES library folder manually first.

I don't understand how in the very first step he has a PCB made and it gives him his PCB outline and the background is black. Mine appears very different any time I start a project. My page is blank white. And at the bottom left of his window there is a large green 'ON' type circle. Mine is yellow and when I hover over it, it says f/b annotations not available. It's sorta stumping my starting point...

[karbomusic]

Don't you just right-click and click "use" ?

Yea I just had to copy them in to EAGLES library folder manually first.

I don't understand how in the very first step he has a PCB made and it gives him his PCB outline and the background is black. Mine appears very different any time I start a project. My page is blank white. And at the bottom left of his window there is a large green 'ON' type circle. Mine is yellow and when I hover over it, it says f/b annotations not available. It's sorta stumping my starting point...

Typically you add a schematic, build it, click the switch to pcb icon in the tool bar, it asks you to create a PCB and does that part for you; then you arrange the parts in the PCB screen (they were auto created based on the components in the schematic).  Not sure what step you are on but that's the only way I've done a PCB in eagle aka tied to a schematic. If you can do a PCB without a schematic, I just don't know how since I haven't done it.

[steveyraff]

Don't you just right-click and click "use" ?

Yea I just had to copy them in to EAGLES library folder manually first.

I don't understand how in the very first step he has a PCB made and it gives him his PCB outline and the background is black. Mine appears very different any time I start a project. My page is blank white. And at the bottom left of his window there is a large green 'ON' type circle. Mine is yellow and when I hover over it, it says f/b annotations not available. It's sorta stumping my starting point...

Typically you add a schematic, build it, click the switch to pcb icon in the tool bar, it asks you to create a PCB and does that part for you.  Not sure what step you are on but that's the only way I've done a PCB in eagle aka tied to a schematic.

Yea - I've watched all the videos a few times now, but I am starting mine a little different. I'm starting mine in the PCB window from scratch. However, in saying that, I spoke to a friend of mine who said he has drawn up the schematic for me in EAGLE. Maybe I should wait for him to send me that tomorrow so I can start the exact same as the video.

[PeterPan]

If can just throw my feathered cap in the ring here, let me point out there there is an excellent Schematic / PCBoard package that is completely free and open source, called DesignSpark PCB.  http://www.rs-online.com/designspark/electronics/ It too has a learning curve, as all of them do. But unlike Eagle, whose "free" package theoretically forbids you to do anything commercial, Designspark was apparently written by engineers, for engineers, and is committed to a full featured product with absolutely no cost or licensing fees. I'm at least a version back now, but having done a few "nail biter" 4 layer mixed signal boards with this thing, I was very pleased to find that I was able to do every part of the project i needed to do. While there were times it took me a while to learn how to get to a feature 9par for the course with any powerful software) there were no cases where I'd wished I had used a different product, the forums were always helpful, and the documentation was pretty amazing for a "freebie".  If you're already used to Eagle, and are satisfied with it limitations and fee structure, then by all means use it. But if you're like me, a designer that is forever on a budget, you might want to give this a a look before you are neck deep in eagle.

[pappasmurfsharem]

I could have sworn jkokuras tutorial videos built the schematic part as well. If not you definitely need to build a schematic every time before the pcb that way it will tell you if your pcb is electronically correct. It helps check your work for you.

[steveyraff]

Hey guys,

Just checking in again on this thread of mine. I've been watching lots and lots of tutorials and learning a lot about using EAGLE.

Almost finished my layout now. I started on a particularly tricky one for my first go as it had well over 150 components. Should have started much simpler, but at least most other projects should seem much easier now!

About to go on a google search for this, but might as well ask now that I am here. I am just checking over my layout before I commit to getting one printed out for testing. One thing I noticed, some of my pads are connected to the earth plain when they shouldnt be and vice versa. Anyone know off hand how to edit a pad so that it is not connected to the earth plain, and vice versa?

Cheers!

[mth5044]

It should only be connected to earth if it is on the schematic. Check your schematic to make sure you placed components correctly. Do you have the isolation up high enough so that the plane is far away from the pads? Did you move components and not push the ratsnest button?

[steveyraff]

Yes that all checks out fine.

I think its just a few of my resistors. Some of them messed up as I wasn't careful with their orientation. I forgot about the ground issue and I thought since they don't have a polarity it didn't matter which way around to orientate them, it kind of messed my layout up a little. Obviously, I can't switch the orientation of it around in .brd view as this moves the resistor around, but not the ground connection pad. If that makes sense. Instead of going back into my schematic I thought there would be an easy way of breaking the pad's ground connection in board view - this would be easier for me as I am really not that good at reading schematics. I'm just a beginner.

[mth5044]

When you rotate the resistor and place it back, the ground connections won't automatically update and you will be left with the ground plane still showing the thermal around where the pad is. If you hit rats nest button it will update, unless I'm still misunderstanding. If I am, maybe a screenshot would help.

[steveyraff]

When you rotate the resistor and place it back, the ground connections won't automatically update and you will be left with the ground plane still showing the thermal around where the pad is. If you hit rats nest button it will update, unless I'm still misunderstanding. If I am, maybe a screenshot would help.

Ah you are correct! Oh god, sorry about! What a rookie error. Its just that I've been away from the program for a week or so and forgot that I keep having to hit rats nest to update any changes. Many apologies. Thank you ! ! !

[steveyraff]

Actually, I still have a few pads that need connecting to the ground plain which do not have components attached to them. ie - for off board wiring. I still somehow need to modify these pads to connect to the plain.

Look at pad S9 on this screen shot for example. It needs to be connected to the surrounding ground plain.

[mth5044]

Is S9 on the schematic or did you place the pad in the brd file? If it's in the schematic, you need to place a ground symbol on it's pin. If you placed it on the brd file, I'm not sure how to define what it connects to, I've never made layouts in that way.

[Mustachio]

I believe you can right click on the pad, go to properties, under signal set name to GND. And you will need to rerun the rastnest for it to update the ground pour.

[karbomusic]

I believe you can right click on the pad, go to properties, under signal set name to GND. And you will need to rerun the rastnest for it to update the ground pour.

I think that is correct, if not, right-click and choose name from the menu instead of going into properties.

[italianguy63]

That's strange the + of C3 ratsnest says to connect to R5 (it already is), and the R5 and R8 to the Q1 are duplicates.....

[mth5044]

That's strange the + of C3 ratsnest says to connect to R5 (it already is), and the R5 and R8 to the Q1 are duplicates.....

My thought is that the components were flipped while traces were still connected and made it look like the traces are connected when they are just overlapping.

[italianguy63]

But, just clicking the ratsnest should fix that...   

[italianguy63]

I actually JUST ran into this myself.  It is fixed by using the NAME command on the trace.  Rename it GND.  mth5044 got it!

[MetalGuy]

A friend who works with electronics gave me a copy of EAGLE and even started my design for me.

Maybe it's too late already but anyone who would recommend EAGLE can't be your friend because it's the WORST possible PCB software for beginners and not only.