When double checking isn't enough

[vigilante397]

I finally decided it was time to take another step in build quality so a few weeks ago I ordered some boards from OSH Park. All the boards I ordered were modified versions of things I had built before, but with double-sided boards, tighter traces, and solder masks I re-did all of my layouts so I could make the boards smaller, do board-mounted pots, move in/out pads to more convenient places, etc.

The boards came, and they looked fantastic. But much to my dismay, upon soldering them up, a couple of the designs didn't work! Proposterous, I thought, I've used almost the exact layout a dozen times, how could it not work? Well, upon poking around with a multimeter and an audio probe, there were a few places on a few boards were I either connected the wrong things or I just forgot to connect things! I was following the schematic, but the same eyes that made the mistake can't really double check for mistakes.

So where am I going with this? Linked layout/schematics. There are plenty of options out there (Altium, DipTrace, and I think Eagle) that will allow you to link a schematic file to a layout to make sure you aren't making stupid mistakes on your layout. When you first import it everything will look like a huge mess, but it sorts itself out to a neat, working layout.

So I'm out $50 or so (I think, still have a couple boards I haven't tested), but I've learned my lesson and hopefully will get back to building pedals that work

[Hatredman]

Yes, Schematic Capture is a must. It's really more than three or four times  the work compared to simply tracing the layout directly, but it pays.

And you can use autoroute in sone cases.


--
Scarlett Johansson uses a Burst Box with her Telecaster.

[antonis]

the same eyes that made the mistake can't really double check for mistakes.

True, Correct and Verified...!!! 

[karbomusic]

Linked layout/schematics.

That is the primary reason I switched from Vero to say Eagle and etching. I could achieve "almost" the same success rate with Vero but the quintuple checking node by node, point by point, increased the build time by multiples. When linked, so long as I don't make a mistake when I breadboard and test the schematic, it almost has to work when etched.

[Digital Larry]

I've used VeeCAD with Vero and it works pretty well.  Little weird to get started with.  I even paid for the deluxe version.  Recommended if you are going to go beyond copying designs.

[vigilante397]

I'm not familiar with VeeCAD. It looks like it's designed with vero and perfboard in mind, am I understanding that right? How are you liking it?