DIY Layout Creator - software for easy drawing PCB, vero and perfboard layouts

[Perrow]

I have installed diylc 3 but there are no choices for any component, for example I place a tube socket but I have no options for what sort, and the drop down menus it just says "no template".

Help appreciated.

Select it, right click on it and select Edit selection from the context menu.

[selfdestroyer]

Is there any possibility to get the ability to import in jpeg/pngs to trace? Like an alpha layer or move it to back.

[bancika]

you can do that (misc -> image) and play with z-order and alpha

[selfdestroyer]

you can do that (misc -> image) and play with z-order and alpha

I feel so stupid.. I have seen that menu tons of times and never realized it was there. Thanks for not kicking me to the ground. 

[Lizard King]

Hard to search 99 pages and maybe this has been covered....copy/paste....
I want to copy a layout so I can print 6 or 7 images for board etching.  When I paste my design dozens of pads I'd deleted on the original drawing show up. 
Is there a way to copy/paste without bringing over deleted objects?

Very nice program....

[Perrow]

Never had that problem with copy/paste. I usually copy all tracks and pads to fix everything needed for my curvy style of layouts, then delete the original tracks and copy the new tracks back "beneath" the components. Done that many times and as I said, never had deleted parts resurrected.

[Lizard King]

I dunno...maybe I'm doing something wrong.  I just outline my project then copy & drag to a new location and dozens of pads show up.  I originally had Auto-Create pads set up so I had zillions of pads I didn't need.  Those are the ones I deleted on my original but show up in the copy.

OOPS......I just made a copy of my first copy - after removing all the pads and THIS 3rd copy didn't bring back the zombie pads.....But if I copy my original it DOES include the zombies.......very strange....but at least if I want to print a page of trace layouts for etching I only have to clean up my project once...

[bancika]

can you post a bug report with diy file that causes problems to diylc.org?

[Lizard King]

can you post a bug report with diy file that causes problems to diylc.org?

OK.  I'll have to reproduce it since I cleaned it up but it shouldn't be too hard to do on a small scale.  I'll get to it next week.

One other but I'll report - When you add an 8 pin IC and change it to 16 pins, it doesn't create additional pads.  Worse is when you rotate an IC it doesn't rotate the pads.  This, to me, is a HUGE problem.  It took me a long time to get 16 pads lined up correctly.  The main reason for using a program like this is to have exact spaced pads for components.  If I have to add them by hand it kind of defeats the purpose.

And a "wish".  I like to draw my traces in colors - green for ground, red for B+, cyan for most else.  It would be nice when I chose to print a trace from a design if there was an option to print in BLACK only so I could use it to transfer to PCB.  If I want my layout in color and PCB trace in black I have to make two separate drawings.

Oh - and one more "wish".  Would it be possible to turn auto-pad ON for components and OFF for traces?  I know I can do that myself but I sometimes forget and I'm anal about stacking dozens of pads on top of each other - which led to my original bug report.

Having said all that, it is still an AMAZING program for the small scale hobbiest like me.  Previously I was using MS Paint and it wasn't pretty.  I already created three layouts and I'm going to etch my first boards this weekend.

[Perrow]

Just a note, I add pads at the end, when I think I have everything lined up and where I want them to be. The only pads I add early are ones for offboard connections.

[Lizard King]

Just a note, I add pads at the end, when I think I have everything lined up and where I want them to be. The only pads I add early are ones for offboard connections.

That makes sense for most objects; I'll probably start doing that.  However I'd rather have my IC pads added for me.  I find them difficult to line up with any degree of percision.

[Perrow]

Have you turned off "snap to grid"?

[Lizard King]

Have you turned off "snap to grid"?

Tried it both ways

[Perrow]

Because if you have snap to grid enabled everything should line up correctly.

[Skruffyhound]

Ok, made a couple of layouts again now after a long break. Program is looking good. Not everything wants to snap on first time but I'm getting used to that.
My problem is that I can't save the file. On the desktop it's saved as a blank sheet of paper(icon) yet the Mac knows that it's DIYLC default to open.
Is there an easy fix for this. Small layouts i can repeat if I need to make changes, but I don't want to start a big one until I have a solution to this.
I'm on a newish iMac running 10.7
Thanks,
          Aston

[Perrow]

You need to give them the right extension. Add ".diy" (I hope I remember correctly) to your filenames and they should load.

[Skruffyhound]

They are saved on the desktop with that file extension, sadly, otherwise that would have been a great fix.

[Perrow]

And just to rule out the obvious, you have tried to open the file from the "Open..." menu of DIYLC, not just double clicking the file?

[Skruffyhound]

Jeps, but there is something wrong because the icons appear as "anonymous" files - blank sheet of paper instead the DIYLC icon. Double click on them will open the app. but there is nothing saved.

OK ok, everything working again. Either I was doing something weird because I spent too long staring at the screen, or it's Lion acting up again. I have a very chaotic desktop because Lion takes it upon itself to "clean up" every once in a while
taking my organized groups of files putting them in a virtual hat, shaking them up and arranging them in nice straight lines of unrelated files on the right of the screen. Perhaps I was trying to open the wrong iteration of the file.

Anyway, carry on as you were!

[falderguitars]

Hi Bancika,

Just drawn up my first schematic using Diy Layout Creator (EH1322 Big Muff).

Excellent software, thank you.

Matt.