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

[hymenoptera]

Okay, has anyone else experienced this? I've got a small black dot near the center of my practice project I'm doing, trying to learn this program.

I didn't place it (I don't think), it doesn't seem to be a "dot" object, because I can't select it. I'm not sure which layer it belongs to, and it isn't selected when selecting all.

I'll try to upload an image of what I'm talking about.



The black dot right in the center, directly above pin 10 on the IC. It suddenly appear while moving the PCB around, and I can't get it to go away.

Any ideas?

One more thing, is there no battery schematic symbol? I've looked and looked, but I'm stumped!


edit: well, it was a copper trace, and I finally got ahold of it when I moved the board away from it and tugged on it and it stretched like a trace. I was finally able to delete it, but I'm not sure why I couldn't select it earlier.

[duck_arse]

did you try klik-drag-release marquee select around the bad dot? another new user once asked me a similar problem, in the end I decided it was a page marker, because his page was huge with white space. your page is too small for that theory.

[hymenoptera]

Yeah. Tried to drag select it and everything. It was like it wasn't even there. Everythything else around it turned red to show selection, but not the dot. It was like it belonged to some layer beneath that was inaccessable. I ignored it for an hour or so and when I went to click it once more i was able to drag it out like placing a new trace, so I immediately deleted it.

If I think of it I'll try some things and attempt to reproduce it in case it's an unknown bug.

More than likely I'm just an idiot and was doing something wrong.

[CodeMonk]

Yeah, copper trace.
I've done that more than a few times.
Just hold down the left mouse button an select an area around it, then hit delete.
Or (the more difficult way to go) you can close the file, open it in notepad and find the entry for it and change the length.

As for your other questions, sorry, no idea.
Although the roundness idea I would like to see as well.

[GGBB]

I'll answer what I know.

*What happened to the toolboxes I see in older versions? Have these been dropped in favor of the tabs? Is there a way to customize the tabs beyond just adding templates?

Tabs are not customizable.

*Are there any hotkeys/shortcuts for the config options, etc? Like toggling Continuous Creation for instance? I'd like to be able to tap C or hold down Alt or whatever to toggle that one.

Not that I know of. For continuous creation, I leave it on and just hit escape every time I'm done creating that component.

*Tab shortcuts? I'd like to have a quick key press jump between tabs, or at least be able to build my own custom tab instead of relying on the Recent tab to find things quickly.

*Is there a way to adjust the "roundness" of objects? For instance I'd like to square-up my radial capacitors and color them red to represent WIMAs, while I'd like to round-off my DO-7 diode style to look more like a glass sealed Germanium.

No - would be nice though. The only properties you can change will be on the component's edit panel.

Just hold down the left mouse button an select an area around it, then hit delete.

I've found that doesn't always work. In those cases, I right-click on the copper trace button which selects all copper traces in your project, and that allows you to drag the end of the dot (zero-length trace) to make the trace longer which you can then either use or delete.

[hymenoptera]

For continuous creation, I leave it on and just hit escape every time I'm done creating that component.

Nice. I will try that!

I right-click on the copper trace button which selects all copper traces in your project, and that allows you to drag the end of the dot (zero-length trace) to make the trace longer which you can then either use or delete.

Ah, so it's a known bug then. So I will try this the next time it happens. Thanks for the replies!

[duck_arse]

I never use the copper traces, I just bash 'connecting wires' into where I want. ends up what bluebunny calls a "game of tetris", but it cuts down on errors.

I do have a massive problem with trailing mouse cliks, though. I don't know if it's this fecker mouse, the (lacking) machine, a system/progrm prob or just bad muscle control. I always find tiny marquee selects I haven't made on the layout whilst pushing and prodding.

[bluebunny]

. . . what bluebunny calls a "game of tetris" . . .

Ahem, "3D tetris" mate!

[duck_arse]

ah, I just realised why that diagram I sent confused you, blue. I fergot to mention that the clipping diodes are being referenced to the V+ rail, as it made the layout easier.

[hymenoptera]

Ok, armed with new knowledge, I am able to reproduce the zero-length copper trace bug by simply selecting the copper trace tool, clicking where I want it to start drawing, then dragging back until it's a singularity and clicking again. This object is not selectable by any other means than to right click the copper trace tool. Drag-selects do not seem to include it.

To delete a zero-length copper trace you have to right click the copper trace tool, then drag the offending dot out to a non-zero length, at which point it become possible to edit it.

Thanks, guys!

[Bugsi]

Comments about the Macintosh version:
-When I double-click a .diy file, DIYLC launches with a blank window.  My file isn't open.  I have to File=>Open=>navigate to/select my .diy file to open it.

-The keyboard shortcuts all use the `control' key as their modifier.  This drives me batty, as the Mac's modifier key is typically the `command' key.

-The keyboard shortcut for `delete' is ctrl+backspace.  Macintosh laptops only have the delete key, so I can't use a keyboard shortcut.  Instead I have to right click, drag to "delete" from the pop-up menu.

-Are there any other item templates available to import?  I want a TO-220 package 5-pin chipamp like the TDA2030A.  The template for the TO-220 in the semiconductors section cannot edit the number of pins.  The SIP package is the closest thing I can use, where I can edit its length.  Being able to change the length of the TO-220 and add pins would allow modeling things like 3886 chipamps and the like, as well.

-I wish the the Alpha transparency control were stepped, so I could have readily repeatable transparency levels among objects.  Something like 10 steps would be ideal, so I can set an object to something like 60% opacity.

-I'd like the ability to paste into a layout any standard graphic object, like a jpg, or png file.

That's my wishlist.

[hymenoptera]

-I wish the the Alpha transparency control were stepped, so I could have readily repeatable transparency levels among objects.  Something like 10 steps would be ideal, so I can set an object to something like 60% opacity.

My workaround for this has been to select multiple objects and change all of their alphas at once. This is what you want to do, right? So that multiple objects have the same transparency? I'm OCD about that sort of thing and it drive me nuts until I figured out how to edit multiple objects at once.

[Bugsi]

My workaround for this has been to select multiple objects and change all of their alphas at once. This is what you want to do, right? So that multiple objects have the same transparency? I'm OCD about that sort of thing and it drive me nuts until I figured out how to edit multiple objects at once.

Ah, yes.  That would be a very effective workaround.  I will do that.  (I still want a stepped slider, or a numerical value option.)
Thanks for this tip. 

Indeed, I'm making work-arounds for most of these issues, or just living with them.  The program is so good at laying out stripboards compared to anything else, that it's worth accepting some limitations.

[hymenoptera]

Indeed, I'm making work-arounds for most of these issues, or just living with them.  The program is so good at laying out stripboards compared to anything else, that it's worth accepting some limitations.

Agreed. The limitations are outweighed by it's usefulness.

All of my perf layouts will be done in DIYLC before actually being stuffed and soldered now. No more graph paper or "winging it".

I think everyone using this program comes up with their own unique work flow that suits them. I would still love to see some things added, but as a hobbyist programmer, I know that it takes a lot of time to code and debug and debug some more, and it's impossible to add everything every user asks for, or chase down hard to reproduce bugs and things. Sometimes work and family and life just comes first, and developing freeware doesn't pay very well.

[Perrow]

As for the transparency settings, I'm on Windows so I don't know if this works on other OSs, I can click on the "slider track" left (or right) of the slider to move the slider about 1/10 of the way on each click. About three or four clicks usually does the trick (most components have this value set as default).

If you're *nal about it I guess you could open the save file in a text editor and set the value for each component I believe it's an xml file.

[GGBB]

As for the transparency settings, I'm on Windows so I don't know if this works on other OSs, I can click on the "slider track" left (or right) of the slider to move the slider about 1/10 of the way on each click. About three or four clicks usually does the trick (most components have this value set as default).

+1

That's what I do also. 3 clicks for me.

[Perrow]

I'm trying to open a V2 file. I can't open it in V3 and I can't find a V2 download.

[bloxstompboxes]

https://code.google.com/p/diy-layout-creator/downloads/detail?name=diylc2_beta.zip&can=4&q=

Is that not it Perrow? Just googled diylc v2.

[Perrow]

Yeah, I did too after posting the question. But thanks.

Don't know why I suddenly felt the need to look at my 1590B Superfly layout? Only had it in v2 though.

[LightSoundGeometry]

i am with the dude who got snippy ..I like to hand draw out the stuff on paper the same way cozy does for his traces etc ..in fact it was cozy and his help on the echoplex f that got me started with this technique. it helps more in the long run to understand how the circuits are working, plus it translates to the BB for testing - if you can do the first two steps then putting together a vero layout is pretty easy. 

Keep in mind I am only 7 months in and doing small builds with low part counts still.