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

[garcho]

Looks good, but this isn't the appropriate thread for posting what you make with DIYLC. Start a new thread - or join one of the countless threads that already exist - about the particular circuit you're making a layout for. Using a bonafide search engine, like google, works better than this forum's built-in search function.

[fuzzymuff]

Looks good, but this isn't the appropriate thread for posting what you make with DIYLC. Start a new thread - or join one of the countless threads that already exist - about the particular circuit you're making a layout for. Using a bonafide search engine, like google, works better than this forum's built-in search function.

Oops...my bad.

Ok here is a question back on the topic.  How can I change the coordinate info in DIYLC?  Instead of having alphas on x/y coordinates, I would like to have numerical/alpha on the x/y coordinates as it is by far much more precise on giving coordinate info.

[Labaris]

Hey!

I never tried your software before, and it's awesome! Congratulations and thanks a lot for making it free and open source.

[JRM]

I had a problem with my HDD and had to reinstall DIY Layout Creator but now when it opens shows an error «No Document» and «Fail to set data for"». Can someone help me out?

[CodeMonk]

Thought I would share a little trick here (Although I'm probably not the first).
Regarding the Ground Fill component.

Here is what the results of my first use of the Ground Fill component look like:



How to do it:
1. Export your trace mask.
2. Add Ground fill. Leave color as black. Size it to cover your entire PCB. Use the Send Backward option on it.
3. Select all traces. (Right clicking on the trace tool on the toolbar)
4. Increase trace size by 0.5 - 1.0mm, and make them all white.
(if you are new to etching your own boards, I suggest 1.0mm, and then work your way down. I used 0.5mm in the above image).
5. Do the same to pads as in step #3 and #4.
6. Export trace mask again, using different name.
7. Open both in your favorite image editor.
8. Copy and Paste.
8B. I use Paint Shop Pro, which has the "Magic Wand" selection tool. This tool lets you select an item, and anything within the set tolerance that is "connected" to whatever you select, also gets selected.
9. Etch away!

[deadastronaut]

^

that looks superb!..great work man.

[JRM]

I had a problem with my HDD and had to reinstall DIY Layout Creator but now when it opens shows an error «No Document» and «Fail to set data for"». Can someone help me out?

Still have this problem. Can anyone give me some hint how to solve this error messages? Maybe I'm not doing the correct file download. Can anyone give me the link to the latest version.

[deadastronaut]

@jrm:  have you tried an older revision version?

or uninstall/re-install.?...update java?..


http://code.google.com/p/diy-layout-creator/downloads/list

[JRM]

Thanks deadastronaut. I'll try this link as I've already tried to unisntall/install and java has automatic updates on my PC. I'll try it again tonight.

[CodeMonk]

^

that looks superb!..great work man.

Thanks.
Thats just one side.

More thanks Bancika for adding the Layer property.
Between that and the ground fill component saved me an hour or more when doing double sided boards with a ground plane.

BTW, that board design has been scrapped, as has the one that followed it. 
I'm now working on Version 6 (Really more like 12 or 13, but I just started making folders for each new iteration).

[therecordingart]

How the heck does one go about creating a pad layout for a part whose pins don't line up on perf?  I want to make a PCB with onboard Neutrik NMJ4HCD2 jacks. What I've done in the past is use perf as my guideline and count the pads, but the pins don't match up to perf spacing.

[deadastronaut]

^ untick snap to grid!. and make a pcb.

[artifus]

^ this... and/or: edit project and set the grid spacing to the lead spacing of the odd component. grid spacing can be toggled on and off per placement and changed on the fly without affecting previous placements. remember - it is a graphics package.

[Perrow]

When I need to place something "odd" I set the grid spacing as low as possible while still adding up to .5, then move it as close as possible to the desired point, then trust the drill to be large enough to make up for whatever error's still there.

[bancika]

Added breadboard and fixed an annoying bug...check it out 

[GGBB]

I find the grid spacing issue to be a real problem for doing things like adding an on-board 3PDT footswitch or audio jacks.  My layouts are in inches (because otherwise IC pins don't line up) but the footswitches have a metric layout.  Even if I change to a mm grid spacing, trying to line up the footswitch pads so that as a group they are at a particular position relative to the rest of the components (for example dead center horizontally where you would normally always put a footswitch) is impossible - it only works by chance.  I've tried grouping the pads while in metric gird, and then switching back to inches to align them as a group but that doesn't seem to work consistently - there appears to be no way to predict what part of a group is the basis for aligning to the grid.  Even if you do get the alignment right, it then becomes impossible to get the traces to line up centered with both an inches aligned spot and a metric aligned spot.  Very frustrating!

[bancika]

feel free to suggest an elegant solution and I'll consider it

[GGBB]

feel free to suggest an elegant solution and I'll consider it

One very simple thing would be to allow grouped items to be aligned according to a setting such as center, top, or left etc.  In my footswitch example, all I would need is to be able to align all nine pads as a group centered on my inches grid align point.  Even if they just always aligned at their center point, that would be far more usable than it is now.

By the way have you given any thought to a rotation feature yet?  I know it's been suggested.  Right now I'm having to do it externally in some java code I've written.

[Perrow]

I'll add this while I remember (on phone), a 3pdt pad "group" or a pad grid with settings for horizontal and vertical spacing would solve most these issues. Setting for vertical and horizontal alignment of course.

[bancika]

I'm not sure I understand, align what against what? You mean, I select few components, click align and each one of them realigns itself to the closest grid point?