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

[duck_arse]

has anyone library-ed any surface mount parts for diylc, or are they too complicated? does anyone have a method for smd and diylc?

[Kipper4]

That's a great idea.

[seedlings]

has anyone library-ed any surface mount parts for diylc, or are they too complicated? does anyone have a method for smd and diylc?

All you'd have to do is re-size the part, then save it as a template.  Might look a little odd as a graphic, but the pcb would be fine.

CHAD

[glops]

I am on trial for a new job that came with a new Macbook. Just downloaded the newer version. Wow, quite different from the 1st version I have been using for years!

[Hav]

Has there been any update on 'mirroring' the layout? Created it all nicely, now dont want to be messing around with other programs just so I have to mirror it to print for transfer...  ?

[bloxstompboxes]

I haven't experienced any issues with mirroring on this version hav. If I export my trace mask to pdf, it's ready to iron and etch.

[GGBB]

Has there been any update on 'mirroring' the layout? Created it all nicely, now dont want to be messing around with other programs just so I have to mirror it to print for transfer...  ?

Why do you need to mirror it?  I've never needed to mirror them.

[digi2t]

Mirroring would be cool for veros. Then I would have to do the screen capture to Paint exercise to mirror it.

I use the mirror image to do my cuts.

I would still prefer the resistor part numbers on the standing resistors first though. 

[GGBB]

Your printer might be able to handle the mirroring.  Look under (Windows 7) Printer Settings/Properties > Layout > Advanced > Document Options > PostScript Options > Mirrored Output.

[CodeMonk]

I have several double sided layouts I have done.
The "normal" traces on the trace side print out just fine for transfer.
The component side trace image I do have to mirror though.
I use Paint Shop Pro which has a mirror function.

In case anyone is interested, you use the Layer property on the trace and pad components.
I set trace side traces/pads to Layer 1 and component side traces/pads to layer 2.
When I go to export the trace image, it creates 2 files, one for each layer.

[slashandburn]

Cool thanks for this! Wish Id found this before fighting with Diptrace and Eagle for a few weeks. 

[Bret608]

Hi everyone,

I have a couple of quick questions:

1) How can you make trace cuts visible when they're underneath another component?

2) How can you create a printable view of a layout where everything is big enough to not have to squint? I'm thinking a one-pager like at Tagboard Effects, for example.

Thanks in advance! Having a blast getting up and running with this program.

[bloxstompboxes]

Try exporting the layout to an image file or pdf. With the image, you can atleast scale it up in size in the picture editing software of your choice. I don't mess with vero or stripboard so can't help you there.

[duck_arse]

if you right klik the cut in question, and then select "bring forward", it will come forward, up layers. some times you need to do it twice, sometimes you need to send the obscuring part "send backwards" or what it's called. it's maybe better to copy the board and all the cuts, and paste that image below the with-components image. many people do that for clarity.

[edit :] exactly what ggbb is about to say. I use "hookup wires" of diff colours to follow my traces, and they do go over and under cuts and components.

[GGBB]

1) How can you make trace cuts visible when they're underneath another component?

2) How can you create a printable view of a layout where everything is big enough to not have to squint? I'm thinking a one-pager like at Tagboard Effects, for example.

1) You can't place them on top of components because the PCB layer is always below the component layer, so they will always be drawn below, but you can edit the component's Alpha to make it partly transparent so that it looks "see-through."  Changing the cut colour could also help.

2) There's no simple way for images.  PDFs are scalable so they zoom nicely, but the PNG export is a fixed size.  And you won't gain much just by enlarging a PNG - it will be bigger but fuzzy - in some cases that will be fine.  What I do to create bigger PNGs is to export to PDF, import the PDF into Inkscape, then export to PNG from Inkscape where I can set any size I want.

[Bret608]

Thanks everyone!

Editing the component and playing around with the "Alpha" slider pretty much did the trick. I will try our what duck_arse suggested as well.

I use Illustrator, so I bet I can get a similar result to what you do with Inkscape. Sounds straightforward. This is a fun program so far.

[snarblinge]

Just incase anyone else needs this easier, I recently upgraded to Yosemite and got the Java runtime error when attempting to open my fav. program. downloaded a bunch of new patches but all I needed was this.

http://support.apple.com/kb/DL1572?viewlocale=en_US&locale=en_US

genuine link to apple support, easy install problem solved. DIYLC fun

Thanks endlessly Bancika.

[bancika]

anyone using DIYLC 3.x under windows 8?

[duck_arse]

for linux users: allright, only ten months and I've got a new linux system installed, this time lxle. so, I went and got the "for linux" zip file, (read and followed the expert install instructions) unzipped, edited "run.sh", ran. it installed first go, whacko!

now, with an alias for bash, and a menu item for the fly-out thing at the side, it "executes in a terminal emulator". which would be fine, I suppose, I've seen terminals before, except that diylc spews huge gobs of logging at both the controlling term and the diylc log files meant for just such gibber. so, is there a combination of "&" ">" "2" and "3" to append either alias or menu item that will send the stuff going to the term to /dev/null or it's metric equiv? or am I approaching it wrong from an earlier stage?

[bluebunny]

> /dev/null 2>&1  will junk any stdout/stderr output from diylc, if you're really not interested in it