schematic- to-veroboard program?

[mordechai]

Is there a program that does for veroboard what Eagle does for PCBs?  That is, is there something out there where I can draw a schematic and the program then shifts to a veroboard layout design stage?

I've just downloaded a free version of LochMaster 4.0 but I don't think it does what I'm after here...

[Electron Tornado]

DIY Layout Creator allows you to do vero board layouts. You use it to design the layout yourself. You can print out the layout along with a list of components. I've used it for PCBs. One excellent feature is it's free.

[mordechai]

Does DIY Layout Creator "work" from a schematic the way that Eagle does?

[deadastronaut]

nope...no autoroute on that!..

[smallbearelec]

People here who know much more than I do say that auto-routing in CAD programs doesn't work very well for analog circuits such as those that concern us. As I think about my own experience with EAGLE, I can see why this would be. The software can't make for you the choices that are essential to the mechanical layout of a pedal, such as where the controls, input, and output will be. You, the designer, make those choices, and so determine the essential shape and layout of the board. Whether you are talking about a DIY-friendly program like Layout Creator, or an industrial-strength CAD program like EAGLE, I think you have to deal with this learning curve.

Another poster has noted that he uses Layout Creator to do PCBs. I have done the opposite and used EAGLE to do pad-per-hole perf layouts, so we know that both are possible. An advantage of EAGLE, and similar programs, in this respect is that they will generate output files in Gerber format.  If at some point you want to have a factory make a board for you, this capability is important.

For a discussion of best FX-specific board-design practices with detailed examples,  check out R. G. Keen's book:

http://www.smallbearelec.com/servlet/Detail?no=679

Regards
SD

[Perrow]

Can eagle verify your layout against a schematic? I know layout creator can't, I just wonder if that's what the OP was after.

[Seljer]

If you're creative in your layout and try to keep all traces only in the horizontal direction you can use Eagle to layout veroboard stuff from a schematic. The process is still manual but the ability to verify the connectinos directly is very handy!

[J0K3RX]

I really need to learn how to use Eagle! Any good tutorials for noobs?

[DiscoVlad]

Eagle has a tutorial/manual in the /program files/eagle/doc/ folder, and example boards which get installed.

www.gaussmarkov.net has tutorials, and a library of common pedal parts.
http://dmi.uib.es/~jguerrero/labSistemes/eagle_tut.pdf covers schematic capture and layout, and has a section on creating your own components.
http://www.ece.ualberta.ca/~ee401/resource/manuals/Eagle02.pdf is similar
www.sparkfun.com has a bunch of tutorials.

Start with something simple (i.e. 1-2 transistors/ICs) like a LPB-1, Fuzzface, wah output buffer board, Cmoy headphone amp etc. or copying existing layouts is the best way to get the hang of the toolset.

[defaced]

Can eagle verify your layout against a schematic? I know layout creator can't, I just wonder if that's what the OP was after.

They're linked.  You make a schem, choose part footprints, then make a board.  You can adjust all of it as you design the board. That linked behavior in programs like DIY LC, or a set of libraries specifically designed for vero/perf for programs like Eagle/Diptrace/favorite PCB software here, is something that's missing big time. 

[Perrow]

They're linked.  You make a schem, choose part footprints, then make a board.  You can adjust all of it as you design the board. That linked behavior in programs like DIY LC, or a set of libraries specifically designed for vero/perf for programs like Eagle/Diptrace/favorite PCB software here, is something that's missing big time. 

Yeah, that would be gold to have.