PCB design.

PCB design.

[Geoff Bagley]

I have a PCB design package   (Debian GNU/Linux package pcb )  which I 
have been playing with.

Please can you tell me are there any other guys out there who have 
experience of this ?

73

Geoff Bagley

G3FHL

Re: PCB design.

[Christof Bodner]

Hi,

I use the freeware version of Eagle that's running on Linux, Windows and
MacOS (http://www.cadsoftusa.com/freeware.htm.en) There is a schematic
editor and a layout editor with autorouting included. The limit is two
layers and a size of 4x3.2 inches for the layout tool and only one sheet
at the schematic editor.

73 de OE8BCK, Christof 

Am Samstag, den 21.03.2009, 08:10 +0000 schrieb Geoff Bagley:
> I have a PCB design package   (Debian GNU/Linux package pcb )  which I 
> have been playing with.
> 
> Please can you tell me are there any other guys out there who have 
> experience of this ?
> 
> 73
> 
> Geoff Bagley
> 
> G3FHL
> --
> To unsubscribe from this list: send the line "unsubscribe linux-hams" in
> the body of a message to majordomo@vger.kernel.org
> More majordomo info at  http://vger.kernel.org/majordomo-info.html
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             (0-0)
---------oOO--(_)--OOo-----------------------------------------------
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         - First they ignore you. Then they laugh at you. Then they
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Re: PCB design.

[don]

On Sat, Mar 21, 2009 at 08:10:21AM +0000, Geoff Bagley wrote:
>
> I have a PCB design package   (Debian GNU/Linux package pcb )  which I have 
> been playing with.
>
> Please can you tell me are there any other guys out there who have 
> experience of this ?

I have used it for 1 board.  It works well.  The situation with
part libraries and footprints is complex.  If you want to do your own
no problem.

For simple projects it is hard to beat expresspcb.  Their tool runs OK
for me with wine.

Don - W7DMR

Re: PCB design. W7DMR DE G3FHL =

[Geoff Bagley]

Hi Don,

Many thanks for your information.
Can you please tell me just how difficult it is to overcome the 
"complex"  part of  the  pcb  package.

I much prefer to use the Debian package -  I have an aversion to 
proprietary software even using wine.

I wonder which  GNU/Linux distro you use ?

I started off with SuSE way back  about 1999,  but switched to Debian 
when  "Woody" became stable.
I now use "Lenny".

Please can you give me a "steer" to get started with pcb ?
If I can get started, I can build upon a modest start.

I am not attempting an ambitious PCB -  I guess it ought to be possible 
to get pcb working.

I think I only need  8DIL  sockets and a few resistors/capacitors  to 
lay out a high gain
LF amplifier  using OP07  chips.

Thanks to everyone for allowing me to hijack the list !

73 to all

Geoff Bagley

G3FHL


don wrote:
> On Sat, Mar 21, 2009 at 08:10:21AM +0000, Geoff Bagley wrote:
>   
>> I have a PCB design package   (Debian GNU/Linux package pcb )  which I have 
>> been playing with.
>>
>> Please can you tell me are there any other guys out there who have 
>> experience of this ?
>>     
>
> I have used it for 1 board.  It works well.  The situation with
> part libraries and footprints is complex.  If you want to do your own
> no problem.
>
> For simple projects it is hard to beat expresspcb.  Their tool runs OK
> for me with wine.
>
> Don - W7DMR
> --
> To unsubscribe from this list: send the line "unsubscribe linux-hams" in
> the body of a message to majordomo@vger.kernel.org
> More majordomo info at  http://vger.kernel.org/majordomo-info.html
>
>   

Re: PCB design. W7DMR DE G3FHL =

[Matti Aarnio]

On Sat, Mar 21, 2009 at 07:42:47PM +0000, Geoff Bagley wrote:
> Hi Don,
>
> Many thanks for your information.
> Can you please tell me just how difficult it is to overcome the  
> "complex"  part of  the  pcb  package.

You will need about 20 completed designs.

That is time you will need with _any_ decent software to become sufficiently
proficient to be able to enter design as schematics, and then to layout bits
on PCB.   Or to be able to tell what is wrong with the thing.

> I much prefer to use the Debian package -  I have an aversion to  
> proprietary software even using wine.
>
> I wonder which  GNU/Linux distro you use ?
>
> I started off with SuSE way back  about 1999,  but switched to Debian  
> when  "Woody" became stable.
> I now use "Lenny".
>
> Please can you give me a "steer" to get started with pcb ?
> If I can get started, I can build upon a modest start.

Personally I do like the CADSoft's Eagle.  Its free version has limitations
of:

  - single schematic design sheet (albeit a very large one!)
  - 100x80 mm PCB, 2 layers
  - no autorouter

Its pre-existing component library is quite sufficient for your needs,
and adding new ones is fairly easy -- again the magic "20 attempts help
you to master the thing"

Lack of autorouter is no hindrance.  I have seen nowhere an autorouter which
I would really like (at _any_ price), but certain versions of interactive
push & shove editing systems would be dandy (except that they are patented
ideas...)

Indeed I have Eagle's full commercial version, and I do not use autorouter
at all.

I have used the large PCB layout area to combine multiple small designs from
6 designers to single large combined one for manufacturing.  Resulting board
was something like 250 x 380 mm and contained a dozen boads.
(File pre-processing cost was 25 euros per file, doing self-combine cut that
cost down considerably...)

> I am not attempting an ambitious PCB -  I guess it ought to be possible  
> to get pcb working.
>
> I think I only need  8DIL  sockets and a few resistors/capacitors  to  
> lay out a high gain LF amplifier  using OP07  chips.

The freeware Eagle will do it for you, then.
Do the tutorial excercises at first to get a feel of the thing, and then
you should be able to do the real designs.

> Thanks to everyone for allowing me to hijack the list !
>
> 73 to all
>
> Geoff Bagley
> G3FHL

73 de Matti, OH2MQK

Re: PCB design. W7DMR DE G3FHL =

[don]

On Sat, Mar 21, 2009 at 07:42:47PM +0000, Geoff Bagley wrote:
> Hi Don,
>
> Many thanks for your information.
> Can you please tell me just how difficult it is to overcome the "complex"  
> part of  the  pcb  package.

The problem is the variety of part libraries for gschem, and part footprints
for PCB.  Different users have different preferences.  So you will find
many different and not always compatible sets.

> I much prefer to use the Debian package -  I have an aversion to 
> proprietary software even using wine.
>
> I wonder which  GNU/Linux distro you use ?

I use Gentoo and Ubuntu at home and Red Hat at work.

-- 
Don

Re: PCB design. W7DMR DE G3FHL =

[Andrew Errington]

Hi Geoff,

If you haven't started your project yet then take a look at KiCd.  I am
not sure if it is in a Debian repository, but if not it is easy to
download and install.

Kicad is a full schematic capture and layout program.  If you take a look
you will see that the features are quite impressive and not just limited
to PCB artwork.  In addition it is Free and Cross Platform.

Executive summary here:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kicad

Home page here:
http://kicad.sourceforge.net/wiki/index.php/Main_Page

73,

Andrew
ZL3AME

On Sun, March 22, 2009 04:42, Geoff Bagley wrote:
> Hi Don,
>
>
> Many thanks for your information.
> Can you please tell me just how difficult it is to overcome the
> "complex"  part of  the  pcb  package.
>
>
> I much prefer to use the Debian package -  I have an aversion to
> proprietary software even using wine.
>
> I wonder which  GNU/Linux distro you use ?
>
>
> I started off with SuSE way back  about 1999,  but switched to Debian
> when  "Woody" became stable. I now use "Lenny".
>
>
> Please can you give me a "steer" to get started with pcb ?
> If I can get started, I can build upon a modest start.
>
>
> I am not attempting an ambitious PCB -  I guess it ought to be possible
> to get pcb working.
>
> I think I only need  8DIL  sockets and a few resistors/capacitors  to
> lay out a high gain LF amplifier  using OP07  chips.
>
>
> Thanks to everyone for allowing me to hijack the list !
>
>
> 73 to all
>
>
> Geoff Bagley
>
>
> G3FHL
>
>
>
> don wrote:
>> On Sat, Mar 21, 2009 at 08:10:21AM +0000, Geoff Bagley wrote:
>>
>>
>>> I have a PCB design package   (Debian GNU/Linux package pcb )  which
>>> I have
>>> been playing with.
>>>
>>> Please can you tell me are there any other guys out there who have
>>> experience of this ?
>>>
>>
>> I have used it for 1 board.  It works well.  The situation with
>> part libraries and footprints is complex.  If you want to do your own no
>> problem.
>>
>> For simple projects it is hard to beat expresspcb.  Their tool runs OK
>> for me with wine.
>>
>> Don - W7DMR
>> --
>> To unsubscribe from this list: send the line "unsubscribe linux-hams" in
>>  the body of a message to majordomo@vger.kernel.org More majordomo info
>> at  http://vger.kernel.org/majordomo-info.html
>>
>>
>
> --
> To unsubscribe from this list: send the line "unsubscribe linux-hams" in
> the body of a message to majordomo@vger.kernel.org More majordomo info at
> http://vger.kernel.org/majordomo-info.html
>
>

Re: PCB design. W7DMR DE G3FHL =

[Geoff Bagley]

Thanks Andrew,

I have just downloaded it from Debian and will give it a try !
Thanks to all for help.

73

Geoff  G3FHL

Andrew Errington wrote:
> Hi Geoff,
>
> If you haven't started your project yet then take a look at KiCd.  I am
> not sure if it is in a Debian repository, but if not it is easy to
> download and install.
>
> Kicad is a full schematic capture and layout program.  If you take a look
> you will see that the features are quite impressive and not just limited
> to PCB artwork.  In addition it is Free and Cross Platform.
>
> Executive summary here:
> http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kicad
>
> Home page here:
> http://kicad.sourceforge.net/wiki/index.php/Main_Page
>
> 73,
>
> Andrew
> ZL3AME
>