PCB Design & Layout?

Question

maybe a bit of a speciality question...

Does anyone know how i can learn to Design & Layout PCBs free? i have tried the download packages but struggle with making my own footprints.

cheers

Answer 1

I have designed PCBs all my life, starting with black ribbons and letraset pads!
There are no easy solution, nor "free" ones.
The free programs never work properly or are incomplete.
The payable ones go from 500£/year licence (easypc, boardmaker etc) to several thousands of £/$.
Some PCB makers will offer free PCB design programs... providing you place the order with them! (Their program save the design on THEIR website!)
Nevertheless, PCB design is complex, especially when you hit multilayers (more than 2), and NO program has ever been capable, for example, to prevent a cross-talk between two tracks. THAT, you acquire by experience.
I suggest you get a SCHEMATIC design program first (like ORCAD STD): they output a netlist that you can then use for your PCB. This means that IF you sch is correct, so will be your PCB.
I have been writing a sch/pcb design program: "Tronics": Schematics, PCB, Gerber Viewer, Lib Editor.
Not free of charge, but free for 10 designs, payable afterward. Never got an order, nor Beta testers.
Program still in backups...
Email-me if you are intrested: I'll put it back on my website.
JR

Answer 2

PCB layout is more of an art than a science, and experience is really the only way to learn. Frankly, no single tutorial can prepare you for everything you may encounter, but the basic things you need to keep in mind are noise, geometry, power requirements and layers for traces.

The best thing I can recommend is to pick up a home PCB kit from Fry's Electronics and do some simple circuits manually... that would be a great stepping stone for getting into CAD PCB design because you'll learn from simple mistakes a lot quicker.

Answer 3

The development is going to be ink revealed onto a sparkling base. it is of a few thickness. while the photoresist of the PCB is uncovered to gentle, the ink development would desire to be in touch with it, not greater effective above it by way of the thickness of the sparkling base. This retains the shadow edges sharp. by means of fact the view you have interior the utility is of the ink development on the sparkling base's "front" part, you will place the sparkling base with the ink part down onto the photoresist lined PCB. meaning that the image interior the utility would be flipped left to proper for a replicate image till now printing onto the sparkling base. Then the development would be shadow projected onto the PCB interior the main suitable way. This step is important to insure the board is made properly.

Answer 4

Try the program called Eagle Layout Editor. It's nice.