Learning PCB design the impatience friendly way

[qersty]

So i undertook a project in order to start learning PCB design. Looked at madbean and snapped up some info but I feel not everything. The tutorials are from 10 years ago so not much applies about the EagleCAD software. Also i think my biggest issue is doing a clean layout of the schematic to begin with.

Is there a good tutorial for dummies on this thing?

[crochambeau]

I use KiCad exclusively, so I cannot weigh in on EagleCAD (and I'll therefore spare you critiques based on second hand knowledge)

This is a highly rewarding endeavour, to plot a circuit and ultimately wind up with hardware.

It is a challenge though, to point at a well rounded tutorial with the fresh start in mind. There are numerous reasons for this, but one that pops out in my mind is that the software itself is a constantly growing environment - so any tutorial I found helpful has been rendered problematic because while outside of sweeping concepts which remain the same, all of the interface specific stuff has changed - at least with the software I am familiar with. The result is often unwatchable, at least to me.

Mind you, change is good - the software I open today is vastly superior to the software I was using seven years ago.

I guess where I am going with this is: for a tutorial regarding your software be sure to input the specific software version in any search terms.

With respect to layout of schematic, examples of clean layouts abound.

For simple stuff like a single + power rail fuzz circuit, I like to visualize the power rail up top with common/ground at the bottom. Then I draft the schematic left to right starting at signal input and leaving at signal output.

Bipolar circuits play the same, but as soon as signal path gets involved with multiple feedback paths, parallel circuits, and so forth I find it cleaner to address each circuit stage as a separate cell, and then use flags to indicate power and signal connections. Like so:



Using flags for power/common can clean up a schematic regardless of scale - but I find it easier to double check my work with solid connection lines (if scale of project allows).

Hopefully this is marginally helpful, I realize I missed any instant gratification bullseye - but I think that's the norm given the subject matter.

[qersty]

Thank you

I think most frustration comes from how I have messed up multiple connections without realizing it. I ended up just bodging it all together and it was a mess when it came to the pcb stage. I just kinda plopped a schematic in there and expected it to translate way too easily.

Idk maybe i downloaded the software from too old recommendations or something.

[crochambeau]

Thank you

I think most frustration comes from how I have messed up multiple connections without realizing it. I ended up just bodging it all together and it was a mess when it came to the pcb stage. I just kinda plopped a schematic in there and expected it to translate way too easily.

Idk maybe i downloaded the software from too old recommendations or something.

Catching mistakes is kind of standard operating procedure in my corner of the world. Be chuffed when you catch them in process and can fix them, rather than discovering mistakes post manufacture.

Again, I have no idea what software you're using or how it works, but KiCad 6 has come a long way with "communication" between the schematic stage and PCB drafting stage when compared to older versions.

For example, hovering over a trace in PCB editor and pressing the "`" key will highlight that net (trace and all connected footprints), and you can look at the associated schematic in the schematic editor and the connections tied to that net will be highlighted as well. That goes both ways, so you can highlight a schematic element (same key) and that will highlight a PCB element (even if it is just the pads of the parts that have not yet been connected with a trace). This sort of thing allows you to check your work and place components/etc.

I believe all worthwhile editors have similar features that make using the software enjoyable, you just have to dig into hotkey menus because that sort of thing is difficult to implement on the top layer without introducing clutter and option paralysis.

It's really going to boil down to how your particular workflow is supported, because we're all going to be a bit different. I wish I had operational familiarity with other EDA software so I could speak intelligently about comparative strengths and weaknesses, but I've hopped aboard a software suite that works for me and throw additional time elsewhere.

[crochambeau]

I was meaning to say it should be possible to edit mistakes and refresh your board without starting from scratch, so you can nibble away at blunders one at a time until the design rules check finds nothing to flag.

[qersty]

I think i got around how to not make things a mess. thanks!

at least i feel the problem has shifted over to lacking the aesthetic competence to make a nice layout got sidetracked trying to find dual-gang reverse log 1M pots (you can't get em off the shelf). dont feel like i can get anymore done today though gotta take a breather

[qersty]

I finally took my time last night and got a first layout done! I didn't measure anything so it is really tiny and cramped as hell. Gonna redo it and measure out a board for the enclosure before doing the layout. Feels great to have got it done though, especially so space efficient. Gonna be easy as hell when laying out with the restrictions of a 125B

Pics later

[crochambeau]

Awesome!

I think there are case outlines somewhere in the world that you can drop onto a layer of the PCB to insure you color inside the lines. I've never bothered with it since I roll my own enclosures.

[qersty]

I mean it is probably fine as is. Just getting the feeling knobs will be cramped a bit