PRINTED CIRCUIT BOARD

Free PCB Design Tools

noreply@blogger.com (Go2Media) — Sun, 22 Feb 2009 19:47:00 +0000

Here's a PCB design tools list you can download, and more resource for comparing which one software you can choose to use. Get freeware and open source pcb design tools.

EAGLE - Nice, easy to use CAD/CAM software for PCB schematic and routing. You can download free evaluation version.
TinyCAD -TinyCAD is a free open-source schematic editor written by Matt Pyne.
FREE-PCB -FreePCB is a free, open-source printed circuit board layout editor for Microsoft Windows!
gEDA - gEDA is a free, open-source schematic capture and layout package that runs on Linux.
ZenitPCB - ZenitPCB is a freeware layout software.
PCB - Free unix PCB editor.
KICAD -GPL open source schematic capture and PCB routing.
TCI3 -Free PCB routing and schematic capture software.
SCORE - Free schematic capture software (Alfa version).
PROTEL - CAD/CAM software for schematic and routing. You can download 30 days free trial. Protel offers free old-DOS based software called EasyTrax.
MINIMAL PCB EDITOR - Open source schematic capture and board layout editor for windows by OKADA Hitoshi

More source for freeware and open source PCB Design Tools

See more: Printed Circuit Board Software - WinCircuit 2008

PCB Trace Width Calculator

noreply@blogger.com (Go2Media) — Sun, 22 Feb 2009 18:57:00 +0000

Here's a links list for PCB trace calcultor, calculates the trace width for printed circuit board conductors for a given current using formulas from IPC-2221 (formerly IPC-D-275).

PCB Trace Width Calculator - This Javascript web calculator calculates the trace width for printed circuit boards based on a curve fit to IPC-2221 (formerly IPC-D-275). Also see the via calculator.

ANSI PCB Trace Width Calculator - This page calculates approximations to the ANSI/IPC-D-275 and IPC-2221 design standards for PCB trace width. The approximations and rationale are described in Temperature Rise in PCB Traces

PCB Design Information - Some useful information for designing general-use printed circuit boards.
- PCB Environment
- PCB Base Material
- Trace Width Calculator
- Trace Spacing

PCB Trace Amperage Chart Image source

See more: Printed Circuit Board Software - WinCircuit 2008

Making your own PCB's at Home

noreply@blogger.com (Go2Media) — Wed, 11 Feb 2009 08:43:00 +0000

Here's the way for making your own circuit boards at home. Just convert the article's schematic to a board, buy the parts and put it together. Just a few steps short of a pre-kitted project.

The steps for Making your own PCB's at Home:

Preliminary Stuff

While making PCB's at home isn't particularly difficult, it's not a trivial undertaking. You need to acquire some kind of PCB layout program, and build or buy some specialized equipment. There's also a bit of a learning curve to it, especially the PCB layout tool. There's nothing stopping you from using resist-pen, or even a simple computer paint program to define the traces. The downside is that this will limit you on the complexity of the circuit you can lay out, and make it harder to incorporate changes down the line.

PCB Layout Software

There's really no point in using the etch resist pen or paint program because a commercial-quality layout tool can be had for free. It's called EAGLE PCB, put out by CadSoft. You can download for free either a Linux or Windoze version of this layout tool, whose only limitation is a maximum of one schematic page and about a 2.5x4" PCB size. This is more than enough for most hobby/ham projects, and if you need more than that, the registered version cost is very reasonable. I run the Linux version and am very happy with it. Plan on spending a few (or more) evenings getting to understand the interface and component libraries, and you will see this is a much better solution than etch markers or paint programs.

Equipment Procurement

Depending on how resourceful you are, you can spend a little or a lot on etching equipment. I wimped out and bought most of my equipment but it wasn't hard to justify after seeing the results. I'm using what's known as the "toner transfer method", where you print your board layout onto a special paper using a laser printer, then "re-fuse" the toner onto a blank copper board using a laminating machine. Then you soak the paper off, leaving the toner behind. The etchant can't eat through the toner, so any copper covered with toner remains behind as circuit traces or component pads. Seems simple, and it is. But there are a few gotchas that will make or break the success of this process, so save yourself the grief that I went through and follow along below as we go through the process of making a board.

Making your own PCB's at Home, K5XLP

See more: Printed Circuit Board Software - WinCircuit 2008

PCB Prototypes

noreply@blogger.com (Go2Media) — Mon, 05 Jan 2009 15:20:00 +0000

A PCB is the acronym for Printed Circuit Boards, which are cards or circuit boards that are composed of a very thin flat metal or hard plastic-type board called an insulator. It is upon this that computer silicon chips and other similar electronic components are mounted. These PCBs are then used in electronic appliances like televisions, computers, washing machines, digital cameras, and so forth.

A prototype can be considered the first working model of an invention. So in this case, a PCB prototype is the first circuit board that is invented for a new electronic device. By using this PCB prototype in the electronic device, the inventor can see if the prototype serves its purpose in the invention. Once the electronic device is made to function with the PCB prototype, any mistakes that take place can be rectified in the prototype. In this way, the PCB prototype saves the inventor of the electronic appliance lots of money, as any mistakes that may be present in the PCB will be pinpointed before the actual commercial manufacture of the PCB.

Without having a PCB prototype, the model of a new invention will be of no use if its PCB is not in good condition and up to requirements. Electronic appliances are getting more and more technologically advanced by the day. This advancement is done through changes on a PCB prototype, which is then tried on the appliance to see if the advancement is in right order. Using different materials of the PCB also account for changes in the PCB prototype. You can use fiberglass, Teflon or cross-linked polystyrene for the PCB, and it is through the PCB prototype that you find out which PCB material best fits your PCB. Nowadays, new PCBs are in use in electronic appliances, thanks to the PCB prototypes.

See More: Make a Printed Circuit Board - Manual Method

More about PCB Prototypes

Make a Printed Circuit Board (PCB)

noreply@blogger.com (Go2Media) — Wed, 23 Jul 2008 12:19:00 +0000

Many people ask me for PCB to my projects. I don't give out PCB because of two reasons.

I reuse components and most likely you will find components but NOT with the same shape.
Learn how to make PCB and you will be able to develop your own projects.

Some people like hole mounted components and some like surface mounted components.Some day you want to stand on your own legs, so I will explain how easy it is to make your own boards right home in your kitchen. Make sure your wife is out shopping or something.

Measuring the components
I often reuse components I find in VCR, cordless phones and so. I use a measuring tool to measure the size of the components.

Design of the board layout using CAM350
There are many drawing program you can use for PCB and you can fin many free programs on the internet.
I have found a software called CAM350. It is not a complete development tool, it is just a basic drawing tool where you can draw lines, circles, square and make a component library yourself.

Download windows software
cam350.zip (3.37Mb)

If you are rich you can buy advanced PCB software with autoroute and all. I like surface mounted components because they are smaller and you don't have to drill holes..lazy me!

Printing the negative plastic film
When the design is ready I just print it out on a laser printer. I use transparent plastic film. The dark area will be cooper and the transparent area will be spacing. I always print out two films and tape them on top of each other.

In this way the dark area will be really black so no UV light can pass later. You must be accurate when you place the two films on top of each other. A small shift will give blurry lines of the board. I place the films against a window, since a window is flat and you can see the light come through the films.

When It looks good I place tape at three sides to fix the two films together.

Glasses and weights
At the bottom I have a glass so the board will lay on a flat surface. (difficult to see) You can use any ordinary glass. Enough UV will still pass through the glass. Then comes the board. On to the board are the two films and finally on top of that I have placed another glass.

(Difficult to see in this figure, but there is two glasses and between them is the board and film.)

To the left and right you can find two weights. I have placed them there to press on the glasses so the film will be close to the board.

This is important because if you don't have glasses pressing the film, you can easy get a small space between the film and the board and that will make the lines blurry!

Preparing the UV lamp
The PCB I use have been pre-sprayed with a UV sensitive layer of color.I went to a second hand store and found an old UV-light from the 70:th used for sun tanning. This lamp gives UV-A, B,C and I think even some X-RAY.I am sure any UV lamp will do the job for you. The photo show you how I have placed the lamp in my kitchen.Under the lamp is the bottom glass I told you before.The light is really strong and I recommend sunglasses because UV light can damage your eyes.

Exposing/developing the board
Here I have placed the board with the 2 glasses under the UV-lamp. Areas of the PCB exposed to the UV light (through the film) are turned into a protective plastic film. I have experimented with different timing and I have noticed that 3-4 minutes will give good results.If you overexpose the board, the light will penetrate the black area and give bad results. Don't touch the board during the exposing.

After 3-4 minutes I turn off the UV-lamp and remove the board to let it cool down.It needs to cool down because it is quit hot (30-40 degree Celcius) and if you put a hot board into the developing liquid (water solution of NaOH) the reaction will got to fast and you loose the lines. So, let the board cool down (shake it) and then put into the developing liquid.

When you buy the NaOH powder, you can read the label how much mixing water you need. If you think the developing reaction goes to slow (not at all) try to warm the solution just a little. Also here you need to experiment a bit.

When I mix the NaOH I get about 2 litre. Then I use some "dummy" boards to test the solution. When you test the "dummy" boards make sure you expose it to UV light as it would be a real board. During the developing phase you will see the pattern from the films grow on the board. For me the developing phase takes about 1-2 minute then I shower the board with fresh water to remove NaOH remains.

Etch the board
There are several different solution used for etching. I advice you to buy a etch kit with powder. The etching process will be fastest when the solution is warm. I put the board into a plastic jar filled with etch solution.
I then put the jar into a pan with water. I warm the pan on the stove until the water almost boils. The heat will transfer into the jar and the etching process will work great. I move (shake) the jar to speed up the etching time.

The etching time is about 5-10 minutes.

Finished board
Here you can see the finished circuit boards with edges and lines sharp as razorblade. All you need to do now is to clean the board with Acetone to remove the protective plastic film.

Final word
A good board will improve the quality of your projects, Specially if you are into RF homebrewing. Now you know how to make PCB of your own. You need to buy some stuff, but I assure you the result will be great!
Click here to see photo and read how to solder SOIC and smd components.

Many people has written to me and asked about the UV lamp. I advice you to go to a electronic shop and ask for UV light (tube) and they will help you. This is what Rafael Santos from Portugal did and I want to show his great UV-box.

Rafael say "They told me that the lamp TL 05 is great to do PCB's , this lamp is used in stores to kill fly's, they go against the lamp and bzzz....." Watch and enjoy...*smiling* I think his work will inspire all of you to build your own UV box.

You can always mail me if there is anything unclear. I wish you good luck with your projects and thanks for visit my page.

Make a Printed Circuit Board (PCB)

See more: Make a Printed Circuit Board - Manual Method

How to Photo Etch a PCB #3

noreply@blogger.com (Go2Media) — Sat, 12 Jul 2008 12:50:00 +0000

Step 11 : Cheat sheet

This is a cheat sheet I used. Print it out and take it with you for reference.

Step 12 : Installed components

Step 13 : Soldered components

Step 14 : Conclusion

If you are going to do this process, then take a look here. Look at their instructions and at their video of the process. You do not need all of their tools to do it. There might be some different companies that sell this stuff and might have some different mixtures and times. Follow their instructions.

As I mentioned before this was my fist time etching a PCB. It was a very simple process to do if you feel comfortable using chemicals - give it a try. If I can do it so can YOU!

I would like to thank….

Drew Hickman
Robert Stark

for all of their help in the process of gathering info on etching and the making of SSR’s.

Step 15 : My little helper

When soldering the components to build the SSRs and building the control box on holidays, I had some helpers, a mom and two baby deer. They would eat right out of your hand. I tried to convince the mother to come and be part of the display but she didn’t think too much of it.

Page1 Page2 Page3 - Source: Russel Watson

See More: Make a Printed Circuit Board - Manual Method

How to Photo Etch a PCB #2

noreply@blogger.com (Go2Media) — Sat, 12 Jul 2008 12:49:00 +0000

Step 6 : Exposing the board

I used a 48” flourescent shop light with ‘Day Light’ flourescent tubes in it for the exposure stage. Set the shop light up 5 inches from the top of the board. I used 2” by 4” and some other sized blocking for this. Working in safe light, gently peel off the white coating. Don’t touch the green photo resist. Put it under the florescent light, which is not yet ON.

I put the PCB board on top of a piece of melamine board so I could move it around under the light (take account 5” top of the board adjust if necessary). Take your transparence, lay it printed side down. Now your reference word will be the right way around. Take the piece of glass or clear plastic and lay it on top of the transparency making sure everything is lined up the way you want it. If so, turn on the florescent light for ten minutes to expose the board. It is better to overexpose than to under expose. I did it for 12 min. 30 sec. Turn off the florescent light; remove glass weight and transparence (still in safe light).

(This picture was taken during the process).

Step 7 : Developing the board

Mix developer: 1 part developer to ten parts water. I used 50ml developer to 500ml water (THIS COULD BE DIFFERENT IF USING OTHER BRAND OF DEVELOPER). It is better to mix a weaker than stronger developer. Mix this before hand. Place board into developer solution, take a foamy brush and lightly brush the photo resist off for 1-2 min. You will very quickly see the green photo resist coming off. I think my board was in there for only 30 - 60 seconds, so watch closely because my board was not in there for 1-2 min. If left in there for too long, all the photo resist will come off. Next time, my solution will be weaker. Place board directly into water to naturalize the developing stage. Take a close look at the board to see if you need to touch up anything with a permanent marker. (I did not need to).

Step 8 : Developed Board

Here is a picture right after the board was developed. All the traces were intact, so off to the next step.

Step 9 : Etching the board

Still working in safe light, drill a hole in a corner of the board where nothing is there. Place a piece of string, fish line, (I used weed eater line) through the hole so you have something to pull the board out of the etch ant with. Place the board in the etch ant for 5-30 mins. Depending if you have a heater on and bubbles going. I heated the etch ant to 42 C or 108 F with air bubbles and took 11mins. to etch the board. I started checking at 4 mins. and noticed that the top of the board was etching quicker than the bottom, so I turned the board around. When finished, take the board out and put in water. I had 2 buckets to check the board during the etching stage and one clean bucket of water for it to sit in while I cleaned up. CLEAN UP TIME!

Ferric chloride is able to be heated no higher than 57 C or 135 F. An ideal etching temperature is 50 C or 120 F. I could not go that high because the fish tank thermometer I used did not go that high. I am going have to find one that does.

This is a homemade etching tank made from acrylic plastic. It holds 1 liter or 32 OZ of etch ant nicely. Here is a ‘how-to’ that I found here. I don’t recommend building one, just get 1 gallon of etch ant and a 1 gallon rubber made container. If you do decide to make one, notice the big rubber made container that the pump is sitting on. Place the tank in one of those when etching in case the tank leaks or ruptures. Use proper acrylic glue not just silicon like they recommend.

Step 10 : Step 8. Finished product

Here is the finished board. The photo resist is still on and apparently you do not need to remove it to solder. I found the photo resist to be a pain to solder to. I found it easier to remove the photo resist and solder the board, that way then you can take off the burs from around the holes.

Page1 Page2 Page3 - Source: Russel Watson

See more: How To Create Your FM Transmitter PCB?

How to Photo Etch a PCB #1

noreply@blogger.com (Go2Media) — Sat, 12 Jul 2008 12:32:00 +0000

Step 1 : Things you need!

Here are some of the things I used in the process. (Minus the drill, fish tank thermometer, timer, paper towels and various hand tools). Most of the pictures are recreated with water, not chemicals in the house. I DO NOT RECOMMEND ETCHING INDOORS. (This was the first time I’ve tried etching).

Step 2 : PCB Design

This is my design I made it from “eagle” with their free soft ware. You can make a board 4” by 3.2” with the free ware.

Here is a page trace width that has a trace width calculator to figure out what widths of trace to use for the amperage you want to put through them.

Step 3 : Transparence

You will need to have a transparence from a PCB program. I took a copy of my image to a local office supply store and had two transparencies photocopied. I did not like how one looked because I could see through the traces, so I taped two together. When making the image, you want to have the printed side down on a board. I made reference to this by placing the TOP backward on the paper. Make sure when you print your image that it will be the way you want it when you flip the transparence around.

Here is my transparence. You will also need a piece of glass for a weight, as it holds down the transparence on the board so that no light passes underneath the transparence.

Step 4 : Board and Chemicals

Get a piece of photo etching board (that comes in a black plastic bag), developer, and Ferric Chloride. I used the stuff from http://www.mgchemicals.com (see photo in step1). Yes, you can cut the board before making a board. Just be careful not to damage the photo resist by putting too much pressure on it.
The developer and Ferric Chloride are dangerous chemicals, so use common sense around them (use rubber gloves and eye protection). This is not a project to let the kids help you with. Keep them far away from this stuff!!

Step 5 : Time to start

Let’s get started! Get everything together you think you will need before beginning. You’ll need a dark place where it doesn’t matter if you make a mess. I used my garden shed. You could also do it at night outside. Work under safe light conditions, when you have the white covering peeled off of the board. A 40 W incandescent bulb works well. Do not work under a fluorescent light. I did not use a light bulb while I was working in the garden shed. I let in enough light through the door so I could just see.

Page1 Page2 Page3 - Source: Russel Watson

See more: How To Create Your FM Transmitter PCB?

Making Your Own Prototype PCBs

noreply@blogger.com (Go2Media) — Mon, 07 Jul 2008 15:42:00 +0000

I try to show you one method for creating your own professional-looking PCBs. They say a picture's worth a thousand words, so I used enough pictures and let them do most of the talking.

In making my own prototype PCBs, and having tried dozens of different methods, I recommend the method described on this page as the best, both in terms of cost and overall effort. Although the use of a specific unique product is required, this should not be viewed as an advertisement. I have no connection whatsoever with the company mentioned. However, I don't see why a good product should not be talked about for what its worth. I have photographed all the stages of the process for you to look at.

Required Equipment:

PC with a PCB layout program.
Laser Printer.
Press-N-Peel (PnP) sheets.
Your wife's iron and her full support. If you don't have an iron, get married.
Pure industrial-grade Aceton.
Copper remover.
A pair of scissors.
A razor-sharp cutter or knife.
Whatever else I might be forgetting.

The whole process for making a double-sided PCB is described next. Click on title link(s) for photo(s). Here's the link. See more: How To Create Your FM Transmitter PCB?

The Makings of the Printed Circuit Board (PCB)

noreply@blogger.com (Go2Media) — Mon, 30 Jun 2008 16:15:00 +0000

These complete instructions on making the PCB is how I made mine. There are many ways to make PCB's now-a-days, but if you would prefer to go a very inexpensive route (or maybe you have never made a PCB before, this method would be a great way to learn using 'Dry Transfers' that can be purchased also at your local Radio Shack store. ), and yet very accurate, the below layout will indeed suffice. From beginning to end, these step-by-step procedures will get you on your way to warm up that soldering iron when the time comes for soldering all of the components on the 'finished' PCB.

The first picture below is the PCB template. Print out this drawing first. It should come out exactly like the posted measurements. Measure it to be sure it is, in fact, 116 mm's by 80 mm's. If not exact, send the document to a Paint or Graphics Program and stretch or sqeeze to adjust for said measurements. This is extremely important. Make sure the measurements (length and width) are no more 'off' then 1 mm. Once this is done, print out the correct dimensions. Then take a pair of scizzors and cut out the 116 mm's by 80 mm's printed-out template.

Once you have done that, cut out a length and width of 116 mm's by 80 mm's, from a double-sided new PCB. Buff both front and back sides with fine steel wool. A little pressure is needed here to ensure the top layer oxidation residue has been removed. Now place your PCB on the workbench and place the PCB template directly over it, making sure they are both evenly matched up...they should be, if you scizzored-out the PCB template to the correct size as the 'newly-cut' PCB. Tape it all down for it not to move freely. Put the tape around the edges of the PCB template, carefully not covering up any of the circuitry routing. Then proceed to the next step.

Here for Tips for Designing PCBs

How to Make PCBs at Home in An Hour Without Special Materials

noreply@blogger.com (Go2Media) — Sun, 29 Jun 2008 10:34:00 +0000

If you take your electronics hobby seriously, I guess you already feel the need for a simple and fast technique for making your own printed-circuit boards (PCB). Here I’m going to show how to make simple single-sided PCBs in a snap, using widely available materials. This technique works reliably for thin tracks down to 10 mils, and is suitable for most surface-mount parts.

Here The PCB Making

You will like it
The best thing about this method is that it makes possible to start with a great idea at 11:00 pm and have your prototype working by midnight. It is so straightforward that you will use it more often than you think.

The second great thing is that this method is good enough for larger SMT parts. Actually, once you get some practice soldering, SMT parts are easier to work/experiment with, and don’t require drilling the holes.

So far, results are comparable with what I was used to get with UV sensitive boards. The board in this tutorial had 20 mils wide tracks: the word “PCTHERM” is 40 mils high and made from 10 mils tracks, and the three pads in the middle are spaced only10 mils apart.

I don’t know how the method scales to large board sizes, as I make only small boards. Source: Alberto Ricci Bitti

See more : Tips for Designing PCBs

Merlin PCB Designer

noreply@blogger.com (Go2Media) — Sun, 29 Jun 2008 09:25:00 +0000

Merlin PCB Designer is a free printed circuit board (PCB) layout tool that is distributed by Falco Systems. Whether you are professionally involved with printed circuit manufacturing, or you are just making a few PCBs for your job or at home, Merlin PCB Designer can make your life easy and save you a significant part of your PCB-related expenses.

Falco Systems Merlin PCB Designer

If you already have CorelDRAW on your computer, you can use the licence-free Merlin PCB Designer package to convert it into a powerful PCB layout tool. Bu sure to read the manual first!

Download Merlin PCB Designer

Merlin PCB Designer comes as a zip file with CorelDRAW scripts (from version 7 to 11), and a large component library + manual. To download Merlin PCB Designer, please click on the links below.

Merlin PCB Designer manual

Corel files + library

Falco Systems offers the free Merlin PCB Designer software "as is". Falco Systems does not offer additional support and is not liable for any problems that may occur due to the use of Merlin PCB Designer. Source: Falco Systems

See more Tips for Designing PCBs

PCB Software and Manufacturers

noreply@blogger.com (Go2Media) — Sat, 28 Jun 2008 15:03:00 +0000

This links for PCB Software and Manufacturers :

PCB Artist Layout Software

ExpressPCB PCB-Schematic Software

Acetronics

A Summary of our services:

Double Sided Plated Through Holes (DSPTH)
Single Sided (SS)
Multi Layer (8 Layers)
Flexible
NC milling of front panels and plastic cases
Super FAST Prototyping service
Screen Print directly onto electrical switch plates, front panels, metal cases etc.
Brass etching
DIY PCB supplies for the hobbyist.

ME Technologies

Computronics

The World Wide Circuit Design Network (PCBs from Artwork)

Also see: YellowWeb Australia

Printed Circuit Board Software - WinCircuit 2008

noreply@blogger.com (Go2Media) — Thu, 26 Jun 2008 11:24:00 +0000

This Printed Circuit Board Software - WinCircuit is a software of realization of drawing of printed circuit in single or double layers. Principal qualities are the facility of use and the sight in pseudo 3D which gets a vision of the circuit close to reality.

WinCircuit 2008 makes it possible to carry out the drawing of a printed circuit in simple or double-sided in manual or automatic routing. It is enough to trace the various connections to carry out (line between two pad for example) and the routing will carry out the layout of the consequently tracks. Visit Page

Pad round or square of adjustable size per step of 0,254mm Track adjustable width by step of 0,254mm Surfaces rectangulare and triangulare Line, rectangle and circle, rectangulare, circulare et polygonal edge Axial components (resistor, diode, chemical capacitor, self) , rotation and adjustable size. Composants radiaux (condensateur céramiques, chimiques), rotation and adjustable size Transistors, adjustable resistors, connectors, SubD, radiators, rotation and and adjustable size DIL et PLCC components, adjustable pins number Text, with choice of the font and orientation (4 directions) Connections between two points allowing the automatic routing. Visit Page

You may wanna make a Printed Circuit Board with PCB Artist Layout Software.

Make a Printed Circuit Board - Manual Method

noreply@blogger.com (Go2Media) — Wed, 25 Jun 2008 10:28:00 +0000

To make a printed circuit board with manual method, gather your components so you have their dimensions then on some 1/10 inch graph paper draw their positions and the tracks that are needed pretending you are looking down on the component side of the board. You can print out your own graph paper using free layout software.

You will find that most component leads fall on a 1/10 inch grid. If the pins on your components are closer than 1/10 inch you may find that the process of drawing the tracks later on the actual PCB is difficult. Now fix the paper to the component side of the board and mark each component lead hole by using a sharp point. To drill the holes you will need .8mm or 1mm drill bits for most components.

Now you need to draw the tracks and you have the holes to guide you but your paper layout is the reverse of what you will see when you are looking at the copper side of the board. My solution is to sit near a window and stick the paper on it so that I can see through it. Clean the board with a plastic scourer and detergent, a slightly rough surface helps the resist to flow neatly. To make the tracks you can use a resist pen from an electronics hobby store or you can try a mapping pen with some tar dissolved in turpentine. I actually had a lump of tar that I used for 20 years but when it took a hike I substituted it with some tar type roofing paint.

Buy some pre-punched board (1/10 inch perf board) and stick the components in it to to help with judging the spacing and layout. This is what I usually do and it is why I do most layouts looking from the component side.

Print out the graph grid on some stout tracing paper that you can usually buy in pads. You will be able to see through it when you mark the copper side of the board and have a proper picture to follow when making the tracks.

The above board has been laid out from the copper side.

The small surface mount device above required tracks thinner than I could make manually but I got around the problem by hand making a board and using fine wire for the final connections.

Click here for making a PCB with Printed Circuit Board Layout Software.

How To Create Your FM Transmitter PCB?

noreply@blogger.com (Go2Media) — Sun, 15 Jun 2008 13:06:00 +0000

I spent a lot of time to find an easy to use Printed Circuit Boards (PCB) drawing program and failed. (Believe there should be lots of but it's just me can't find it!) All of them I came across were either so professional or hard to handle. So, in admiration of the AMIGA's Deluxe Paint, I decided to use Windows's Paint program to create my own PCBs. All I needed was it's copy and paste functionality. Thus any other drawing editor on any Operating System may be utilized for the following work style that I currently (and will continue to) use.

Before starting the actual computer work, you should determine the physical layout of the components. This is the hardest part of the PCB design and requires a bit puzzle knowledge. The easiest way to fit components on a PCB is to create a layout somehow in parallel with the circuit diagram. Once you decide how to place components on the board and draw a template on paper, you can start your work with computer. Below, I've used PCB work of Simple FM Transmitter to visualize the creation steps. The images are standing here only as examples.

Download this ZIP file: (pcbtools.zip) which contains all of the simple drawings you should have. I will keep updating it as new components are added on.

I prepared a dotted background to fit components on. Open the "300dpidt.bmp" and preferably save it under a new name describing your work. Marked big blue spots repeats every 2.5mm thus corresponds standard stepping of most IC's and other single components. When printed at 300 DPI (you can get information on the DPI concept on your printer's manual, graphic utility or elsewhere) every 300 dots on the screen will be 1 inch on paper so everything will be OK. Since the graphic adapters' screen resolution is usually 72 DPI, when drawing, PCB will look larger and easy to deal with.

Worksheet is prepared to be printed at 300DPI

File "parts.bmp" contains solder hole and copper line drawings at different thickness. Simply select and copy a desired hole and paste it on your PCB worksheet to set component connection points.

Then copy and paste lines at proper thickness. Whole artwork is up to you. You may label important points of the circuit by a small font (preferably FIXEDSYS, 8 points on WINDOWS).

Place solder hole points

... and connect them

When you are satisfied with the design and want to be able to print it, just open your drawing with a graphic utility which have palette editing feature (such as Adobe Photoshop) and change the color blue used in dots (0,0,255) to color white (255,255,255). This way your drawing will be pure black-white and ready to print. Just set the image DPI to 300 and print it...

Remove color blue and it's ready to print ...

It is not really necessary but preparing a component side layout of the PCB will help anyone to build it, even to you. Just flip the circuit horizontal (or vertical) then change the color black (0,0,0) to preferably light gray (222,222,222). Copy components from the "parts.bmp" and place on the PCB. When completed, you may label it to be more informative. Set DPI to 300 and print, that's all.

It's so easy to prepare the component side view

Rest of the work is much like the classical "very amateur" processing of a PCB, I received lots of e-mails requesting details of the work, E-mail me at: incepinar@yahoo.com

How To Create Your FM Transmitter PCB?

Tips for Designing PCBs

noreply@blogger.com (Go2Media) — Thu, 12 Jun 2008 12:58:00 +0000

The engineers at ExpressPCB have assembled a few general rules-of-thumb that can help beginners design their first circuit board. These tips are not specific to using our CAD software, but instead provide an overview to help explain how to position the components on the board and how to wire them together.

Placing Components

Generally, it is best to place parts only on the top side of the board. When placing components, make sure that the snap-to-grid is turned on. Usually, a value of 0.050" for the snap grid is best for this job.

First place all the components that need to be in specific locations. This includes connectors, switches, LEDs, mounting holes, heat sinks or any other item that mounts to an external location.

Give careful thought when placing component to minimize trace lengths. Put parts next to each other that connect to each other. Doing a good job here will make laying the traces much easier.

Arrange ICs in only one or two orientations: up or down, and, right or left. Align each IC so that pin one is in the same place for each orientation, usually on the top or left sides.

Position polarized parts (i.e. diodes, and electrolytic caps) with the positive leads all having the same orientation. Also use a square pad to mark the positive leads of these components.

You will save a lot of time by leaving generous space between ICs for traces. Frequently the beginner runs out of room when routing traces. Leave 0.350" - 0.500" between ICs, for large ICs allow even more.

Parts not found in the component library can be made by placing a series of individual pads and then grouping them together. Place one pad for each lead of the component. It is very important to measure the pin spacing and pin diameters as accurately as possible. Typically, dial or digital calipers are used for this job.

After placing all the components, print out a copy of the layout. Place each component on top of the layout. Check to insure that you have allowed enough space for every part to rest without touching each other.

Placing Power and Ground Traces

After the components are placed, the next step is to lay the power and ground traces. It is essential when working with ICs to have solid power and ground lines, using wide traces that connect to common rails for each supply. It is very important to avoid snaking or daisy chaining the power lines from part-to-part.

One common configuration is shown below. The bottom layer of the PC board includes a "filled" ground plane. Large traces feeding from a single rail are used for the positive supply.

Placing Signal Traces

When placing traces, it is always a good practice to make them as short and direct as possible.

Use vias (also called feed-through holes) to move signals from one layer to the other. A via is a pad with a plated-through hole.

Generally, the best strategy is to lay out a board with vertical traces on one side and horizontal traces on the other. Add via where needed to connect a horizontal trace to a vertical trace on the opposite side.

A good trace width for low current digital and analog signals is 0.010".

Traces that carry significant current should be wider than signal traces. The table below gives rough guidelines of how wide to make a trace for a given amount of current.

0.010" 0.3 Amps

0.015" 0.4 Amps

0.020" 0.7 Amps

0.025" 1.0 Amps

0.050" 2.0 Amps

0.100" 4.0 Amps

0.150" 6.0 Amps

When placing a trace, it is very important to think about the space between the trace and any adjacent traces or pads. You want to make sure that there is a minimum gap of 0.007" between items, 0.010" is better. Leaving less blank space runs the risk of a short developing in the board manufacturing process. It is also necessary to leave larger gaps when working with high voltage.

When routing traces, it is best to have the snap-to-grid turned on. Setting the snap grid spacing to 0.050" often works well. Changing to a value of 0.025" can be helpful when trying to work as densely as possible. Turning off the snap feature may be necessary when connecting to parts that have unusual pin spacing.

It is a common practice to restrict the direction that traces run to horizontal, vertical, or 45 degree angles.

When placing narrow traces, 0.012" or less, avoid sharp right angle turns. The problem here is that in the board manufacturing process, the outside corner can be etched a little more narrow. The solution is to use two 45 degree bends with a short leg in between.

It is a good idea to place text on the top layer of your board, such as a product or company name. Text on the top layer can be helpful to insure that there is no confusion as to which layer is which when the board is manufactured.

Checking Your Work

After all the traces are placed, it is best to double check the routing of every signal to verify that nothing is missing or incorrectly wired. Do this by running through your schematic, one wire at a time. Carefully follow the path of each trace on your PC layout to verify that it is the same as on your schematic. After each trace is confirmed, mark that signal on the schematic with a yellow highlighter.

Inspect your layout, both top and bottom, to insure that the gap between every item (pad to pad, pad to trace, trace to trace) is 0.007" or greater. Use the Pad Information tool to determine the diameters of pads that make up a component.

Check for missing vias. ExpressPCB will automatically insert a via when changing layers as a series of traces are placed. Users often forget that via are not automatically inserted otherwise. For example, when beginning a new trace, a via is never inserted. An easy way to check for missing via is to first print the top layer, then print the bottom. Visually inspect each side for traces that don't connect to anything. When a missing via is found, insert one. Do this by clicking on the Pad in the side toolbar; select a via (0.056" round via is often a good choice) from the drop down listbox, and click on the layout where the via is missing.

Check for traces that cross each other. This is easily done by inspecting a printout of each layer.

Metal components such as heat sinks, crystals, switches, batteries and connectors can cause shorts if they are placed over traces on the top layer. Inspect for these shorts by placing all the metal components on a printout of the top layer. Then look for traces that run below the metal components.

Printed Circuit Board Layout Software PCB Artist

noreply@blogger.com (Go2Media) — Thu, 12 Jun 2008 12:48:00 +0000

This is the best PCB design software I have ever used. They have adopted some new paradigms about how to deal with the pcb vs. schematic layout of new parts which make dealing with them very easy. The tutorials get you up and running very quickly and the support available is amazing. Excellent program.

Download PCB Artist 1.2.2

(17.88 MB)

System Requirements:

PCB Artist runs under the Windows operating systems but Windows XP is recommended. Windows 95 or earlier, Linux and MAC OS are not currently supported. A Pentium processor faster than 1Ghz and with at least 256Mb of RAM is recommended. PCB Artist does not require particularly ‘high-powered’ hardware to achieve good performance, a regular off-the-shelf PC is sufficient. A complete product installation requires at least 100Mb of hard drive space. A wheel mouse is recommended.

Download ExpressPCB For PCB Design Software

noreply@blogger.com (Go2Media) — Thu, 12 Jun 2008 12:37:00 +0000

The ExpressPCB schematic and PCB design software is very quick to learn and completely free! Download a fully functional version here.

1. Download the setup program.

The ExpressPCBSetup program includes both ExpressSCH for drawing schematics and ExpressPCB for circuit board layout. Download the setup program below.

2. Easy to install.

After downloading, run the ExpressPCBSetup program. Our installation program is very straightforward, but if for any reason you have trouble, please send us a note.

3. Quick start guides get you going fast.

Our software is very simple to use! Even so, we suggest that you quickly read our two short Quick Start Guides. Look in the Help menu of the ExpressSCH program for the Quick Start Guide on drawing schematics. For circuit board design, read the Quick Start Guide found with the ExpressPCB program.

4. Tips for the first time designer.

If you are a beginner to Printed Circuit Board layout, we also suggest that you look over our Tips for Making PC Boards web page.

Version: 6.1.4 Date: February 28, 2008 Size: 9.65 Mb

Download ExpressPCB for XP, 2000, NT from West-coast server

Download ExpressPCB for XP, 2000, NT from East-coast server

Download ExpressPCB for Vista from West-coast server

Download ExpressPCB for Vista from East-coast server

Privacy Policy

noreply@blogger.com (Go2Media) — Tue, 10 Jun 2008 05:16:00 +0000

Our Commitment To Your Privacy

Your privacy is important to us. To better protect your privacy we provide this notice explaining our online information practices and the choices you can make about the way your information is collected and used. To make this notice easy to find, we make it available on our homepage and at every point where personally identifiable information may be requested.

Our Commitment To Data Security

To prevent unauthorized access, maintain data accuracy, and ensure the correct use of information, we have put in place appropriate physical, electronic, and managerial procedures to safeguard and secure the information we collect online.

Our Commitment To Children’s Privacy

Protecting the privacy of the very young is especially important. For that reason, we never collect or maintain information at our website from those we actually know are under 18, and no part of our website is structured to attract anyone under 18. Under our Terms of Service, children under 18 are no allowed to access our service.

Collection of Personal Information

On visiting this site, the IP address used to access the site will be logged along with the dates and times of access. This information is purely used to analyse trends, administer the site, track user’s movement, and gather broad demographic information for aggregate use. Importantly, IP addresses are not linked to personally identifiable information.

Links to third party websites

We use third-party advertising companies to serve ads when you visit our website. These companies may use information (not including your name, address, email address, or telephone number) about your visits to this and other websites in order to provide advertisements about goods and services of interest to you.

Iterations to this Privacy Statement

The content of this statement may be altered at any time.

If you require any more information or have any questions about our privacy policy, please feel free to contact us by email at pricircuit@telkom.net.