Best PCB Design Reference Resource? - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / beginners

author: asg32000
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: January 28, 2016, 05:37:46 pm
content: Hey, everyone! I am going to design my first PCB, and I don't have any experience. I know Dave wrote a good looking tutorial in 2004 on this topic (http://alternatezone.com/electronics/files/PCBDesignTutorialRevA.pdf), but is that still valid? I'm guessing most of it is, but I'm wondering if there are any other suggestions on reference material for creating a PCB? Something like The Art of Electronics, but specifically for PCB design would be ideal

author: uncle_bob
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: January 28, 2016, 06:39:54 pm
content: HiBy far the best way to learn is by doing. You can easily over think this and not get much done other than spinning in circles. Pick a design package (Eagle or what ever). Play with it, learn it's faults. Every single package out there has faults. Don't spend years trying to find one that is perfect. This goes for the $50K a year license pro stuff as well. Resist the urge to drop one package and re-do the learning on a new one. You will get further by sticking with one and learning it's quirks.Start simple and buy cheap boards. Do not try to layout a billion package design your first time out. Do something simple and get it working. If you spend more than $20 on the whole thing, that's to complex.I'll let others chime in with their favorite design software. I pretty much hate them all (but yes, lay out a few boards a month).Bob

author: Unknown
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: January 29, 2016, 02:07:09 pm
content: I'll second the learn by doing approach, you'll soon figure out what works and what doesn't. Try to keep it simple to start with, pick some easy circuits to practice routing even if you don't make the boards. Try to do everything manually to start with, the autorouters have their uses once you are proficient but leave them alone for now. The only other thing I would add is to look at boards which have been routed by a pro and see what they do. If I remember correctly, Dave did a couple of 'thinking out loud' type videos as part of the u supply series showing his thought process which are worth watching.

author: Philfreeze
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: January 29, 2016, 02:23:07 pm
content: Daves tutorial is still valid.Two things you should really do:- Create your design rules first. All of them. It will be a pain in the ass otherwise, trust me.- Use the electrical check (design rule check) to see if the program (or you) didn't screw up somewhere.This will save you some pain. You will learn the rest by doing it yourself and by looking at other peoples designs.

author: uncle_bob
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: January 29, 2016, 06:15:36 pm
content: HiOne of the most basic choices used to be - integrated schematic / layout or separate schematic and layout.Back a billion years ago (just slightly after I started doing this) that was a big choice. Schematic capture programs were a PIA and layout software was just as bad. Finding anybody at all that did both well was futile. (Truth in lending disclosure - my first job out of school was at a company that wrote this stuff ... junk ...)These days there are a lot of programs that will let you do both. Some people will tell you to ignore the schematic side and dive right into the layout. I would recommend against that. It just isn't needed anymore. Pick a package that does both and start your design with a properly entered schematic. Let the tools tell you if you made a mistake. It's more stuff to learn. It *will* save you money in the end.One more thought - only spend *half* your budget on any board you order. You always want to be able to re-order the board without robbing a bank. No matter how long you have been doing this, mistakes *do* happen. Even today, I would say our boards are only good 90% of the time. They get "tweaked" for minor issues a lot more often that that.Bob

author: stevenhoneyman
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: January 30, 2016, 04:46:28 pm
content: Quote from: uncle_bob on January 28, 2016, 06:39:54 pmAgreed - I started last year and still finding it interesting.Here's how my first board ended up:http://www.stevenhoneyman.co.uk/2015/08/learning-by-doing-pcb-design.html