Re: Prototyping - was "556 problems"

["Tesla list" <tesla-at-pupman-dot-com>]

Original poster: "Kristian Ukkonen by way of Terry Fritz <twftesla-at-qwest-dot-net>" <kristian.ukkonen-at-iki.fi>


Tesla list wrote:
> Original poster: "Matthew Smith by way of Terry Fritz
<twftesla-at-qwest-dot-net>" <matt-at-kbc-dot-net.au>
> My $0.02 worth:  it is so easy to set out schematics from which a board
> can be produced using software like Eagle - you might as well have a PCB
> for your prototype!  You can eliminate all the problems associated with
> dirty contacts (plugboards) and the like, in addition to which, decent
> design software can even do some simple electrical rule checking before
> you produce the board.
> 
> The only expensive bit of PCB production is the copper clad board (and
> drill bits if you're as ham fisted as I am ;-) so long as you're not
> trying to produce 0.01mm tracks...  Balance the price of copper clad
> against your time...
> 
> I'm writing from *far* too much bitter experience with various
> prototyping systems - I've only been making PCBs using design software
> for a fortnight and there's no way that I'm going back!  I just hope
> that by saying this, I might spare others some agony...
> 
> Final thought, on a safety note:  when working with high voltages, which
> would you prefer? a) a soldered joint, b) bits of wire twisted together.

http://www.cadsoft.de/
to download eagle free version - enough for most versions. Win or Linux.

See
http://www.iki.fi/ktu/pcbmaking/pcbmaking.html
for my method of making circuitboards. Takes less than an hour
to make any board. Nowadays I make even all my prototypes with eagle 
and make a circuitboard for them - much quicker, easier and less
error-prone than any other prototyping method.

  Kristian Ukkonen.