Re: Need Volunteers to check Artwork - VTTC Staccato Controller

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

Original poster: "Jan Wagner by way of Terry Fritz <teslalist-at-qwest-dot-net>" <jwagner-at-cc.hut.fi>


On Wed, 5 Mar 2003, Tesla list wrote:
<snip>
 >
 > If you've never checked artwork before, you basically are going trace by
 > trace through the artwork and making sure it agrees with the schematic.
 >

Luckily, you _don't_ have to manually check whether the PCB agrees to the
schematic!
That's something you all could (or, should ;-) use the schematics capture
and PCB layout prog for, which have error rules check and design rules
check, and consistency check.

If the current schematics software doesn't allow PCB<=>schematics
consistency check, I'd recommend you take a look at t.ex. Eagle

   http://www.cadsoft.de

The freeware version is restricted in board size and to "only" two
copper layers, but it is still plenty for many small and medium sized
hobby projects. And commercial ones too.

Very good prog IMHO, I can only recommend it! :-) Not very expensive
either.

Only the autorouter sucks a bit, but so they all do... ;o)

I for one never check the PCBs by hand, it takes way too long and
the manual checking is prone to mistakes anyway (at least those larger
boards with SMD stuff I'm building). One step less, and faster
prototyping.

Btw some PCB shops also accept Eagle files, t.ex. www.olimex-dot-com, so you
don't have to separate all the layers when sending in the design. I'd
guess that in the US similar pcb shops exist (?)

Hope this helps! Should hopefully ease & speed up your future projects
etc! :)

cheers,
  - jfw

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  high voltage at http://www.hut.fi/~jwagner/tesla
  Jan OH2GHR