[sdiy] how to best learn the trade

[Adam Schabtach]

> Since I've started using EDA, I can tell you that it is a real pain
> in the ass to learn how to use it. There is so much jargon and overly
> verbose documentation and bad user interfaces to initially learn that
> ultimately you might think pencil and paper is faster. :) 

I came at PCB design with virtually no experience, and have now made a
half-dozen or so board layouts including PCBs for SMT microprocessors. I
tried several EDA packages and settled on DipTrace. In my opinion it is much
easier to learn and use than the other common low-cost or free PCB programs.

> Or, you can take the finished PCB layout files (called gerber files,
> I think) and give them to some gigantic fab in China and get 10 or 20
> boards back. Of course, it'll cost like 300 bucks to do this or more, but
> 300 bucks isn't a lot of money for how much time you can spend doing this.

There are several other options which do not require batches that large and
cost nowhere near that much, such as:
http://www.expresspcb.com/
http://pcbfabexpress.com
http://www.batchpcb.com/

FWIW, I've built stuff on stripboard, on the Radio-Shack-style proto boards,
on PCBs I've laid out but had commercially fabricated, and on PCBs I've laid
out and etched myself. I personally detest proto boards; they always seem to
end up as a rat's nest of wiring. I'm coming to terms with stripboard; I
believe the secret is to plan _all_ of your component, wire, and trace-cut
placement ahead of time. Doing PCB layout does indeed take a long time, but
personally I find it an interesting process. Given my experiences with
various methods, I wouldn't use anything other than a PCB for anything more
complex than, say, four ICs and related components. It's obviously a matter
of taste, though. JH used to do everything on stripboard but I believe that
he's now a PCB-makin' fool. :-)

--Adam