[sdiy] Eagle footprints

[rsdio at audiobanshee.com]

Why?

One word: Incentive.

In other words, because these libraries are free, they have their share of errors or are merely incomplete. Not that paying for libraries guarantees quality, but they wouldn't stay in business long without doing better. I doubt that Cadsoft has really invested that much in the libraries - at least I hope not.

Same thing for firmware: I've seen free, open source code for USB-MIDI firmware, but the code actually gets the standard wrong. Better to roll your own, especially if it takes less time than performing a code review on the open source version.

Brian


On Nov 20, 2015, at 1:50 PM, Tom Wiltshire <tom at electricdruid.net> wrote:
> I've been caught like this too - but how stupid is this situation?!
> 
> Software houses and parts vendors spend time and money getting together the most extensive parts libraries they can, but nobody uses them because they probably have some errors. Instead we redo all the work they already did...so we can get it wrong ourselves?
> 
> It's daft, but we all do it. ( Why? Wrong list for psychology questions, I know…)
> 
> On 20 Nov 2015, at 21:33, Tim Ressel <timr at circuitabbey.com> wrote:
>> I have been burned a few times using downloaded library parts only to find they are wrong. Found out by burning PCBs, which means lost time and money.
>> 
>> If you download libraries ALWAYS check them. IF you are lucky enough to have a part that the manufacturer provides a .bxl file, you can use a program like Ultra Librarian to create an Eagle symbol. It may still need editing but the basics should be correct.
>> 
>> On 11/20/2015 1:17 PM, Neil Johnson wrote:
>>> This is one of the reasons why I never use the libraries provided with CAD tools.  The quality is just so varied, rarely consistent, and full of unknown bugs.  At least if I fab a board with a mistake in a component I have created I have only myself to blame!  And quite honestly by the time I've thoroughly checked a vendor library for correctness I might as well have made it myself.
>>> 
>>> I separately maintain a catalogue of custom part numbers in a spreadsheet (one sheet for each component type), and when I have fabbed a board with a new footprint and tested it I then mark that entry in bold so I know it works.