Archive of the former Yahoo!Groups mailing list: Homebrew PCBs

Thanks for the info. I am running Windows but I guess I can convert a
spare pc to run Linux as I wanted to one day anyhow. I also have a Mac
but it doesn't get used much. So what is the best for Windows? Eagle by
Cadsoft or Express PCB or something else? Isn't there 2 or 3 sizes of
drills that are most often used so I could buy a bunch of those sizes? I
have seen the kits before but figured I would not use most of the drills
(at least not for circuit boards). But the price is right at Grizzly.
:) I have a drill press so I am set there. I think I even have a
portable drill press I picked up at a flea market and I need to see if
it will work with my Dremel. That is a nice drilling setup that you made
though...quite ingenious.
Thanks,
Dave

DJ Delorie wrote:

>
>
>
> I won't say it's the easiest to learn (but once you do learn it, it's
> pretty easy, and quite powerful), but gEDA is at least free. For
> simple boards, you can use only the PCB program, pulling footprints
> out of the library and manually connecting them. It also has a few
> options specifically designed for toner transfer etching.
>
> http://www.geda.seul.org/ <http://www.geda.seul.org/>
> http://pcb.sourceforge.net/ <http://pcb.sourceforge.net/>
>
> These are geared towards posix environments, and while they do work
> under Windows, it's not something I'd recommend for beginners yet.
>
> > 2. What is the best size carbide drills for this? Ebay the best
> place to
> > buy them?
>
> I got a set of 50 random sizes from Grizzly:
> http://www.grizzly.com/products/50-pc-Carbide-Bit-Set/G7950
> <http://www.grizzly.com/products/50-pc-Carbide-Bit-Set/G7950>
>
> The 13 mil (smallest) sizes work well with wire wrapping wire for vias
> and jumpers, but you'll need a way to hold your drill steady. This is
> what I did: http://www.delorie.com/pcb/dremel-stand/
> <http://www.delorie.com/pcb/dremel-stand/>
>
>
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