Homebrew PCBs

On Friday 23 November 2007 10:12, Dave wrote:
>  >Dylan Smith wrote:
>  >Ubuntu is pretty easy to set up, and if you go to Applications -> Add new
>  > software, you'll find all the gEDA tools if you search on all packages -
>  > all you do is select them and hit go, and as if by magic they all get
>  > installed (under Education for some reason, I suppose they are
>  > educational!) The Ubuntu install disc is also a live cd so you can give
>  > Ubuntu a try before committing to install.
>  >
>  > I also know Fedora has the gEDA tools in its main repository as well.
>
> The last time I tried Linux was RedHat 5.2 and 6.5 :) I do however have
> some more recent versions of Ubuntu that I ordered (v 6.06) in case I
> got time. I may set me up a Linux box on an older 1.4 Amd I got from
> someone when they upgraded. But will probably try some Windows PCB stuff
> first at least till after the holidays.
>
>  > I almost exclusively use 1mm and 0.8mm drills - 0.8mm for through hole
>  > components, 1mm for jumpers and IDC connectors etc. which have bigger
>  > pins. Larger sizes are all available in the hardware store in those
>  > drill bit kits that have the typical common sizes for wood working and
>  > metal working.
>  >
>  > I find the HSS bits actually last quite a long time, I've never felt the
>  > need for fancy tungsten carbide bits.
>
> I had a bunch of carbide drills but broke them all with freehand dremel
> work on various items :-)  This size info will help if I see a deal on a
> quantity. I amy try the hss too as I can resharpen those.
> Thanks,
> Dave

The latest Ubuntu works well with gEDA. It also automagiclly sets up for dual 
boot if WinXP is already on the box. I used Orcad SDT nearly 20 years ago and 
so find gschem (gEDA schematic) very easy to use. It's also easy to create 
new symbols. I've used PDB a bit, but have yet to figure out how to create 
new footprints for PCB.

On the windows side I haven't found any free schematic capture software that I 
like nearly as well as gschem. FreePCB is quite nice for board design. I find 
the FreePCB footprint editor really easy to use. There is a Yahoo group, bit 
it's pretty well uninhabited.

Lately I have done a couple of boards using gschem for the schematic capture 
and netlist cration. I then manually edited the netlist to meet FreePCB 
requitements. FreePCB expects the first line of the file to be *PADS-PCB*. I 
am contemplatig a perl script to map footprint names from PCB to FreePCB  and 
otherwise "fix" the netlist file, but so far it's only an idea.
-- 
Keith Bowers - Thomasville, NC