Homebrew PCBs

Is that artistic or simply an obsessive compulsive disorder? :D

I'll take shortest path with the least number of vias over "neat 
looking" every time. Lining up resistors and such, while admittedly 
pretty, generally causes PCBs to be larger and more difficult 
(expensive) to produce. If you're having the 4 layer boards made by 
a PCB house anyway, its not a big deal. If you're making double 
sided boards at home, its a HUGE deal. Adding 30 vias just to get 
all the resistors lined up adds a lot of labour.

Of course, once I get this cnc pcb drill made, it'll be a lot less 
of a labour problem ;)

Next thing is noise standards. Longer traces means more radiated and 
picked up noise from the environment. Metalic or treated enclosures 
can mitigate this a lot but it adds expense.

So, pretty when you can do it without too much added work, 
straightforward when pretty costs too much.


--- In Homebrew_PCBs@yahoogroups.com, Stefan Trethan 
<stefan_trethan@g...> wrote:
> Also most Autorouters (the ones i have seen) are not capable of 
exchanging 
> functional equal groups of pins (imagine a 74xx logic gate with 6 
equal 
> parts).
> they are also not capable of placing the parts in a sensible way 
(the 
> autoplacers
> i have seen were either unadjusted or simply nonsense...)
> 
> come on, Davel, have you never took a pcb, looked at either the 
component 
> side
> or the solder side and thought "wow that's beautiful"?
> 
> (or maybe looked at one and thought "that's ugly"?)
> 
> I find there is a great deal of art in pcb making.
> 
> But like with any other art there are no rules to get it perfect.
> Some are making good pcbs which are simply the smallest possible.
> Some arrange the components nicely, makes the routing a bit more 
> complicated
> but a pcb where the resistors are not aligned simply looks not so 
good (for 
> me).
> If you look at the solder side in my opinion a good pcb is one 
with each 
> track
> going the best possibleway, as straight as possible, and properly 
aligned 
> with the other tracks. (On timing sensitive Boards meander are an 
exclusion 
> to "shortest path)
> 
> 
> I don't like art very much, i spend no time looking at pictures or 
> listening
> to music, this simply doesn't interest me... but there is a 
difference
> between a pcb which was made in a hurry with autorouter and a pcb 
which was 
> make
> by a skillful person investing some time.
> 
> I think it is more art than some things todays "artists" make...
> but that's only the opinion of someone who doesn't know much about 
art..
> 
> Hope you can see the art in some of the next pcbs you get hold of.
> 
> regards
> stefan