Homebrew PCBs

Hi All,

I am highly interested in designing my own PCBs with an emphasis on 
eventual commercial products. I am just starting out so I know almost 
nothing about the subject. I would like recommendations on books and 
sources for beginners including web links where I can learn more. In 
addition I would like to hear what software packages you folks are 
using to design your boards. Any suggestions are appreciated. Thanks 
and best regards,

-Dave

Question about what books on PCBs are recommended:

Forget the books, I bought Build your own Printed Circuit Boards by 
Al Williams from TAB and IMO it is plain junk, value of a half 
rotten, old and undersized brick. It gives you no more information 
than available free on the web. $28 down the drain.

I doubt the author made a simple PCB in his life.

It's a joke if you follow his methods of heat transfer and photo 
imaging. Save your money, buy a radio shack kit, try your forst one 
and show us a picture.  Mike

----- Original Message ----- 

From: "nuclearspin2000" <nuclearspin2000@...>
To: <Homebrew_PCBs@yahoogroups.com>
Sent: Sunday, February 01, 2004 4:46 PM
Subject: [Homebrew_PCBs] PCB Books


> Hi All,
>
> I am highly interested in designing my own PCBs with an emphasis on
> eventual commercial products. I am just starting out so I know almost
> nothing about the subject. I would like recommendations on books and
> sources for beginners including web links where I can learn more. In
> addition I would like to hear what software packages you folks are
> using to design your boards. Any suggestions are appreciated. Thanks
> and best regards,

I used EasyPC for years, it's about the best value in low-end packages:

http://www.numberone.com

I now use Pulsonix, produced by the same company for professional users:

http://www.pulsonix.com

It's cheaper than Protel, Cadstar, Orcad etc., much easier to use and has
few if any bugs (they get eradicated very quickly).

Leon
--
Leon Heller, G1HSM
Email: aqzf13@...
My low-cost Philips LPC210x ARM development system:
http://www.geocities.com/leon_heller/lpc2104.html

Amazon Books normally has several book for sell that have good 
infromation in them.  M.G. Chemicals has a good information on 
making PCB's.  Go back and read thru all the post of this group, 
also the links and Files area has good information.  

Myself I perfer the postive exposure method if you are planning on 
making multiples of the same boards.  Also you will want to look 
into CNC PCB drilling.

Ben

Forgot to list this

I use Ivex Winboard.

www.ivex.com


Ben

http://www.pulsonix.com/prices.asp look here....I am laughing, I 
have,'t been laughing so laud ever in my life.


Mike







--- In Homebrew_PCBs@yahoogroups.com, "Leon Heller" 
<leon_heller@h...> wrote:
> 
> ----- Original Message ----- 
> From: "nuclearspin2000" <nuclearspin2000@y...>
> To: <Homebrew_PCBs@yahoogroups.com>
> Sent: Sunday, February 01, 2004 4:46 PM
> Subject: [Homebrew_PCBs] PCB Books
> 
> 
> > Hi All,
> >
> > I am highly interested in designing my own PCBs with an emphasis 
on
> > eventual commercial products. I am just starting out so I know 
almost
> > nothing about the subject. I would like recommendations on books 
and
> > sources for beginners including web links where I can learn more. 
In
> > addition I would like to hear what software packages you folks are
> > using to design your boards. Any suggestions are appreciated. 
Thanks
> > and best regards,
> 
> I used EasyPC for years, it's about the best value in low-end 
packages:
> 
> http://www.numberone.com
> 
> I now use Pulsonix, produced by the same company for professional 
users:
> 
> http://www.pulsonix.com
> 
> It's cheaper than Protel, Cadstar, Orcad etc., much easier to use 
and has

> few if any bugs (they get eradicated very quickly).
> 
> Leon
> --
> Leon Heller, G1HSM
> Email: aqzf13@d...
> My low-cost Philips LPC210x ARM development system:
> http://www.geocities.com/leon_heller/lpc2104.html

----- Original Message ----- 

From: "mikezcnc" <eemikez@...>
To: <Homebrew_PCBs@yahoogroups.com>
Sent: Sunday, February 01, 2004 10:29 PM
Subject: [Homebrew_PCBs] Re: PCB Books


> http://www.pulsonix.com/prices.asp look here....I am laughing, I 
> have,'t been laughing so laud ever in my life.

That's cheap! Have you seen what Cadstar, Protel and Orcad cost?

Leon
--
Leon Heller, G1HSM
Email: aqzf13@...
My low-cost Philips LPC210x ARM development system:
http://www.geocities.com/leon_heller/lpc2104.html

Leon,

Maybe it is to someone but Protel DXP had a special not long ago for 
a similar amount and if I were to purchase a schematic capture 
package I would choose: Protel, Eagle, Target or ProCAD 
(http://www.icadsys.com/ their cheapest package is $50 and tehy have 
been in business since 1989). I can tell you now Leon, thet Pulsonix 
has ZERO chances in US and they would do better if they concentrated 
on european competitors like Target and Eagle. I am specially 
impressed with Eagle because I watched them come to US in 1991 and 
they are doing better and better business every yar. From the stories 
I heard comparing PCAD to Eagle the Eagle was a more efficient 
package.

I don' want to disagree with you Leon, I just want to provide other 
options for people. I teh pulsonix wer sub $1000 package they MIGHT 
have a chance in US.

Think about Protel- they have been the first Windows package in US 
since the late 80s. They are truly amazing. One more thing: because I 
noticed Stefan being interested in CNC milling machines I can add 
that Eagle is the only package out of the bunch that provides a g-
code out of their Eagle. When I talked to Protel (which really is a 
holding company for Accel, PCAD and couple other packages) they did 
not understand what that feature meant...

Personally, I like the idea of CNC machines doing the PCB imechanical 
etching.  

The technique, the package depends on the sizes/volumes one wants to 
create. This hobby cannot be a runaway money pit without creating a 
dollar of profit. 

Mike



--- In Homebrew_PCBs@yahoogroups.com, "Leon Heller" 
<leon_heller@h...> wrote:

> 
> ----- Original Message ----- 
> From: "mikezcnc" <eemikez@c...>
> To: <Homebrew_PCBs@yahoogroups.com>
> Sent: Sunday, February 01, 2004 10:29 PM
> Subject: [Homebrew_PCBs] Re: PCB Books
> 
> 
> > http://www.pulsonix.com/prices.asp look here....I am laughing, I 
> > have,'t been laughing so laud ever in my life.
> 
> That's cheap! Have you seen what Cadstar, Protel and Orcad cost?
> 
> Leon
> --
> Leon Heller, G1HSM
> Email: aqzf13@d...
> My low-cost Philips LPC210x ARM development system:
> http://www.geocities.com/leon_heller/lpc2104.html

> Hi All,
> 
> I am highly interested in designing my own PCBs with an emphasis on 
> eventual commercial products. I am just starting out so I know almost 
> nothing about the subject. I would like recommendations on books and 
> sources for beginners including web links where I can learn more. In 
> addition I would like to hear what software packages you folks are 
> using to design your boards. Any suggestions are appreciated. Thanks 
> and best regards,
> 
> -Dave
> 


"Printed Circuits Handbook", by Clyde F. Coombs.
I borrowed it from the university library once and it answered 
many questions I had about commercial PCB fabrication techniques. 
When starting up my own personal plated through hole station I 
needed an understanding of the process and this booked helped. A 
few others members on this list have similarly built their own 
equipment for fabricating plated through boards.

Adam

Dave-

Try

http://www.lvr.com/pcbs.htm

Jan Axelson has lots of links, including her PCB book, as well as two
other recent ones by others. One of them compares PCB software available.

There also many links to PCB making info on the web, as well as some
free softwares, etc.

Grant

--- In Homebrew_PCBs@yahoogroups.com, "nuclearspin2000"
<nuclearspin2000@y...> wrote: I would like recommendations on books and 
> sources for beginners including web links where I can learn more

Thanks all for the help.

-Dave


--- In Homebrew_PCBs@yahoogroups.com, "grantfair2001" 
<grant.fair@s...> wrote:
> Dave-
> 
> Try
> 
> http://www.lvr.com/pcbs.htm
> 
> Jan Axelson has lots of links, including her PCB book, as well as 
two
> other recent ones by others. One of them compares PCB software 
available.
> 
> There also many links to PCB making info on the web, as well as some
> free softwares, etc.
> 
> Grant
> 
> --- In Homebrew_PCBs@yahoogroups.com, "nuclearspin2000"
> <nuclearspin2000@y...> wrote: I would like recommendations on books 
and 
> > sources for beginners including web links where I can learn more