Homebrew PCBs

OK, I've -got- to learn to use Eagle.

I just spent days on a project. Drew the schematic with pencil and
paper, plugged into protoboard. Spent more time figuring out where I
missed a connection or finding dirty connections on the protoboard.

After I debugged the protoboard and my installation of parts and
wires, in 10 minutes found a bug in my circuit and fixed the schematic.

Sigh.. now spend another day laying out everything again into the
protoboard and finding missed wires, misplugged parts, and dirty
connections.

Now it's done and debugged, I still have to build it. No time to lay
out a PCB by hand (and still have to deal with missed connections and
miswired parts) so I go to Rat Shack and get their PCB that matches
the protoboard and just match my wiring on the protoboard.

In the end, I can see that if I'd done the schematic in Eagle to start
with I could have potentially skipped the protoboard. The first PCB
and unsocketted parts would be wasted, but so what, PCB and etchant
isn't that expensive. And the 2nd PCB would have been the completed
project. Add the time to do either scratch and etch or toner transfer,
etch, and drill, and subtract the considerable time I spent cutting
wires and components and fixing missed wires and misplaced components.

Plus if I want to build another of that circuit, I have to go through
the rigamarole of cutting wires and matching my protoboard
installation again. And I do need to build another.

So I've -got- to learn how to use Eagle.

Have I disolutioned anyone, that the list-owner uses FeCl, CorelDraw,
and a vinyl cutter to make PCBs? ;')

Steve