PCB design software assistance

[andrewkgentile@gmail.com]

Hello,
I am new to this group, and I'm not certain that this question is
relevant. But I am looking for a software to design printed circuit
boards. I only make about 12 a year, so I don't want anything fancy.
It doesn't have to be free, but I don't want to spend more than $250
either.
What I need specifically is a software which will allow me to print out

the negative of the artwork, so that I can fabricate a prototype board
myself. I realize that it is cheaper to sent the board out, but I
teach a class
in PCB construction, and students don't learn anything by sending the
boards out. Also, I need a software which will give me all the
required
gerber files so that I can have the board sent out for manufacture,
when I have multiple copies to make. Most of my boards will be two
sided.


thanks for your help,


Andrew

 

[James T. White]

<andrewkgentile@gmail.com> wrote in message
news:1133536213.358904.211290@g14g2000cwa.googlegroups.com...

Hello,
I am new to this group, and I'm not certain that this question is
relevant. But I am looking for a software to design printed circuit
boards. I only make about 12 a year, so I don't want anything fancy.
It doesn't have to be free, but I don't want to spend more than $250
either.
What I need specifically is a software which will allow me to print
out

the negative of the artwork, so that I can fabricate a prototype board
myself. I realize that it is cheaper to sent the board out, but I
teach a class
in PCB construction, and students don't learn anything by sending the
boards out. Also, I need a software which will give me all the
required
gerber files so that I can have the board sent out for manufacture,
when I have multiple copies to make. Most of my boards will be two
sided.

Andrew,

Have you tried downloading the demo version of Viewmate from
www.pentalogix.com? While I haven't tried the latest version (9.2), my
older version (8.4) allows me to load Gerber files and print them to any
Windows printer. You can set the scaling and make it print either
positive or negative images. While I haven't actually used the printed
images to make a PCB, I have checked the dimensions of the printed
images at 1:1 scaling for use in checking pad layouts and it appears to
be dead on.

Using a tool like Viewmate would allow you to just generate Gerbers with
any of the PCB CAD tools you might use. I use and can recommend Eagle
(www.cadsoftusa.com) even though it has some quirks and a bit of a
learning curve.

Good luck.

--
James T. White

 

[Atsunori Tamagawa]

Hi all,

I don't normaly recommend this to anyone, but...

andrewkgentile@gmail.com wrote:

Hello,
I am new to this group, and I'm not certain that this question is
relevant. But I am looking for a software to design printed circuit
boards. I only make about 12 a year, so I don't want anything fancy.
It doesn't have to be free, but I don't want to spend more than $250
either.
....

....

I realize that it is cheaper to sent the board out, but I teach a class
in PCB construction, and students don't learn anything by sending the
boards out.

I've done PCB design for a real business with the Visio software
many years ago.
If you happen to have this software already available, you can
design at least two-sided PCB's. The softare gives you layers of
drawing pane. I used it to draw the top and the bottom layer of
my circuit.
You need to place reference points on the top and the bottom pane.
This can be just two small cross marks diagonally placed.
You need to print out the images on to transparent sheets.
I always used black for the color of traces and lands, but I've
read an article saying that "Yellow" is as black as "black" for
exposure purpose. Though I have not tried that color.
You need to flip the top side before you print it out.

All your through-holes need to be finished with wire-soldering
between the top and the bottom.
But if your purpose of teaching includes how to make through-holes,
then, as you know, drilling comes first before the exposure.

What I said above is for relatively simple circuits.
You can't do this for a board with 0.5mm-pitch TQFP IC's.

Atsunori