EAGLE on Bald Engineer

EAGLE 9 First Look - Couple of things I noticed

Wed, 25 Apr 2018 13:00:21 +0000

Autodesk released EAGLE 9. This new version continues the improvement that Autodesk has been providing since acquiring the infamous ECAD tool. There are three areas I look at in this AddOhms Livestream. How I looked at EAGLE 9 In the beginning, I use an old training class I wrote about five years ago when I was using EAGLE daily. It shows how to design a 555 flashing circuit from schematic to PCB. A follow-on class taught how to mill the PCB on a Shopbot. I might update the course and release it if I have time. The exercise class helps me find some surprises with EAGLE’s incremental improvements.

Watch this video on YouTube

Awesome 3D Board (BRD) Viewer for EAGLE

Thu, 12 Mar 2015 15:05:44 +0000

2018-JULY-18 UPDATE: It appears Peter has shut down his rendering tool. It is no longer available. 3D Render of MSO Demo Board Earlier I posted a PCB Checklist of items to double-check when sending your board out to a fab. The Dangerous Prototypes blog pointed to a 3D EAGLE PCB tool from a Bulgarian-based developer called Cytec that takes an EAGLE BRD file and renders it in 3D for you.

PCB Checklist - What to check before you submit

Wed, 04 Mar 2015 15:22:50 +0000

Recently I’ve been expanding my retro game collection to include game cartridges imported from Japan. The problem is that I don’t have Japanese game systems (yet). So I’m creating an open source adapter to convert Famicom carts to the NES. Before I submit the PCB to OSH Park, I’m going to run through this PCB Checklist to make sure I don’t forget something silly. This PCB checklist is something I’ve built over my years of creating boards. If you’ve got tips from your own list, don’t forget to leave a comment letting us know.

Autorouters Suck: Autorouter: 0. Baldengineer: 1

Tue, 03 Mar 2015 15:06:54 +0000

I am not a fan of relying on the Autorouter in EAGLE – or any PCB CAD software for that matter. When laying out a board, I’ll use the autorouter to get an idea if the part placement is going to work or not. In this case, I was reminded how much autorouters suck! Even after running for while, the autorouter could only route up 50% of the nets (signals).

10 Popular EAGLE Libraries

Thu, 22 Jan 2015 15:34:03 +0000

Having good libraries in EAGLE is critical to making schematic capture and PCB design fast. Dave at element14 put together a top 10 library link, which includes the list below. Remember, if you’re having trouble Add Parts, you might want to look at this tutorial on enabling EAGLE libraries. element14’s RIoTBoard element14’s Raspberry Pi Compute Module Development Kit element14’s BeagleBone Black Linear Technology Molex Vishay Microchip Atmel Arduino Texas Instruments

EAGLE Trivia Challenge: Why the ratnest?

Sun, 05 Jan 2014 12:00:40 +0000

Your challenge, if you chose to accept it, is to determine why EAGLE is showing a ratsnet connection on the far left of the PCB layout. The pads shown with the yellow unrouted line are both GND. They are both surrounded by a ground plane, which is also connected to GND. Hint: it isn’t a bug and it is something many people might ignore by mistake. Can’t figure it out? Or you want to see if you got it? Use a ROT-13 converter for the answer: Gurer vf ab culfvpny pbaarpgvba orgjrra gur tebhaq cynar gung P9 naq 3I3_CJE ner fvggvat ba. Fb juvyr gurl obgu unir n TAQ cynar ninvynoyr, gur cynarf nera’g pbaarpgrq!

EAGLE: Creating a Custom Library for your own components

Fri, 03 Jan 2014 12:00:38 +0000

When you start creating your own parts in EAGLE, you’re going to want to store them somewhere. Here’s how to setup EAGLE to use custom directories and how to create your own Library, which gets stored in the custom directory. There are a number of steps involved, but once setup custom libraries give you a place to store components you create as well as the ability to copy other parts into your library.

EAGLE: Clean up the parts list by disabling libraries

Wed, 27 Nov 2013 12:25:08 +0000

Does it take a few seconds every time you click the “ADD PART” button on EAGLE? Tired of scrolling through an enormous list of parts just to find a capacitor? Here’s how you can reduce the parts listing without deleting a single library. The Control Panel In addition to the usual Schematic and Board windows inside of the EAGLE user interface, there is also a “Control Panel” window. This control panel is typically the first dialog you see when you launch EAGLE. Depending on how your directories are set up, your Control Panel may look like mine when everything except “Libraries” is collapsed.

EAGLE: Using the Add Part's Search

Mon, 18 Nov 2013 06:41:10 +0000

If you are anything like me, your copy of EAGLE has an extensive list of libraries. Most of them probably came with the installer, some which you have added. This, of course, leads to the problem of finding the parts you need when drawing your schematic. Here’s how to use the “Search” box to help. The Problem Here’s what my Add Part screen currently looks like: It’s a mess right? All those libraries, how can I find a single part? That’s where the Search box really play a critical role.

EAGLE: Introduction Class Resources

Sun, 18 Aug 2013 02:03:25 +0000

The following resources compliment my EAGLE Introduction Classes and eBook. Files mentioned in those resources will be provided here, although, the original creators may have newer versions available. EAGLE Tutorials These are EAGLE tutorials I have created. There is a mix of written and video content. Groudplanes (video): /blog/2012/07/25/eagle-ground-plane-polygon-fills/ Creating Split Names: /blog/2012/12/26/creating-split-net-names-for-eagle/ Copy and Paste (video): /blog/2013/03/01/eagle-tutorial-copy-and-paste/ More EAGLE Stuff The following lists are resources which I have found on the web, which compliment my work in EAGLE. Often questions like “what is the best PCB place” or “who makes the best PCBs” gets asked. Best is subjective. These tools and manufacturers are ones that work best for me.

EAGLE Tutorial: Copy and Paste

Fri, 01 Mar 2013 23:34:30 +0000

The concept of “cut copy and paste” goes back to a time when people hand wrote all of their documents. The modern concept was introduced to the computing world by Xerox PARC and Apple’s Lisa / Macintosh Now nearly every piece of software offers some level of copying and pasting, including CadSoft’s EAGLE Schematic and PCB software. Unlike a text editor or illustration program, EAGLE implements copy and paste is literally a little bit backwards. This video explains how to copy single elements in an EAGLE schematic as well as copy entire groups of elements.

Creating split net names for EAGLE

Wed, 26 Dec 2012 21:27:17 +0000

As your schematics grow in complexity, it isn’t always possible to draw simple connections between chips or devices. Sometimes it isn’t possible to put two parts next to each other like a pin header and I/O chip meaning that wires have to run all over the schematic to make the connection. That gets messy quick and not very easy to follow. EAGLE automatically connects all nets (or wires) inside of a schematic when they have the same name. This means even if they are not physically connected on the schematic giving them the same name will connect them together. Using this trick, it is pretty easy to break up nets across the page.

Updated Eagle Tutorial

Tue, 14 Aug 2012 09:26:09 +0000

A couple of weeks ago I posted an EAGLE Tutorial on creating Ground Planes. That tutorial has now been updated with the above YouTube video showing the steps. Let me know if there’s anything else I can do to make it more clear.

EAGLE: Ground Plane (Polygon) Fills

Wed, 25 Jul 2012 09:05:46 +0000

Creating PCBs in Eagle is a straight-forward process once you understand how EAGLE works. In fact, most users can get up to speed enough to draw a Schematic and then layout a simple PCB. Making the connections between components is not only fun but can be a form of artwork.

Eagle Tip: Command Shortcuts

Tue, 17 Jul 2012 09:30:31 +0000

A very little known feature of EAGLE is the ability to type commands instead of clicking an icon on the toolbar. This can come in handy when trying to perform multiple actions like selecting a group and moving it to a different part of the schematic. For me, since I use OSX trying to use function keys in EAGLE can be more cumbersome than typing a few letters.