CAD

Whenever someone mentions CAD around me I immediately have a flashback to middle school where we had a tech course and learned how to use a CAD program; I think it was AutoCAD, but there is a good chance I am making that name up. That was my only experience with a CAD program for many years.

When I got into the DIY thing, it occurred to me that I should make my own PCBs. This would be cheaper and more flexible than buying them premade online. So I researched it. It looked easyish. All I had to do was print the layout on some glossy paper (like photo paper or magazine paper) using a laser printer, then iron it on to the copper blank, remove the paper, put the thing into a container of caustic liquid, some other stuff, and I have a PCB.

But I don’t have a laser printer.

Nor do I have any idea how to use a CAD program to make the layouts.

I do have an iron though, so that's a start.

Over the last someodd amount of time I tried out several CAD programs designed for schematics and PCB layouts. I played around with one, switched to another, then another, then back to the first, third again, and settled on the second one until I found a fourth one that was kind of cool, but ended up using the second one because it makes things a little harder, and I like a challenge.

So, here is what I am currently using:

Eagle
DIY Layout Creator

They both have their uses.

Eagle is cool because you can create a schematic in it, then switch to the layout editor and all the components will be there, waiting for you to arrange them. It is also free. If you want to pay $50 you can buy a version that will autoroute the layout. I am cheap, so I do it myself. I should mention that this is incredibly time consuming.

Eagle is tough to figure out at first, but once you figure everything out (only takes about 20-30 minutes of cursing at your computer, followed by several days of making stupid mistakes that you didn’t even realize you had made a mistake) it gets really easy to make the schematics. Laying everything out, on the other hand, is a bit tougher.

For a really useful Eagle library of just about anything you will need for DIY effects, check out gaussmarkov: diy fx.

DIY Layout Creator is useful if you are not using a PCB. I am currently working on a layout for the Red Llama fuzz using DIY Layout Creator. It is easy, although there are a few odd bugs that they are working out.

Now all I need to do is actually make a PCB. (I am currently working on a Ross Compressor)