Senior Design Workshop

PCB Design with EAGLE

Dr. Feng Li
Dept. of Electrical & Computer Engineering
University of Idaho

Outline
PCB introduction
CadSoft EAGLE introduction
Schematic design
Board layout and routing
CAM processor export
DFM
Fabrication
Assembly
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What is PCB?
Printed Circuit Board

Mechanically supports and electrically connects electronic

components using conductive tracks, pads and other features
etched from coper sheets laminated onto a non-conductive
substrate.

Two purposes:

A place to mount the component

Provides the means of electrical connection between the
components

PCBs can be

Single sided (one copper layer)

Double sided (two copper layers)
Multi-layer

PCB Terminology Component

Packages
Through-hole
Soldered to the opposite side of the board

SMD/SMT (surface mount device/technology)

Soldered in the same side of the board

Can be mounted on both sides of the PCB
Smaller than the thru-hole type-smaller & denser PCB
Some common form factors
0805 (means 0.08x0.05)
1206
1210

http://www.pcb.electrosoft-engineering.com/04-articles-custom-system-design-and-pcb/01-printed-circuit-board-concepts/printed-circuit-board-pcb-concepts.html

PCB Terminology
Pad: a small surface of copper where component will
be soldered to the board
Via: plated hole that allows the current to pass thru the
board
Track (trace): conductive path connecting 2 points
(pads, vias)
Soldermask: a layer of insulating lacquer covering both
surfaces of the board to prevent the solder to shortcircuit two tracks from different nets.
Silkscreen (overlay): letters printed on the final board,
e.g., solder mask
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PCB Terminology
SMD pads
Thru-hole pads

Silkscreen
Copper tracks
Soldermask (stop mask)
Via
Thru-hole (full stack) via
1-2 blind via
2-3 buried via
http://www.pcb.electrosoft-engineering.com/04-articles-custom-system-design-and-pcb/01-printed-circuit-board-concepts/printed-circuit-board-pcb-concepts.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Via_(electronics)

PCB Process Flow

Function Design

Form factor

Schematic

Electronic
rules

Layout

Component
library

Routing
Design rules

CAM Gerber output

EAGLE

DFM
Production
Assembly

FAB house
DIY and/or workshop

What is EAGLE?
Easily Applicable Graphical Layout Editor
Easy to use CAD tool for designing PCBs
CadSoft

Consist of three main modules:

Schematic editor
Layout editor
Autorouter

It runs under Windows, Linux, and MacOSX

It comes with an extensive library of components
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Three Versions
EAGLE light

Limitations:
1 schematic sheets;
2 signal layers (top & bottom)
100x80mm routing area

It can be used for free

EAGLE standard

99 schematic sheets
4 signal layers
160x100mmrouting area

EAGLE Professional: full featured version

Up to 1600x1600mm
Up to 16 routing layer
Up to 999 sheets per schematic

Download and Installation

Current edition: 7.1.0
http://www.cadsoftusa.com/download-eagle/
Professional version ( 6.5.0) available in the Senior
Design Lab
Contact John Jacksha (J.J.)

7.1 and 6.5 may have compatibility issues

Begin with 6.5 light version and use Pro version in lab
Begin with 7.1 light version and order your standard or
professional version
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Installing Optional Libraries

SparkFun library

contains footprints for many common devices

helps narrow the choices
https://github.com/sparkfun/SparkFun-Eagle-Libraries
C:\Program Files (x86)\EAGLE-6.5.0\lbr

Adafruit
http://github.com/adafruit/Adafruit-Eagle-Library
C:\Program Files (x86)\EAGLE-6.5.0\lbr

Component order
http://www.digikey.com
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EAGLE User Interface Control

Panel
Menu bar

File manager

Information window:
display what is selected in
file manager

Status line
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Example Project:
LED Flasher Using 555 Timer

13

Creating and Naming a New Project

File->New->Project (you can name the folder as flasher)

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Creating a New Schematic

Right click folder flasher->New->Schematic

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Save and Rename of New Schematic

[Schematic]File->Save as (flasher.sch)
Note: Do not create a
board file yet.

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Schematic Editor Window

Title Bar
Menu Bar

Command Bar

Toolbar
Parameter toolbar
Command Toolbar
Working Area

Status Bar
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Schematic Editor Window Command Tools

Info Info on a part

Layer settings Change Layers

Move
Group Define a
bunch of parts to a
group to move.

Show Highlight a part, wire, or

trace. Very Useful

Rotate

Add Add a part from the library

Delete Delete a part

Name Name a part

Value Define a value (20 Ohms, etc)

Net Connect component

ERC - Electrical Rule Check

Label Label items

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Finding and Add a Component

[Schematic] Add

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Search for a Component

Enter *555* in the Search field
Find NE555
Click OK

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Drop a Component
Move the cursor toward
the middle of the
schematic window
Click to drop the
component
Press ESP key to escape
from adding component;
Click Cancel to escape
from the adding Window.
You can delete a
Component by clicking
Delete

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Add Components Resistors and

Capacitor
SparkFun-Resistors: RESISTORAXIAL-0.3 (x4)
SparkFun-Capacitors: CAP_POLPTH2

22

Add Component LED and

a Screw Terminal for Power Supply
Adafruit: LED5MM (search LED5mm)
Adafruit: 1X2-3.5MM (search terminal)

23

Rotating and Moving Components

Rotate
Move
Zoom

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Connecting the components

Net

25

Setting Component Values

Value

26

Electrical Rule Check

ERC

27

 Use Show to show net

name
Search for capacitor and
find CAP-PTH-SMALL
Add the capacitor and
connect it to Pin5 and the
ground

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29

Net classes
[Schematic]Edit->Net classes
Can also be done in Layout Editor later

1mil = 0.001inch

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Net Classes
Info

31

Laying Out the Board

[Schematic]File->Switch to board
This is no board, so would like to create one from
the schematic? Yes
Yellow lines: airwires-connections that will have to
be converted into tracks
Rectangle: borders
Note: 1. Do NOT close either
schematic or board window.
They must both remain open
while working. Change in on
editor window will lead to
change in the other window.
2. Change background color:
[Board]Options->User
interface->Background->White
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Board Tools
Layer Settings Change
layers
Move Select to Move
components

Show Highlight a trace or part.

Useful to see what connects where.

Group Group multiple

components to move at
once.
Route Create a trace (this is
the actual wire that carries the
electrical signal)
Rectangle Draw and define a rectangle
Via Brings a trace from the top layer to
the bottom layer

Ripup Remove Traces

Text Add text
Polygon Draw and define a polygon.
Auto Router Somewhat unreliable

Ratsnest- Calculates the shortest possible

airwires and polygons

Design Rule Check Very Important!

More Later
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Move
Move
Group
Group move

34

 Move
Rotate
Move
(resizing the board)
Zoom to fit

35

Ratsnest calculate the shortest

airwires (and polygons)

36

Add Mounting Holes

37

Add Mounting Holes

38

Autorouter
[Board] Autorouter

39

Board Layout

40

Rip Up the Tracks (Optional)

Rip up
Group
Ripup: Group

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Tweak the Result Add a Ground Plane

Polygon draw a square around the outline of the
board
(Right click the border of the polygon)Properties
Layer: 16 Bottom, Width 0.01

42

Add a Ground Plane

Ratsnest- the polygon fill with blue
Name - GND

43

Add a Ground Plane

Autorouter
Ratsnest: Nothing to do!

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Design Rule Checker

[Board]DRC

45

CAD Layers

1 Top (top tracks)

16 Bottom (bottom tracks)

17 Pads

18 Vias

19 Unrouted

20 Dimension

21 tPlace (top silkscreen)

22 bPlace (bottom silkscreen)

23 tOrigins

24 bOrigins

25 tNames

26 bNames

27 tValues

28 bValues

44 Drills (for pads (of through hole components) and vias)

45 Holes (for mounting holes)

Note: CAD layer is different from (conductive) layer.

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Add Text on the Top (Silkscreen)

[Board]Layers Pads, Dimension, tPlace, tOrigins,
tNames, tValues

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Smash Separate the Text From Devices

[Board]Smash
Group
Smash: Group

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Change Size
Change->Size->0.05

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Change Font
Change >Font->Vector
Group- Change:Group

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Change Ratio
Change->Ratio->12
Group Change:Group

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Move Labels
Move (labels)

Layers Pads,
Dimension, tPlace

52

Add Text to the Top (silkscreen)

Change-Layer-tPlace
Change-Size-0.05
Change-Font-Vector
Change-Ratio-12

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Add Text to the Top

Text->GND

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Add Text to the Bottom

Layer->Pads,
Dimension, bPlace

Change->layer->bPlace

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Add Text to the Bottom

Text www.uidaho.edu

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Final Board Layout

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Gerber Files
A 2D vector image format
Universal format and industry standard for PCB fabrication
TXT files with coordinates that tell the PCB machines to go
to location X, Y and do something (drill, expose, etch, print,
etc).
Formats:
RS-274X (Extended Gerber or X-Gerber)

Human readable ASCII format consisting of a sequence of commands and

coordinates

RS-274D (obsolete)

Different text files for different layers.

Generated by the CAM (computer aided manufacturing)
processor
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Typical Gerber File Types

Description

EAGLE (default)

EAGLE (Sparkfun)

Orcad

Protel

Top copper layer

(component side)

cmp

gtl

top

gtl

Bottom copper layer (solder

side)

sol

gbl

bot

gbl

Top solder mask

stc

gts

smt

gts

Bottom solder mask

sts

gbs

smb

gbs

Top overlay (silkscreen)

plc

gto

sst

gto

Bottom overlay (silkscreen)

pls

gbo

ssb

gb0

txt

thruhole.tap

drl

NC Drill file (coordinate info) drd

Note: Extensions are different for different PCB design tools, but information is the same.
EAGLE default CAM job needs to create drill file and gerber files separately.
SparkFun CAM job needs only one step.
https://github.com/sparkfun/SparkFun_Eagle_Settings/tree/master/cam
Download the file sfe-gerb274x.cam, and save to some folder

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Gerber File Generation CAM

Processor
[Board] File->CAM Processor
[CAM Processor] File->Open->Job->sfegerb274x.cam

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Gerber File Generation CAM

Processor
[CAM Processor] Process Job

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Gerber Review, Submit and Order

Review: verify the CAM output in a Gerber viewer to make
sure everything was positioned correctly
Viewplot: http://www.viewplot.com (can be downloaded and
installed
Online viewer: www.gerber-viewer.com

Design for manufacturability (DFM)(Files upload)

FreeDFM: http://www.freedfm.com
https://www.my4pcb.com/net35/FreeDFMNet/FreeDFMHome.asp
x

Some PCB fab houses

Advanced Circuits http://www.4PCB.com

quick, reliable, and relatively cheap
$33/board with a week turn around

Dirty Circuits http://www.dirtycircuits.com

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Assembly (Soldering)
Through-hole components
DIY at ECE Senior Design Lab (BEL 216)

Surface-mount devices
GJL 001 ECE lab (free)
< 30 components
Case size > 0402
Label pin numbers
Mr. Greg Klemesrud: gregk@uidaho.edu

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Reference
Simon Monk, Make Your Own PCBs with EAGLE: From
Schematic Designs to Finished Boards, McGrawHill/TAB Electronics; 1 edition (May 22, 2014)

Special Thanks to

Dr. Michael Santora

Dr. Steven Beyelein
Mr. John Jacksha (J. J.)
Mr. Greg Klemesrud
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