Can EAGLE draw PCB directly?

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charlesli

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EAGLE can not directly create a new PCB file, I do not want to draw schematics to PCB. I just want to set the board border size, and then manually draw the circuit. I don't know where to set the PCB bezel after looking for a long time.

There is also how to switch the current operation of the layer? I can only draw it and then modify the layer it is on?
 
You can plop down the desired footprints on the circuit board, make the desired connections with the airwire tool, then go on to arrange components and route traces. You must make the airwire connections before routing traces.
 
I thing target 3001 (pay) can do it. It has a reverse engineering option where it can create a schematic from the drawn PCB.
 
You're trying to solve a problem he didn't ask about. He wants to lay out a board in Eagle where he doesn't have a schematic in Eagle format.
 
I have used Eagle to create circuit board layouts without a schematic.
Admittedly they were very simple circuits, just a few components.
I put some holes in the correct places, joined them up with lines, and then I etched them with a milling machine.

I have also created front panel texts in Eagle and engraved them with a milling machine.
Like this:



JimB
 
When I used my paid version of Eagle, I had to buy the pro version of layout (where you actually lay out boards) – not because any of my designs were that complicated, but because I needed physically large boards.

Eagle, in their wisdom back then, wouldn't allow the standard version of schematic capture to work with the pro version of layout, and the pro version was $500. Instead, I used TinyCad for my schematics. TinyCad will export a netlist that can be massaged enough to import into Eagle, but it never worked that well. Differences in pin numbering on switches and similar components burnt me enough times to give up on importing a net list.

I laid out my boards exactly as I described above. Put the footprints on the board, make the connections using airwires, then arrange the parts and lay out the tracks. Tedious, but it works. I've laid out some fairly complex boards that way.



 
Last edited:
Visitor said:
You can plop down the desired footprints on the circuit board, make the desired connections with the airwire tool, then go on to arrange components and route traces. You must make the airwire connections before routing traces.
Click to expand...
So which layer do I need to set the border at?
 
If I simply want to set a border, what layer should I set it on?
 
I just opened Eagle, generated a new project, then a new board. Drew a rectangle using the line tool on the dimension layer, added a couple of components and no problem.


Mike.
 
Pommie said:
I just opened Eagle, generated a new project, then a new board. Drew a rectangle using the line tool on the dimension layer, added a couple of components and no problem.

Mike.
Click to expand...

You need to connect the pads with "air wires" to route the tracks properly. A track won't necessarily make a connection to a pad otherwise.
 
Since Eagle pricing is for me too much. Its half of my month earning and i am not gonna spend whole month in Disassembler to crack it, i use Kicad Instead.
What cool functions Eagle has? Autorouter is cool, but its even used in industry?
 
I have an old version of Eagle. I have switched to EasyEDA, and highly recommend it. I have not missed any features of Eagle.
 
I did recently consider changing to different software to use, and I think Kicad is a good choice. Thanks again to all of you who have helped me here.
 
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