Re: gEDA-user: Hello!

[Mike Jarabek <mjarabek@istop.com>]

Hi,

Since nobody else seems to have picked up on this one, I'll give a try
at it.

Ben Greear wrote:

> I have recently become interested in (simple) circuit design
> and layout.  Basically, I'm not ready for anything more
> complicated than I can make on a bread-board at this time, but
> I'd like to have the option of transferring a bread-board layout
> onto a PCB or copper-clad plate....
>
> Is gEDA something that can help me with this?  Any other suggestions?

Most certainly yes, it is suitable.  You may want to use `PCB' for the
layout for the printed circuit board, there should be a link somewhere
on the gEDA homepage.

As for tutorials, just go for it.  The basics of schematic capture are:

    1) Name all of your parts with a `uref' attribute.
    2) Connect nets between the pins you want to connect together.
    3) Attaching a `label' attribute to a net gives it a name, nets that
have the same name are conected together, as far as the netlistter is
concerned.
    4) If you are going to make a schematic, learn to read how netlist
format that you are using, and be sure to check that key pins are hooked
up as you expect them. (Power and ground nets are a good place to check,
in case you forgot to hook them up, or a symbol is broken. Double and
triple check things like transistors to make sure that they get hooked
up right between the schematic and the footprint. More than one design
out there has needed rework because all the diodes got connected
backwards... ;-)

Oh yeah, be patient and have fun!

--
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                              Mike Jarabek
                                FPGA/ASIC Designer
  http://www.doncaster.on.ca/~mjarabek
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