Re: gEDA-user: Migration form eagle to gEDA

["bsalinux@xxxxxxxxx" <bsalinux@xxxxxxxxx>]

Thanks for the detailed steps Colin.

Sorry I was not clear I was looking to migrate as a user. Although I
have a license for eagle but sometime get limited by the number of
schematic sheets. So far I haven't reached max board size. I have
moderately large customized libraries on eagle. I use git with my
current setup as my version control mech.

Couple of days back I was able to create a test schematic on gschem
but it was not obvious to transfer the schematic to PCB. I guess it
will take time to learn.

So far I made a few observations comparing eagle:

1. Schematic & board are decoupled so any changes to schematic need to
be re-synced to the board. I haven't figured out the way yet.
2. Symbol and footprint libraries are decoupled for the above reasons.
3. A schematic element doesn't necessarily have a footprint assigned
by default. Maybe because gschem can be used standalone (not for PCB)

I would like to know any functional (not monetary) advantages of gEDA
over eagle, I assume that there are many.

Regards,

Chetan Bhargava


On Mon, Jul 25, 2011 at 10:11 AM, Colin D Bennett <colin@xxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
> On Sun, 24 Jul 2011 19:17:39 -0700
>
> Do you mean migration of particular designs (schematic/layout),
> importing them to gEDA?
>
> Or do you mean migrating as a user?
>
> I have never used Eagle, so I can't be of any specific assistance in
> that regard.  However, I can say that while there are tutorial on
> gschem/PCB and the general gEDA workflow, there is a need for a good,
> complete tutorial for new users.
>
> Because gEDA is designed to support a wide variety of uses and workflow
> methods, I feel it is not immediately clear to new users how to
> proceed.
>
> Let me share my basic process for designing a circuit and PCB so you
> can get a feel for how the tools might be used:
>
> 0.) Set up a revision control system.
>    Something modern like git or Bazaar is best.
>    Commit frequently, and write descriptive commit messages!
>    (I find this useful as a journal or log to come back to myself about
>    what I've done on the design, not to mention saving yourself from
>    screwups...)
>
> 1.) Draw schematic with gschem, placing symbols and drawing net
>    connections.
>    Various steps required as part of drawing the basic schematic:
>
>    - Import any special symbols not in the default library from
>      gedasymbols.org
>    - If you can't find the symbol you need, draw custom symbol
>      in gschem, save as .sym file.
>    - Run a schematic design rule check (DRC) with “gnetlist”;
>      fix any DRC errors.
>
> 2.) Assign footprints to all components in the schematic.
>    You can do this in gschem or using gattrib (table view).
>
>    - Import any special footprints from gedasymbols.org
>    - If you can't find an appropriate footprint, create one in the
>      “pcb” tool. (Takes some practice, but after a while it becomes
>      straightforward.)
>    - Make sure the footprints you are using are correct for the
>      parts you are going to use.
>    - Check footprints to make sure that pin assignments from
>      schematic symbol to PCB footprint is correct!! Watch out for
>      LEDs, diodes, polarized capacitors, etc. that may have pins
>      identified only as “1” and “2”.  (I often use my own custom
>      symbols/footprints with more descriptive, logical pin identifiers
>      like “P” and “N” on diodes for P-type and N-type terminals.)
>
> 3.) Lay out the board.
>    - Import schematic into pcb.
>    - Set “preferences” for the design such as minimum copper
>      clearance, board dimensions, layer stackup, etc.
>    - Set up the grid as you prefer.
>    - Place components.
>    - Route tracks with lines.  (You can use autorouter, but that is a
>      personal preference... I have always done manual routing.)
>    - Draw board outline on the “outline” layer.
>    - Add ground flood if desired.
>
> 4.) Verify design.
>    - Run DRC in the pcb program; fix any problems such as “copper areas
>      too close”, etc.
>    - Print out the PCB layout at 1:1 scale on paper and actually place
>      the parts on it.  This is a sanity check to make sure footprints
>      are correct and spacing around certain parts are sufficient
>      (e.g., need enough spacing around some connectors, switches,
>      jumpers, sockets, heat sinks, etc.).
>
> I'm no wizard, just a novice, but I've done a few dozen designs and am
> feeling very comfortable in gEDA myself so hopefully this is helpful.
>
> One thing that I've found is that it is worthwhile to “error-proof”
> yourself through your process.  Some of the common errors I've made are
> related to incorrect pin assignments or footprint assignments, so I
> take special care to validate those.
>
> Regards,
> Colin
>
>
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