Need PCB layout software with some special requirements

Powerpoint (or any vector based drawing package), then a vector to Gerber converter.

pcb can do all that, although the arcs may need to be manually tweaked[*] and the rotated part code is new and has some quirks. I think we'd be open to feedback even if it doesn't work out for you.

PCB also has a way of importing eps files as copper, using some external converters.

[*] Are you looking for arcs like these? PCB has a puller module that can do some artsy arcs for you:

Actually, I'm looking to arrange some parts in a semi-circle pattern and connect them together with an arc on one pin and use traces with a radial pattern on the other pin.

With all the libraries, compiler and cygwin needed to run on Windoze, sounds like it may be pretty complicated to get it installed. But free is nice .... may give it a shot. Any step by step procedure for installing on Windoze?

Thanks!

Robert

--
"If God had intended for us to see the sunrise
He would have scheduled it later in the day."
(perform an exorcism for e-mail reply)

Robert wrote:

How many? If it's a lot, write a perl script to generate the pcb file. The format is text, and it's openly documented. That also works around the issue with editing the arcs. You'd just need to do some math to calculate the locations, and print out the data.

I worked on that today, and it wasn't as straightforward as I'd hoped. I'm going to work on it some more in the near future, see if I can streamline the process. Getting the build environment set up properly is tricky, but once set up, the build itself should be easy.

I couldn't figure out how to rotate anything by an angle less than 90 degrees

you missed the track going to the fourth via on the top row.

Bye. Jasen

Almost any PCB package will allow you to place tracks at any angle, but by default most packages have "orthogonal" mode turned on which limits angles to 45/90. Even old Autotrax for DOS does this. Similar thing with component rotation, although not all packages support any angle rotation of components and arcs. Check your current or intended package closely to see if it supports this stuff. It will be buried in the menus but it's usually there somewhere.

Dave.

Most of the "professional" level software packages can do this. Off the top of my head, Altium and Pulsonix both can... I'd be surprised if PADS couldn't. I suspect EAGLE can as well... Joerg?

Pulsonix has a radial grid mode which makes it trivial to place components along an arc. I imagine other packages can do this as well.

:FreeRotateBuffer(45)

To rotate a part already placed, cut it, rotate the buffer, then paste it back. I thought about rotating the part as-is, but it makes a mess of the connected traces.

I don't think this feature is in the latest snapshot, so you'd need to download the CVS version.

I must have missed that one.

There's a command-line? Cool!

(I should really have RTFM before posting that .. I only installed it this morning... )

Bye. Jasen

Pulsonix can do that sort of thing, it has a polar grid feature which makes it easy. You could get the various angles spot-on.

Leon

Sort of. The ":" key invokes a command window, allowing you to manually invoke any of the myriad actions that PCB defines. The menu and key bindings just invoke actions too (in the Lesstif HID, there's a file that defines this mapping). These same actions can be invoked on the pcb command line via --action-string="" or in a script with

--action-script=...

It really comes in handy when you want to do something like set the drill of all selected pins to a specific value, or set the grid to an unusual value. I use it a lot for setting up the solder resist mask.

Plug-ins usually use the command window, too, since the GUI won't already know about them. For example, my teardrops plugin is invoked with :Teardrops()

Thanks for the info. Looks like some nice software. This is similar to what I want to do:

But the software is pretty pricey!

Robert

-- "If God had intended for us to see the sunrise He would have scheduled it later in the day." (perform an exorcism for e-mail reply)

That's an interesting idea. Do you have a suggestion for a converter? A Google search seems to only give me Gerber to vector converters.

Thanks! Robert

-- "If God had intended for us to see the sunrise He would have scheduled it later in the day." (perform an exorcism for e-mail reply)

Actually most of the parts will be along an arc. Well, I know Perl pretty well, but know nothing about Gerber file format. Looks like this may be a bit tedious, but may be the way to go in the long run. Will look into it.

Thanks! Robert

-- "If God had intended for us to see the sunrise He would have scheduled it later in the day." (perform an exorcism for e-mail reply)

Not compared to Altium or PADS... and it does *most* of what those can do for a much lesser price. (I.e., the bang per buck is pretty good...)

Sounds like all you really need is a decent paint program. If you're going to be routing by hand anyway, why fight with orthogonal software? :-)

Good Luck! Rich

Pretty much any PCB Layout program can have rotated parts at any angle and can do arcs. If you want the parts in nice arcs, you will want to use a real 2D drafting program (AutoCAD, for example) to place the part outlines, then import the graphics in to your PCB program as footprint. This acts as a template which will make placing your parts easier. Some PCB programs can import DXF or GIF. Some programs will allow you to take a DXF file and convert to copper which may be easier to put in artistic arcs.

--
Mark

Rich Grise wrote:

ISTM that getting the angle you really want in any *modern* ECAD is just a RTFM thing.