first pcb try

I've added capacitors to 2nd regulator and added label names for them.
you mind checking? :wink:

Looks pretty good. Trace for pin 20 is kinda thin compared to the rest. Maybe indicates it has not been routed yet?
Schematic turned out pretty good.
Still recommend a diode across R4 for reasons described before. At least put pads in for it if you don't want to install it to start.

I was kinda afraid of modifying the schematics because first i suck at understanding them... but i think i can understand them by now.
About the thin wire, yes i didnt double click so it was a rastnest line instead of being a wire (corrected now)
diode just like that?

Looks good.

No obvious mistakes ? Like wrong connections or such ?
i'm ready to try my first pcb etch

You mind also take a look at http://arduino.cc/forum/index.php/topic,149447.0.html
it's related to this pcb i'm making

None that I see.
I still recommend a ground pour - that will save on etching material also as you only etch enough to isolate the pads & traces, and not clear out whole big sections of the board.

Is this what you are saying ?
i've choose GND as a ground seed and then did Ground Fill
i cant understand how it works and how i'm gonna etch my pcb like this

that doesn't look good
the ground fill bit has worked
but it seems to have nuked all you lovely traces :frowning:

i really dont know how to do this with fritzing, i think i leave it just like it was before... and maybe in the future use another program like eagle

I would go for Eagle every time
takes a few extra minutes to get up to speed, but it's like moving from crayons to calligraphy (IMHO)

apart from anything else - there are so many people here who can help you with it
this problem would have been a doddle!

That's the idea, but it seems to have the ground on one side of the board and the traces on the other, hence the 2 different colors (yellow-ish gnd, and reddish traces); from the jumpers you showed earlier I figured you were making a single sided board. Try it again with the ground pour on the same side as the traces. What you want is to just have the copper removed from next to the traces and around the pins, you can see where that took place arond the pads already.

Yes the board is single-sided... i really cant do that ground pour with fritzing.
i'm trying moving the wires to the other side of board and doing copper fill to see if this is what you mean.

One last time before i give up :smiley:

Ok, copper fill then. Have that and the traces on the same side of the board.
Then you end up like this, where the white is the copper that is removed and the red is the copper that is left.
This is for a surface mount board. You probably want everything on the bottom layer for easier soldering of pins to pads.

I did ground fill instead. see image above
it's that?

No, that has a top & bottom layer. You want the ground fill on the same layer as your traces.

i really cant understand this :x
i've tried to export etch_copper_bottom so you can see the bottom only, but i dont think that's what you mean

master1_rev4_groundfill_etch_copper_bottom.pdf (30.2 KB)

That's exactly what I mean! That looks pretty good.
Last thing I would recommend is making the 90 degree corners on traces into a couple of 45 degree corners.
This is important in home etching because often the inside corner can be over-etched leaving the resulting corner trace on the thin side.

Some nice attempts. Tinning makes a massive difference to the solderbility.

A little while ago, I came across an article, but can't find it right now. It used a CD printer to print the etch resist and the silk screen layers directly onto the board, pretty nifty. I think they used a simple two-edged jig to ensure registration. They were using a non-FeCl etch too (which is a pain to recycle and stains everything around).
Use good quality PCB drill bits and a drill post (dremel et al make them). If you allow the drill to self-centre, drilling is quite easy and can look good. Self centring requires the pad hole to be quite small). The technique is to visually align the drill/work, then as the drill nears the work, allow the work to move, and the hole in the pad will align with the drill, hold firmly and press through. Obviously works with smaller boards. Use of backing board leaves a good finish.

I have read this post with great interest. I'm new to the PCB layout and design. For those of you who are drilling your own boards. Where do I find a .08 bit in the USA. What size of bit or bits do I need? Where can I get them? I believe .08 is the correct bit size for most leads.

Thanks