PCB board drawing

I've downloaded Eagle, but I'm thoroughly lost.

I have the board designs in DeltaCAD (2D CAD). screenshot below, click to expand. Would be willing to pay $20, paypal preferred (instant transfer).

This is for my weather station project.

Will be submitting through here -> PCB Order

Design Rules
(Eagle DRU File: http://content.laen.org/pcb/LaenPCBOrder.dru) The minimums are:

6 mil trace width
6 mil spacing
15 mil clearances from traces to the edge of the board
13 mil minimum drill size.
7 mil minimum annular ring

If you draw the schematic first, it makes creating the board much easier. But if you just can't figure it out, I'm willing to help.

Screw it, I'm waiting for a 7GiB download to finish. Look over the attached PDF. If it's correct, I'll export the gerber files.

magnethead794.pdf (25.8 KB)

KirAsh4:
Screw it, I'm waiting for a 7GiB download to finish. Look over the attached PDF. If it's correct, I'll export the gerber files.

You amaze me to do it that quickly. THANK YOU

Looks perfect :slight_smile:

Noticed you actually optimized the routing- something I wouldn't have thought of.

My email is steve -> magnethead794.com if you would like to email.

Do me a favor, and check the traces. I actually have not done any of the rule checks or anything like that yet. If it's all the same and I didn't forget or miss anything, I'll go through the rule checks and all of that.

KirAsh4:
Do me a favor, and check the traces. I actually have not done any of the rule checks or anything like that yet. If it's all the same and I didn't forget or miss anything, I'll go through the rule checks and all of that.

Already did :thumbsup: Even double checked the 2 voltage regulator pinouts (that mess at the bottom right of the main board) to make sure they were right, and they are.

KirAsh4:
If you draw the schematic first, it makes creating the board much easier. But if you just can't figure it out, I'm willing to help.

I just figured if I already had it done up in separate layers on the correct .1" spacing, it shouldn't have been too hard to transfer to a PCB. I did the schematicing and grunge work myself.

Can you high light the traces that are carrying VCC? I like to make those traces thicker. Also, which ones are meant as ground?

KirAsh4:
Can you high light the traces that are carrying VCC? I like to make those traces thicker. Also, which ones are meant as ground?

In the original PNG, red is VCC, black is GND, green is DATA.

Then those VCC lines need to be interconnected ... You have different, separate traces for VCC. Unless they are different voltages, they need to be interconnected.

KirAsh4:
Then those VCC lines need to be interconnected ... You have different, separate traces for VCC. Unless they are different voltages, they need to be interconnected.

The mess at the bottom right of the big board is voltage regulators. The one going up and to the left is 3.3V, the one going up the right and that goes to the pin header at bottom left is 5.0V.

The input is 9 volts on the 2 bottommost pins that everything starts at.

added a legend

You're saying the two bottommost pins are 9V raw input? Yet, it's the same color as your 5V line? Do you understand where or why it's confusing? :slight_smile:

So if I understand you right, you have 9V (Vin) being supplied on the bottom. The 'T' shape traces are +9V, correct? From there, you have two regulators, one that regulates down to 3V3 (V3V3) and one that regulates to 5V (V5), correct?

Then, V3V3 is a single trace that goes up to the logic level as well as the HH10D and the BMP085.
The V5 trace goes to the DS1307, runs on the right hand side up to the logic level and on the way also connect to two additional pins around the Mini.

Question: what's the red bridge across the two pins on the left hand header? If that's supplied voltage, where is that coming from? It's not connected to anything.

Same thing on the small board, if it's being stacked ontop of the larger one, where is the V3v3 and GND being supplied from? Which pins are they being connected to?

Understand that I'm not trying to be a pain here. I want you to get a board that works, not one that once you connect stuff to it you realize something's amiss. Not knowing what the electrical diagram looks like, I have to rely on you to explain these bits and pieces.

KirAsh4:
You're saying the two bottommost pins are 9V raw input? Yet, it's the same color as your 5V line? Do you understand where or why it's confusing? :slight_smile:

This is correct. I'd forgotten to change them.

So if I understand you right, you have 9V (Vin) being supplied on the bottom. The 'T' shape traces are +9V, correct? From there, you have two regulators, one that regulates down to 3V3 (V3V3) and one that regulates to 5V (V5), correct?

Correct

Then, V3V3 is a single trace that goes up to the logic level as well as the HH10D and the BMP085.
The V5 trace goes to the DS1307, runs on the right hand side up to the logic level and on the way also connect to two additional pins around the Mini.

Correct

Question: what's the red bridge across the two pins on the left hand header? If that's supplied voltage, where is that coming from? It's not connected to anything.

reset and GND for external reset button. And the 2 standalone pins below the mini is the +5/GND pin header for the bluetooth module.

Same thing on the small board, if it's being stacked ontop of the larger one, where is the V3v3 and GND being supplied from? Which pins are they being connected to?

Yes it's to be a stacked shield. It's going to get power via wire jumpers from the logic board's 3V3 and ground. I have pass-through headers on the logic level for this reason.

Understand that I'm not trying to be a pain here. I want you to get a board that works, not one that once you connect stuff to it you realize something's amiss. Not knowing what the electrical diagram looks like, I have to rely on you to explain these bits and pieces.

I know. Right now I have it on soldered breadboard so I know it works, but it's a complete mess.

At 9Vin, the current is 70ma with my meter.

If I had to guess, the 3V3 line:

  • probably carries 6mA to each sensor

  • I don't know how much the logic level pulls (say 2 ma)

  • but the LCD display pulls 15mA @ 3V3 including the controller IC (what the smaller board is for)

  • So say 30mA on the 3V3 line.

5V line:

  • bluetooth I know pulls 25ma because the overall jumps from 45mA to 70mA when I connect it

  • the DS1307 runs on coin cell until polled over I2C so it's a non-factor (5ma at most?)

  • so assume the arduino pulls ~15ma.

  • So say 40-45mA on the 5V line.

You could take advantage of ground planes also, will give you more room for your thicker traces.

CrossRoads:
You could take advantage of ground planes also, will give you more room for your thicker traces.

I'm limited to 2 layer PCB. Unless I'm misunderstanding.

magnethead794:
reset and GND for external reset button. And the 2 standalone pins below the mini is the +5/GND pin header for the bluetooth module.

Ok, so that reset doesn't actually have live voltage on it, those two pins are just bridged, nothing else, right?

magnethead794:
Yes it's to be a stacked shield. It's going to get power via wire jumpers from the logic board's 3V3 and ground. I have pass-through headers on the logic level for this reason.

If it's going to get stacked on top of the larger one, why use wire jumpers? Why not pass voltage and ground through the headers? Avoid the whole wire jumper mess all together.

CrossRoads:
You could take advantage of ground planes also, will give you more room for your thicker traces.

That's exactly what I'm going to do with the ground plane. Gets rid of all the ground traces, leaving more room for the rest.

If using Eagle, draw a polygon on both sides of the board, and name each one GND.
All you GND pins will connect to this, you will not need to drawa them out.
Gives you more flexibity for routing signals.

Example: You can see the traces, seperated by thin white trace, in the middle of the sea of red, which is the top layer ground plane.
Bottom looks similar, but in Blue (default colors). Pins the + across them are connected to ground.

[edit - I typed this up, submitted, then saw there was a page 2, so it looks out of order :grin:]

He's not using Eagle ... he's lost in it. :slight_smile: I'm helping with converting his cad design into Eagle so he can get the gerber files for his fab house.

This discussion just went over my head :blush:

Arduino Mini doesn't have 3V3 onboard to feed the shield. Have to get it from elsewheres. No easy way to get ground from..anywhere..to the IC, so have to get it from elsewheres as well. Thus 2 power wires going to nearest tappable 3V3 and GND (the logic level).

Maybe these will help clear things up:

Arduino Mini V4: http://arduino.cc/en/Main/ArduinoBoardMini

LCD connection: Nokia 3310/5110 LCD tutorial (PCD8544)

74HC4050: http://www.mouser.com/ProductDetail/NXP-Semiconductors/74HC4050N652/?qs=sGAEpiMZZMutXGli8Ay4kE3wRMDwmh%2F%252bwxAjZ9wobYY%3D

RST (reset) pin of the LCD (orange wire) to pin 2 of the 4050
CS (chip select) pin (yellow wire) to pin 4 of the 4050.
D/C (data/command) pin (green wire) to pin 6 of the 4050
DIN (data in) pin (blue wire) to pin 15 of the 4050
CLK(clock) pin (purple wire) to pin 12 of the 4050.

Arduino pin 3 (orange) goes to pin 3 of the 4050.
Arduino pin 4 (yellow) goes to pin 5 of the 4050.
Arduino pin 5 (green) goes to pin 7 of the 4050.
Arduino pin 6 (blue) goes to pin 14 of the 4050.
Arduino pin 7 (violet) goes to pin 11 of the 4050.

Let me know if it's too hard to read these.