Hey guys,
I've been working on my lightboard [Help controlling a 4x9 LED matrix and identifying components - #5 by system - LEDs and Multiplexing - Arduino Forum] for a long time now, the plan has changed alot. I bought some LED strips from eBay, and tried to interface with the IR sensor from my Ardunio. This worked... For a while. But I needed more power. So I went about researching using 74HC595 shift registers and ULN2803A transistor arrays, and using PWM to drive the LEDs at whatever power/color I want. I've allready built the software to control it [quite well].
My first prototype worked, and worked quite well [would upload the videos but they are massive]. But now I want to put this thing together for good, but I have no clue about this. I tried building a PCB in fritzing, but shit just got crazy reaaallly quick. My alternative is to keep this on breadboards, but i'm not so sure i want such 'loose' connections sat next to my 600w amp and speakers on full blast.
I have attached my fritzing project, and was wondering if somebody could take a peek at it and tell me if I've made any newby mistakes, or even fix them for me. Ideally I plan to get a PCB printed so I can solder all the componants onto it [including the arduino... i don't mind using a USB->serial converter to program it/run it].
If you think i'm going about it the complete wrong way, please tell me.
That's a sound idea and I like it, but I'm going to need a lot of 'jumper wires' to make it work, and my '3 pin terminal block connectors' arn't evenly spaced for a breadboard, meaning i'll need even more jumper wires and my soldering iron seems to burn at a temp. that melts the plastic off the end of a wire, meaning i'd have lots of small bits of bare wiring hanging out. Which doesn't seem wise to me.
Is there any software like fritzing, but more dedicated to building the actual PCB that i can then send off. And I guess i'm also asking if somebody could take a peek at my fritzing file and tell me if its a 'sound' layout, of if i've done something very very very wrong. I somehow blew my last arduino up with this circuit so i'm very keen to not do that again.
As someone working on learning to use Eagle at the moment, I would say that it is an excellent program but there is a significant learning-barrier before you will get to use it efficiently. There are some tutorials from Sparkfun which help but there is a great deal of familiarity required to use the software efficiently.
Nonetheless, once you can use it to a moderate standard, designing a PCB is more efficient than you might expect and once you have a first working design, modifying it relatively easy. Crossroads was kind enough to post Eagle files for a couple of his designs a couple of weeks ago and I have been working from those with reasonable success, it appears. I would suggest that you might want to try something similar for your first design.
I 2nd using Eagle. It may take a little bit to learn how to do everything, but it's very powerful and very useful if you think you'll be doing this from time to time.
I was just coming in to suggest Eagle when I read the last past few posts!
I also recommend using Eagle..
Its a widely used application, and its file format(s) are supposed/used in many major companies and component packages.
(ie: if you go to sparkfun or adafruit..etc..etc you'll see/find may project schematics and pcb layouts posted in Eagle format for you to use)
Also.. many hardware vendors are using Eagle files posted for their parts so its easier for people to use in their schematics/builds..etc
I too am just learning it.. and IMHO..its not easy! lol..
things are NOT very 'intuitive' at all.. and simple actions are made very hard (copy/paste.....etc)
the good thing is, there is a HUGE community for it.. forums.. tutorials.. videos....instructables..etc so finding out how to do something is usually only a 'google' away..
from there getting professional pcbs and stencils made is only a click away.. (Eagle will generate/export all files needed for sending to fab house..and stencil makers..etc)
I really like ExpressPCB. It's a fab house with their own free software. The unfortunate part is, they're really trying to keep you in-house, so it's not particularly easy to share designs with the rest of the world. The software only reads and writes its own format. You can get Gerber files from your designs if you pay a conversion fee, and they will accept Gerber files for manufacture, but that's it.
On the other hand, the boards are reasonably priced for the service. Not cheap, but good quality and turnaround from order to product in your hands is a business week. The software is great -- very easy to use.
It's my opinion that, as a new designer, caveats in mind, you could start off with this package, learn the ropes, then migrate to Eagle when you have a little experience under your belt.
I like expresspcb, great tool for putting a schematic together quick for discussion here, and not for not very complex designs one can create boards easily.
Lot easier to get up to speed, doesn't have the huge library of parts that eagle has so its quicker to find something. Fast turnaround on delivery too. Futurlec will also accept their files for board purchase.
Also very easy to convert/create a symbol if need one.
Downside is manual mapping of your electrical symbol to a mechanical one (not hard, just not done automatically), and rubber-banding is not really done (but clicking on a pin will show you what else is on the net).
Price, still $51 for 3 boards with no soldermask or stencil? Stencil, can do names in copper if you are careful not to short traces out.
Upside - waaaay easier to get something done to start compared to eagle.
Eagle: send gerbers to iteadstudio, $10 for ten 5cm x 5cm boards, $25 for ten 10cm x 10cm boards, soldermasked & stenciled.
More work to learn how to use.
Good option for first design: download one of the Arduino designs, clean out the parts you're not using, go from there. Maybe the Serial board so all parts are thruhole. The 28-pin FTDI chip and the 32-pin leadless ATMega8U2 are very hard to put down on a card manually. Go with pins for external USB/Serial adapter to start:
FTDI Basic, MikroElectronika MIKROE-438 from Mouser, or a CP2102 module from e-bay, with a 1 wire mod for auto-restart via DTR.