Help Designing PCB For Arduino Project

Thread Starter

Eim

Joined Dec 28, 2012
5
Hi. I am currently working on a project using an arduino uno microcontroller. With this I am using a finger print sensor, an LCD display and a membrane keypad. I am fairly new to electronics and my problem is designing the PCB. I have no idea where to start with this. I use multisim and ultiboard. Any help would be much appreciated. Thank you.
 

mcgyvr

Joined Oct 15, 2009
5,394
What "exactly" do you need help with?
Have you even done a PCB before.. (WAY to much information to cover it all here IMO)
 

Thread Starter

Eim

Joined Dec 28, 2012
5
Thanks for the reply. I have only ever built one PCB before. And with that one I was given all the components I needed and told where to put them. I dont know where to begin on my own. I need help drawing up a schematic on multisim.
 

mcgyvr

Joined Oct 15, 2009
5,394
Do you have the schematic done on paper or something? Or are you expecting someone to actually build/design the complete circuit for you?

Assuming you already have a schematic and being those are NI products I guarantee there are plenty of tutorials for you to get started with. Should just be a matter of finding or creating the parts in the library and placing them on the schematic and connecting them with wires.. Then transfer it to ultiboard program to do the PCB layout..

I use Diptrace for schematic capture/board layout as I don't have $10K to waste on NI products.
 

strantor

Joined Oct 3, 2010
6,782
When I made a shield for arduino, I downloaded the arduino eagle (google cadsoft eagle) file from arduino.cc to get all the dimensions. I suggest that's what you do. Just download it and delete everything on it except the pins. Since you've only ever made one PCB, I assume that the burden of having to switch CAD software will be eclipsed by the benefit having half the work done for you.
 

mcgyvr

Joined Oct 15, 2009
5,394
and the best part is that if you've never used a schematic/layout program before you will never realize what a pile of junk Eagle actually is :)
 

mcgyvr

Joined Oct 15, 2009
5,394
Ouch!

Well, I think it's great for my Linux system. :)
Clearly you haven't used anything else I guess. :)
I looked at Eagle like 8 years ago.. pile of crap
Just loaded it again last week because I had a schematic I had to look at..still a big pile of crap.
Diptrace (still being a free/low-cost program) BLOWS it away across the board on every feature/aspect,etc..
Pretty sure you can run Diptrace under Wine too..
 

strantor

Joined Oct 3, 2010
6,782
Well count me in the blissfully ignorant column, along with the folks who made Arduino, and most other open source projects. I've never used anything else and I'm happy with eagle. maybe I need to try diptrace for my next project.
 

mcgyvr

Joined Oct 15, 2009
5,394
Well count me in the blissfully ignorant column, along with the folks who made Arduino, and most other open source projects. I've never used anything else and I'm happy with eagle. maybe I need to try diptrace for my next project.
Yes back in the day Eagle was the first mainstream "free" PCB program and many DIY'ers have adopted it too because it was available/free and thats all they knew about and thats what they have stuck with and no one wanted to rock the boat nor jump the boat.. The trouble with Eagle is that its still the same crappy program from years ago.. Very little advancements have been made to update it/make features easier to use/easier library creation,etc... Heck even the UI is junk.. Like MS paint..just low level junk..
 

agoua

Joined Jan 25, 2013
2
Hi. I am currently working on a project using an arduino uno microcontroller. With this I am using a finger print sensor, an LCD display and a membrane keypad. I am fairly new to electronics and my problem is designing the PCB. I have no idea where to start with this. I use multisim and ultiboard. Any help would be much appreciated. Thank you.
Hi Brother. Eagle from Cadsoft is a good soft for PCB design.
But it take long time to learn it.
If you want send me your circuit and I will do it for you
 

agoua

Joined Jan 25, 2013
2
Hi Brother. Eagle from Cadsoft is a good soft for PCB design.
But it take long time to learn it.
If you want send me your circuit and I will do it for you
 
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