I don't know whether this is the correct forum, but I want to make DIY PCB, confused about terms, etc.

Thread Starter

Hamlet

Joined Jun 10, 2015
519
Ah, where to start? I've built numerous electronic projects using Manhattan style construction, strip-boards,
pref-board, etc. My preferred construction technique is island-pad/Manhattan, and occasionally, soldering
components to nails in pounded into a "breadboard", aka, a slab of pine or ceder fence plank. I do etch
my own pcbs, but it's just easy-stuff, using tape or paint-pen to mark off areas for Vcc and ground, nothing
detailed. I might add, using Manhattan construction provides a wonderful ground plane.

I avoid surface-mount where possible, as my eyes aren't getting any younger, but I can manage when needed.
I'll eventually get a microscope, hot-station, reflow oven, etc. But for now, for protyping in metal, I prefer
Manhattan construction, as it's fast and easy to change things out without damaging pads on a strip-board
by numerous prototyping changes via reheating. I suppose using Spice or something like that could reduce
my development mistakes, but so far, I have found that I prefer to "program" with solder.

With the above in mind, I would like to create pcb breakout boards on a scale that is larger than dip or smd.
I have something like this in mind, about 40mm by 60mm, with round pads about 10mm:

1615828493571.png
I created the above in microsoft paint, and obviously, that's not going to work
very well, as it's difficult to get the scale correct. But you get the idea. Maybe
there is a better way to do this, so I could get a toner mask or whatever it's called,
or, maybe create 48 of these on a pattern, an send it off to china, and have someone
bang out 100 pcs, so I can continue my hobby into my declining eyesight years?DSCF4680b.JPG
 
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Thread Starter

Hamlet

Joined Jun 10, 2015
519
What I am considering is a hybrid between manhatten and etched pcb, where I can
glue the breakout-board to a larger pcb/ground-plane. What steps do I have to do
to design a breakout-board to scale, and get the "artwork" into a metal pcb?

1615832911762.png
(idea for chaining two breakout pcb for DIP 14/16)
 

MaxHeadRoom

Joined Jul 18, 2013
28,619
Have you considers a free program such as Kicad where you can produce gerber files for production at places like PCBWAY, QTY5 boards 100mm x 100 mm for $2.00 ?
 

MaxHeadRoom

Joined Jul 18, 2013
28,619
With a Cad program you can make the footprint pads as large as you wish, within practicality.
You also get through hole plating when having them made.
Max.
 

Thread Starter

Hamlet

Joined Jun 10, 2015
519
Have you considers a free program such as Kicad where you can produce gerber files for production at places like PCBWAY, QTY5 boards 100mm x 100 mm for $2.00 ?
Yes, I suppose that's where I'm going. Is gerber a "cad" program? I'm not sure, but I believe this free program
is integrated with a pcb manufacturer,

https://easyeda.com/

I never felt it worthwhile to make dedicated pcb for projects, since I go thru so many revisions, and all for one final copy. However, that might change if I get the hang of things.
 

MaxHeadRoom

Joined Jul 18, 2013
28,619
I use free Kicad, you draw the schematic and from this you populate the board of your design, from this, you create Gerber files, which are recognized by board manufacturers in order to produce your board.
IOW, you just email the Gerber and drill file to them.
There is also a Kicad forum which is also very helpful.
 

Thread Starter

Hamlet

Joined Jun 10, 2015
519
No, gerber files are a standard CAD format for CAD files used to create PCBs. PCB design software produces files in this format for board manufacturers.
So a "Gerber" file is what all these pcb-cad programs produce, which is then sent to a manufacturer, or maybe used to make your own simple pcb.
 
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