Does anyone know what character to use in ExpressPCB to print an ohm symbol in the silkscreen?

This does not work: Ω comes out as ?

This does not work: Ω comes out as ?

 

Yep, same for me. I have no clue what font they use, nor if all characters are supported.

So just draw one, the "most of a circle" item and two small lines. It may help to turn snap off for the final tweaks.

 

You don't really need the ohms symbol, just print the values, which is what I do. There are two standard formats, American and EU.

American 2700 = 2.7K
EU 2700 = 2K7

 

I vote with Bill and recommend the EU convention as it makes having good decimal points a non-factor. But use 'k' instead of 'K' since it isn't 2.7 kelvins. ;P

If you don't have a multiplier, then you R, so 8.1Ω would become 8R1. If you really want the ohms symbols, a reasonable and easy to draw facsimile is just an 'O' with and underline under it. Looks like an Omega that just closed up the gap too far.

 

I agree with Bill Marsden. It is assumed that a bunch temperature sensors wouldn't go where the resistors would go. The capital "K" is most commonly used anyway.

 

Whether they would go there are not is not the point. Why perpetuate the sloppy use of improper measurement designations when there is no need to? No one that sees a lower case 'k' instead of an upper case 'K' is going to be confused. If your system only supports upper case characters, then use uppercase. But if you can put the proper units, or at least use the proper multipliers, then use them.

 

I never use the PCB Express schematic for anything as a netlist check anyhow. Other graphic conventions make much prettier schematics, which is usually my published draft.