ARRGGHH!Īgain the local IT guru stepson to the rescue. No clues, no tips, no warnings, the only indication that the file was not saved was a peek into that folder that showed the file was still dated 20Nov2013. Then I could not save the reworked schematic. With help from the local home IT guru (my stepson) we figured out that the files had to first be loaded into the Programs. Today is a Texas Work-at-Home Ice Day, and to start I could not even get my saved files to work. A couple weeks ago I started to learn KiCAD, then after 2 days got sidetracked into a "more important" project, so saved all the files to my thumb drive to learn later. Between the both of us we got things done. I inspected the layout files and asked for minor changes if needed. I spec'd the trace and dielectric dimensions for impedance control, the PCB layout guru did the work. Last time I did a PCB layout was with blue and red tape on mylar, ever since there has always been a CAD expert that I could sit down with to do the layout. Currently, manipulating the view is a little difficult and the part can only be rendered in a perspective view.Ĭurrently struggling with learning KiCad. I would also like to see improvements in the 3D viewing options. XML-based 3D geometry might be nice for the web, but is mostly useless in engineering. Unfortunately, DipTrace only supports an XML-based export file type. The reason for this is that the STEP file type is the standard, universal geometry file for all other MCAD programs. One is the integration of STEP214 file compatibility in both import and export. There are a couple areas that really need to be improved in order for me to recommend DipTrace’s 3D preview option. It is much better to find these errors here than when you have your first prototype in hand and you cannot get it to work. It will also let you know if you have an interference problem with other parts. Despite the lack of features, the 3D preview option does allow you to get a sense of clearances between parts to ensure that you will be able to have sufficient clearance to solder the components. It will give you a 3D preview, but the program frequently loses association with the 3D models. Here DipTrace works at a very basic level. I stress again how much I love having the ability to review my designs in 3D. This, as could be expected, greatly increases (by an order of magnitude or two) the time required to perform the autorouting. Also, be sure to have the “Redraw Traces while Autorouting” option turned off. This is not a huge issue, though you have to be aware that in order to achieve the desired result, you may have to hunt around for the location of the option that needs to be changed. Currently there are about three different places you need to go to fully configure this tool. One thing that could be improved is the consolidation of where to find all of the settings that control the autorouter. It does not support advanced features such as impedance matching or trace length matching, but this should not be an issue for a hobbyist or someone who is not working with high-speed routing. To use the autorouter, there are a handful of design rules that need to be set up. For small projects this works well to assist in the routing of non-critical traces. In the full version of the program, unlimited layers are supported.ĭipTrace has an internal autorouter. To get to 4-layer support, you need to pay at a minimum $125. The free version supports 2-layer boards. This is not a show-stopper by any means, but it is frustrating the first time it happens.ĭipTrace meets this requirement for all versions that are available. After having labeled 30 pins, I switched the layout and lost the previous pin labels. When I was just learning this tool, I decided on a particular layout for a component but then found an option that better suited my needs. Once again, this is wonderfully useful and easy, but there are some things that need improvement. If your part does not meet any of the standard shapes, you can place pads in any fashion you desire to meet your unique requirements. It is here that you would also add any silkscreen markings to the pattern that you desire. You are not constrained by standard round, oval, or square pads you can import pad shapes from a DXF file. Using the Pattern Editor you can define an initial pattern of pads and pad shapes. Starting in the pattern editor, you have a number of predefined shapes that are available to the user with various sizing options. The first part is the Pattern Editor and the second part is the Component Editor. This feature is broken up into two parts. It is very fast to create a custom part that you know will meet your needs. With this wizard, I never had a need to go out and look for a part library on the Internet. For those times when the part that you need is not in the standard library, DipTrace has a wonderful - yet deceptively simple - Footprint Wizard.
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