Eagle PCB Library

hippy

Technical Support
Staff member
I'm still getting the same old, "Consistency lost between schematic and board. No forward/backward annotation will be performed! Please contact CadSoft" errors I was suffering from last time I tried to do a PCB a year ago, but I intend to persevere this time. If I can get the schematic complete that will be a major step forward. So, asked many times before but no useful answers I could find ...

1) Where's the library for the 3.5mm download jack ?

2) Where's the library for the 3-pin keyed-molex download header ?

I know I can hack the latter with a standard 3-pin header, but it would be nice to have a silk screen which made the board easy to assemble.

I've come to the conclusion ( again ) that I am absolutely no good at routing layout, and I'm getting plenty of practice as every time the consistency error occurs I have to delete the board and start again. Does anyone know of any commercial firms which will take Eagle schematics and create a layout once sockets and other major components have been placed ?
 

Tom2000

Senior Member
hippy,

I couldn't find a suitable 3.5 mm jack, at least one that matches the PCB mount ones I have in my junkbox. If you search using *jack* you might get lucky and find something that matches what you might have on hand. There are a number of 3.5 mm jacks in the library.

For the connector, take a look at 22-27-2031-03 in the header section. It's a polarized 3 pin 100 mil Molex connector.

FWIW, forward and back annotation don't work for me, either.

Good luck!

Tom
 

andrew_qld

Senior Member
(1) There are a few 3.5mm jacks under "Con-Lumberg-lbr" (not sure if it came with eagle or I downloaded it online). Can't say I have seen the jack that rev-ed use but the library above has the 3.5mm sockets we get from Jaycar in Australia (http://www.jaycar.com.au/products_uploaded/PS-0133.pdf).

(2) The keyed 3-pin Molex plug (if its the one I think you mean) is in the SparkFun library (I use a lot of stuff from this one). Download it at http://www.opencircuits.com/SFE_Footprint_Library_Eagle

The "Consistency lost between schematic and board" problem happens when you have a board open then close the schematic editor. It likes you to add stuff in the schematic editor and not in the board. In fact, I find it is better if you get the circuit done first and then switch to the board. Indestructables have a lot of eagle tutorials which helped me a fair bit.

Cheers,
Andrew
 

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sedeap

Senior Member
Hippy do you refer to CadSoft Eagle layout Editor?
Which version?... 4.16r2?
I've that one and some lib upgrades... stored in my server.
I use ( New Wave Concepts) "PCB Wizard " Software some time,
and work fine... If you want it... tell me.

:0)
 
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hippy

Technical Support
Staff member
Thanks for all the help and encouragement. Tom2000 nailed the 3-pin keyed-Molex, thanks. As to the stereo jack, well, I suppose one has to learn library creation sometime. Not perfect ( schematic symbol is far too big and I'm not sure about the package outline being accurate ) but here we go. I'll probably create a new version which is more compact with an accurate package outline so please don't upload it to the Eagle Library Download page.

http://homepage.ntlworld.com/the.happy.hippy/picaxe/PICAXE_StereoJackSocket.lbr

This is all part of "PICAXE meets the Dark Side", using the spinning thing from 'the competition'. I'm looking at leveraging its abilities for the PICAXE, so it's not entirely off-topic, and the way I see it is if we're having to buy components from A to achieve our goals, then buying something which does the job from B is no different, and even better when cheaper. Projects envisaged include things like TV text display ( CVBS, 40x16 PAL, 40x13 NTSC, 16 colour ) and VGA monitor display, but 'anything really', as long as it enhances the PICAXE experience.

Slightly further off-topic but still PICAXE related, a really cheap 16-channel Logic Analyser is something I'd like. How does $20 for a TV display DC-80MHz, 8K samples, pre-trigger and all the other gubbins sound ?

I am vaguely hoping I might be able to create some sort of mini-business out of this and I'll have to talk to those who have offered help with regards to the commercial aspects of board design, and that is off-topic for this forum. The model would probably be to sell PCB's which can be used with PICAXE's, bare for those who can get the parts, kits or assembled for those who want that. Firmware free to download, possibly Open Source. Nothing really decided yet, but however it goes the PICAXE community should benefit.
 

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rWAVE

Member
Logic Analyzer Interest

Slightly further off-topic but still PICAXE related, a really cheap 16-channel Logic Analyser is something I'd like. How does $20 for a TV display DC-80MHz, 8K samples, pre-trigger and all the other gubbins sound ?

I am vaguely hoping I might be able to create some sort of mini-business out of this and I'll have to talk to those who have offered help with regards to the commercial aspects of board design, and that is off-topic for this forum. The model would probably be to sell PCB's which can be used with PICAXE's, bare for those who can get the parts, kits or assembled for those who want that. Firmware free to download, possibly Open Source. Nothing really decided yet, but however it goes the PICAXE community should benefit.
Your logic analyzer project sounds interesting and timely as I have been looking at :

http://www.pctestinstruments.com/

I do prefer a PC-based display, however. Good luck with your project!

Richard
 

hippy

Technical Support
Staff member
Your logic analyzer project sounds interesting and timely as I have been looking at :

http://www.pctestinstruments.com/

I do prefer a PC-based display, however. Good luck with your project!
Thanks. With USB and high-speed serial it should be possible to have the best of both worlds, a cheap and cheerful TV and keypad unit and a PC controlled / display system. It won't compete with top-end product but should be plenty good enough for most PICAXE users.

I'm hoping to go for two modes; free-running once triggered like a DSO for high-speed work and a mode where changes are timed and the timing reconstituted which is great for really long periods of inactivity with burst of data like serial comms. There's a long way to go yet, but looking at multi-channel scope traces on my TV is keeping me happy and encouraged at present :)
 

Tom2000

Senior Member
I am vaguely hoping I might be able to create some sort of mini-business out of this and I'll have to talk to those who have offered help with regards to the commercial aspects of board design, and that is off-topic for this forum. The model would probably be to sell PCB's which can be used with PICAXE's, bare for those who can get the parts, kits or assembled for those who want that. Firmware free to download, possibly Open Source. Nothing really decided yet, but however it goes the PICAXE community should benefit.
hippy,

This is very good news. FAR Circuits has made a nice business out of selling circuit boards for ham radio projects. It would be really nice to have an equivalent outfit devoted to the hobby micro field. I wish you luck, and really hope you can get it off the ground!

Good luck!

Tom

PS... if you can tolerate a two week delay or so, take a look at www.batchpcb.com for your 1-off PCB design. It's the cheapest I've found.
 

moxhamj

New Member
Pls post any problems with Eagle. It is one of those programs with a steep learning curve but worth it in the end.

Forward back annotation - this can be fixed (as already stated) by always having the board and the schematic open together. Don't close down one then keep working on the other.

I open a new project, open a new schematic, draw it up, then open a board, move all the components onto the board in random places, then put them near each other kind of similar to the schematic, then autoroute, then shrink everything a bit, then rip up and re-autoroute, and keep shrinking till it takes several minutes to optimise. That takes 3-4 steps but gives the smallest board possible.

Parts always seem to be there but are very hard to find. The search doesn't really work. Easiest thing is when you have a spare 20 mins, scroll quickly through each menu and make a mental note of what is there. I sometimes annotate parts in a schematic so I can remember where to find them.

http://www.instructables.com/id/Professional-PCBs-almost-cheaper-than-making-them-/

I'm sending off about one order every 3 weeks to the fab house OurPCB. About 2 weeks turnaround. Am getting quick now. I used to spend hours wiring up point to point wire wrap wiring, but I now find it is more efficient to go to work, work real hard for 8 hours, do another 4 hours overtime, come home, fire up eagle, draw up a PCB and send it off to the fab house that night. The beauty of picaxe is I don't seem to be getting errors with the PCBs - they just work 1st time - and most of the time is spent with coding.

I paid Eagle $125 and for that they give you a board twice as big as the freebie "beer coaster". Well worth it!
 
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amdunn

New Member
20X parts in Eagle

Anybody have Eagle libraries for the newer sizes (ie. 20X2) of chip? The 8, 18, 28 and 40 seem to be floating around but I can't find a 20 anywhere.
 

Disaster plus

New Member
I've created an Eagle PCB footprint for the 40X2 and 20X2 PICAXEs, SMD and THD, and two footprints for two styles of 3.5mm jacks (including the Rev-Ed one). I'm pretty sure they're correct, but I was new to Eagle when I made them, and mistakes are so easy to make. Happy to post them here if anyone is interested.
 

mikkelbg

New Member
I've created an Eagle PCB footprint for the 40X2 and 20X2 PICAXEs, SMD and THD, and two footprints for two styles of 3.5mm jacks (including the Rev-Ed one). I'm pretty sure they're correct, but I was new to Eagle when I made them, and mistakes are so easy to make. Happy to post them here if anyone is interested.
Yes, please. I could really use the Rev-Ed 3.5mm jack :)
 

DonAllen

New Member
3.5mm download socket

The 3.5mm stereo socket used in the Picaxe boards can be found in the SparkFun library, it is called AUDIO-JACKPTH, the description is 3.5mm Audio Jack and the pcb package is called AUDIO-JACK. This library has been around for a while. One of the disadvatages of EAGLE is finding components, which is why a lot of people end up creating their own components.

If you do search for componets in libraries, use the wildcard symbol * to widen your search and verify all footprints. I got caught out with a Picaxe library that had Vcc and Vss transposed.
 

hippy

Technical Support
Staff member
First copy and rename the file.lbr to file.lbr.dsn on your PC.

Click the downwards triangle, "Quick Reply" button, click "Go Advanced", click on "Manage Attachments" in the Additional Options section, select the file.lbr.dsn file and upload. Add a note in the message that the file needs to be renamed after download.
 

TAMeyer

Member
18X LBR VDD/VSS Transposed

If you do search for components in libraries, use the wildcard symbol * to widen your search and verify all footprints. I got caught out with a Picaxe library that had Vcc and Vss transposed.
Don's comment is worth noting.

The error in one library was quite costly time wise.

The breadboard worked fine.
But a faulty 18X library part transposed VDD and VSS in the resulting PCB.

Lesson learned – “Measure twice, cut once”

The library in question is titled:
"PICAXE LIBRARY V 2 (L. de Vries VK3PK)"

Thanks,

Terry
 

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Disaster plus

New Member
Thanks Hippy but I cant get it to change the file type, it just renames it. I'm using Vista, is there another way I can alter the file extension?
 
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