CAD volunteer needed for PCB design

cwilkson

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Hey anyone here have access to decent PCB CAD package that can output gerbers? I need to spin a generic prototyping board but none of my free stuff can handle it. The board is 4x10 inches with pads on a 100 mil grid and a ground plane on one side.

My old DOS package (Protel Autotrax) isn't good at making ground planes.
Eagle is limited to 4x3 inches.
PCB Artist is *great* but it doesn't generate gerbers - you're forced to order boards from Advanced circuits. At several HUNDRED dollars for a single board that's not happening.


Can anyone help?
 
Hey anyone here have access to decent PCB CAD package that can output gerbers? I need to spin a generic prototyping board but none of my free stuff can handle it. The board is 4x10 inches with pads on a 100 mil grid and a ground plane on one side.

My old DOS package (Protel Autotrax) isn't good at making ground planes.
Eagle is limited to 4x3 inches.
PCB Artist is *great* but it doesn't generate gerbers - you're forced to order boards from Advanced circuits. At several HUNDRED dollars for a single board that's not happening.


Can anyone help?

I've had Spaeth help me out in the past and was very pleased with his work.
 
I bumped into a product called AutoTrax a while ago that had a free version. Go to www.kov.com (wild guess how I found that site...:D). I haven't looked at it other than to think to myself, "If I only had more time....."

ken
 
The board is 4x10 inches with pads on a 100 mil grid and a ground plane on one side.

From what you describe it sounds like your asking for a copper pour on part of the board, like the atari boards have around the vector generator section.

If your asking about a real ground plane, it would just be a separate layer.

Which one are you asking for?
 
Hey anyone here have access to decent PCB CAD package that can output gerbers? I need to spin a generic prototyping board but none of my free stuff can handle it. The board is 4x10 inches with pads on a 100 mil grid and a ground plane on one side.

My old DOS package (Protel Autotrax) isn't good at making ground planes.
Eagle is limited to 4x3 inches.
PCB Artist is *great* but it doesn't generate gerbers - you're forced to order boards from Advanced circuits. At several HUNDRED dollars for a single board that's not happening.


Can anyone help?


How many do you need? At that size, and with 4000 holes, it's not going to be cheap from any fab place...
 
not that I have ever used it but KiCAD looks like it should work you for ya, There is even a windows port of it.
http://iut-tice.ujf-grenoble.fr/kicad/
I'll check that out, hopefully over the weekend.

I bumped into a product called AutoTrax a while ago that had a free version.
I saw that a few years back. Looks like it's come a long way. But it's limited to 100 pins - I need almost 4000 pins. :eek: I'm downloading the other version....it doesn't say it's freeware, but it doesn't say it isn't either.

From what you describe it sounds like your asking for a copper pour on part of the board.....
Yes, I want a copper pour that includes the whole board, on one side only. I should be more careful. :)

How many do you need? At that size, and with 4000 holes, it's not going to be cheap from any fab place...
Haha. Yeah, seriously. How many I want will depend on where the sweet spot in the quotes is. Right now I'm using some really cheap Rat Shack style boards in my lab. They work fine, but it's hard to do analog stuff with them. Plus they're pretty small and layout options are limited. I'm looking to switch over in a sort of permanent sense. It may not be economically viable, but I need the Gerbers to find out.

I'm really hoping to avoid learning a new CAD tool since this is really only a 15 minute layout job. If that. And I kind of want to get this sent off ASAP because I'm working on a project for CAX. But it may be a worthwhile time investment for future projects.
 
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