I started with PCB design using Eagle 6.1.0 Light on OS X, with the tutorials on this website. My biggest problem is: I can only add certain parts (sometimes the “ADD” button doesnt even show up).
So what I did (example): I make a new layout (no board yet) and add some components. For example I add part M02 (M02PTH within M02) from Sparkfun Library. That works just fine. Then I’d like to add HC49US (crystal) from Sparkfun Library - but there is no ADD button. Does anyone know why? Also trying to add this component from the library “crystal” (included in Eagle by default) there is no ADD button…
Funny is: If i create the board (.brd file) for my layout, the add button for these components suddenly appears in the library. But when I click it, I just get an alert message, saying something like: “Action cannot be assigned to the layout. Please execute it directly in the layout!” (Sorry this is translated by me, dont know the exact English message).
Does anyone know a hint of how to add these components?
Sorry again about the threadjack, lukeluke. Jacked and didn’t do an effective search. I’m going to consign myself to the special hell for forum abusers…
Well my problem wasnt actually about adding the library. I can add the library to Eagle very well, but I can’t ADD most of the components from the library to my PCB layout…
I’m not sure what you are trying to do so I am guessing;
if you have a schematic and pcb layout open with same name they are tied together, that way the schematic and pcb components and connections will always match
You cannot add components or connections in the pcb, you have to do it in the schematic. When you add in the schematic it will show up in the pcb
What I was trying: To make a new schematic (no PCB!) and then add component HC49US (crystal) from Sparkfun Library. This does NOT work, an error message is displayed… Can you try to do exactly this thing in an empty new schematic and let me know if it works to add this component? (This is just a sample component, a lot of other components dont work aswell)
Are you expanding the Sparkfun library in the Control Panel widnow, right clicking on HC49US, and expecting to see an “Add to schematic” selection?
That’s doesn’t work because HC49US is a “package” and not a “device”; it can’t be added to schematics.
And it’s not the normal way to add a component to a schematic. Normally you would click the “add” button in the schematic window, type something like “crys” in the search field, and then select CRYSTALHC49US from the results… (Alternately, you COULD select “crystal” in the expanded Contol panel and right-click to “add to schematic”, which will pop up a new window to ask you about which package to use.)
I am new to Eagle, but I had the same problem you were having and just figured it out. When you are in the “ADD” dialog and after you’ve found the part you want, you just double-click on the Name of the device (not the sch icon, not the PCB footprint), just the text under the Name column. It will bring focus to the sch window and you’ll see your cursor has turned into the device to insert.
I’m sure you figured it out by now, old thread, but I figured I’d create an account and answer for anyone other new folks who are having the same problem.
