Sorry if this question has been answered before, but could someone let me know whether it’s possible to layout components on both sides of a PCB using Eagle (freeware edition)?
For one, I am having difficulties resolving all my rat’s nests and second, I am aiming for the absolute minimum area possible as I am trying to design a simple 2.4GHz receiver for a micro RC airplane application - weight is a premium commodity and I looking for 0.2-0.4 grams at the most which is why I am facing this problem / question in the first place.
Needless to say, yes, I am an absolute beginner though trying to do as much as possible on my own by reading through tutorials, sample applications, related projects and the usual googleing around for answers.
Assuming you are on PC, the middle-mouse-click is a shortcut for “swap layers”. So using the “move” tool, pick up the piece and middle click to swap layers, then left click to place it.
Red colour denotes traces and components on the top layer, blue is the bottom layer.
If you want to swap a component from one layer to the other use the ‘mirror’ tool.
If you want to use a via to move a trace from one layer to the other, you can stop the trace where you want the via to go and, without letting go of your trace, select the other layer from the drop down box at the top. A via will be placed and you can continue to route on the other layer.
EDIT: Ninja posted. The middle button selection is simpler. Actually there’s shortcuts for everything, I thought you might want to start out the longer way, though.
Thanks guys! Being a newbie, I’ve been using the auto-routing feature even though I’ve been warned that it can / does do evil. Either way, I suppose I can’t auto-route and live happily ever after so your advices work a treat and I’ll try to complete the remaining traces myself. Thinking of it… could arrange the components on both sides and try auto-routing then. Lots to try.
I find it easier to turn layers off or on than work with everything visible. So, I’ll bump a bunch of stuff to the bottom and then turn off the top layer(s). Then move things around and do a bit of routing. Turn top layer(s) back on to see what it looks like. Then turn off bottom and fuss with the top. I go back and forth until it looks good.
Thanks for the input and suggestions. As this is a hobby for me and I am just starting out, I’ll stick to free software and cheap hardware I am sure there are many more advanced CAD tools out there, but I guess those would only overwhelm me right now. Figured. it ain’t bad to learn some manual routing as well
Philba, thanks for the tip. Quick look in the menus and found the option to hide top / bottom layers. What a blessing… I was getting confused with what’s where and troubled selecting top / bottom components after the guys showed me how to do that yesterday.
leon_heller:
It depends on the autorouter and how well the parameters have been set up. Specctra (very expensive) and Electra (a lot cheaper) do a good job.
we are talking about Eagle - the AR has always sucked.
Tried Electra as suggested by Leon and I must admit it is quite an impressive piece of software. The layout I got out of it after spending less than 2 hours using it for the first time and not knowing much about PCB design is great for my needs ie. tiny area which is what I was after in the first place.
However, the demo doesn’t let you export the script back to Eagle and 375 Euro, while not much for corporate users, is way out of reach for most beginning hobbyists.
None the less, it gave me a good idea where and what I need to do back in Eagle’s board layout. Thanks Leon!
It’s an option with the Pulsonix software I use. It’s actually one of the best autorouters available - it was developed by someone who worked on Cadence Specctra and left to form his own company. I don’t use it a lot, but it is invaluable at times. You should route critical nets like supplies and clocks manually, of course.
I am sure there are many more advanced CAD tools out there, but I guess those would only overwhelm me right now. Figured. it ain’t bad to learn some manual routing as well