Never designed a PCB Before...

I was able to build what I need done on a bread board, but I have no clue how to go about building a PCB from it. I’m here looking for help because rather than having a hack of a PCB, I’d like a clean PCB. Plus the enclosure I’m putting this project into needs to be small.

Any suggestions for help?

Thank you!

That’s a slightly vague question, but you could try starting here: https://learn.sparkfun.com/tutorials/ho … etup-eagle

It’s the beginning of a series of short tutorials that goes through installation of software (in this case Eagle), drawing schematics, designing PCBs, etc.

Just give it a quick read-through, and if you’ve still got questions by the end of it, feel free to drop 'm here :slight_smile:

Oops… the series proper: https://learn.sparkfun.com/tutorials/pcb-basics/res

I can say that following the tutorials and then designing your first PCB AND having it work is very rewarding! In addition to the tutorials James mentioned there is also a recent “According to Pete” https://www.sparkfun.com/news/1248 which had some excellent pro tips on PCB design and layout. I suggest that you complete the tutorial and work with Eagle for a bit before you watch Pete’s tutorial, or some of it won’t make much sense.

Another tip I would add, that I don’t remember reading anywhere, is that when you are designing SMD boards, make sure you leave enough room between components for your tweezers to fit! :wink:

FYI, another good tool is KiCad. It’s free and does not have the limitations of the Eagle free version.

Don’t get me wrong; Eagle is a great tool that I’ve used for 10 years or so. But for a hobbyist, KiCad is a nice alternative. Both tools take some practice.