ProCAD Electronic V1.0 Demo =========================== How the Demo PCB was constructed. ================================= I would imagine by now that most of you have probably seen the example circuit and PCB on this disk. If you have not yet seen it, you can find the files in the 'Examples' draw on this demo disk. In this short document I aim to give you a step by step guide of how I constructed this PCB using ProCAD, so that you can see how easy ProCAD makes PCB construction. Alright here we go! 1) Working to a print of the circuit schematic (also found in 'Examples'), using the PCB component package libraries, each component was placed on the on the screen. The components were positioned in their respective groups as close to the circuit schematic layout as possible, keeping a sensible amount of space between each component. This was done using colour pen 1. The layout was now saved as separate file. 2) Working to the print of the circuit the connections between each component were drawn in. Pen 2, Blue was used to show the component side connections and Pen 3, red to show the solder side connections. The process for making the connections was to start on the solder side and make as many connections excluding power connections without needing to cross to the component side. As each connection was made the connection was marked of on the circuit print that I was working to with a high lighter pen. 3) After a while it becomes difficult to stay on the solder side for the total length of each connection, at this point I started to use both the component and solder sides for the connections crossing between sides when required to do so. As most of you will be aware the point at which a track crosses from one side to the other where there is no component is referred to as a 'via hole'. As you see some connections were made entirely on the component side. The layout and connections were now saved under a new file name. 4) At this point the layout and connections were confined to pages 1 and 3 of the work area. A copy of the layout and connections was now made on pages 2 and 4 using the 'Grab Brush, Normal' function, this was done in two parts. 5) Pen 1, white was now removed from pages 1 and 3 leaving just the connections where I once had the layout and connections. Pen 1 was removed using the 'ColourDel' menu. This connections only pattern forms the bases for both track sides. The complete copy on the other two pages served as a reminder of where the connections connected to the components. If the board was to cover all four pages the layout and connections 'reminder' would have to be printed. All four pages were now saved under a new file name as this is the master pattern for both sides of the PCB. 6) At this point all the pads were added, two sizes of round pads were used, small for the via holes and slightly larger for the components. The PCB pad interface was used for this. The IC pads for IC1 and the displays were also done through the pad interface. The IC pads for IC2, 3, 4 and 5 were taken from the Pad&Tracks PCB library, which incidentally has been included on this disk as a demo library. After checking that the pads did not interfere with any connection routs, a few adjustments were necessary, the work area was saved under the same name as before, as all pads are common to both sides. 7) Using the tracking PCB pen, mainly in the zoom editor the solder side tracks were laid directly over the red and blue connections. Once the solder side was complete the remaining traces of the connections were removed using the 'ColourDel' menu just leaving the tracks drawn in pen 1. Pages 1 and 2 were now saved under a new file name. 8) The file saved in step 6 was now reloaded, and the component side tracks were drawn in the same way. Again the pages 1 and 2 were saved under a new file name. 9) Using the 'Reposition' function the two track sides were loaded next door to each other on the work area. At this point (left to last) I joined all the positive and negative power supplies up to make the complete positive and negative supply rails. Finally a boundary was added showing the overall size and shape of the board. Well there you have it in nine steps. No doubt you have realise by now that PCB construction using ProCAD work on a colour based system. The demo board, which was incidentally an old college assignment of mine, has two layers, solder and component side tracks. It is also possible to construct boards with more than two layers using ProCAD. Like I have done you can tackle one layer at a time at both connection and tracking stages working from prints of each layer of connections and tracks as you go, as long as you mark the area already connected on the prints with a high lighter pen you should not get lost. If by this stage you intend to buy the full version of ProCAD, I would suggest that you keep hold of this demo, as this document and the demo PCB files serves as a good example of how PCB's should be constructed using ProCAD. End of Document.