EasyEDA-Easy to design PCB
Introduction
What is a Printed Circuit Board(PCB)? A PCB is a fully developed task specific circuit which is made on a copper plate. When we think of a solution to some simple problem we start building the circuit on a breadboard and till we finish eliminating the minor errors in our design the final step is designing the circuit board ready for the project. I find EasyEDA to be the best software to design a printed circuit board. In this blog I will walk you through EasyEDA.
“There are three responses to a piece of design -yes, no and WOW! Always aim for WOW”
EasyEDA
EasyEDA is a simple software which helps you design circuits, simulate circuits and most importantly design PCB. Earlier it was a web app and now it is available for desktops. When you login into your EasyEDA,
to begin with designing your PCB you create a new project where you add title and description of the PCB. The first step in creating a PCB is building the schematic, this is the most important step prior to this it is suggested that you make a list of all the elements of the schematic. For the basic and common elements you can search it in the EELib if you don’t find the required elements in the EELib you can go to the library which is the best feature of EasyEDA any element you want can be found here. Another feature is that you find various designs of many different companies which allows you to choose the best design for your PCB. The next step here is under the design column you have Convert to PCB you save your schematic click on convert to PCB a new window opens up, where you can see a rectangular box which is the outline for your PCB, when you begin it is quite important to send dimensions to set that you will find Set Board Line option under tools. The boundary can be made into different shapes some predefined shapes are available and if you want some new or different shape you can do it manually. The next step is arranging all the elements inside the outline.
The first image on the right is the outline and below it is the elements. The next part is arranging them and to help us make connections there are some wire like connections already available which are not the true connections they are just present to help us make connections, you will find a small window which is named PCB tools where in you have first tool track once you select it and left click on elements where the guiding lines are present you will see a red line or blue line structure present as you move your mouse you will see it moving, The main principles while making connections is to take care that no two connections overlap and if it happens so that you can make connections then under layers and objects window you can change the layer and after you cross the overlapping connections you have to change the layer once again because your element is not on changed layer it is advised to chose top layer or bottom layer no other layer. If you want labels or text you choose a silk layer. After the connections are made your design will look as shown below. After you finish you save it. If you want to visualize how it will look once you get printed under the View column you can see both 2D and 3D view you can also choose in colors which will best suit your PCB. After you do that your 2D and 3D view will look as shown below
Why PCB designing?
Everyone must try PCB designing because it opens up a box full of new opportunities, and I like it because it is quite different from other technical things. This is completely based on your knowledge of electronics and how well you think of design. It doesn’t require coding. While designing a PCB your patience is put into test and also it gives immense satisfaction when you finish your PCB not only you have made your own circuit you also have designed your product and you can add small innovations which can raise the level of your product.
References
EasyEDA software: https://easyeda.com/
To learn more about designing PCB: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Bf9OvPCVWw&list=PLX4P702XYXdb6nf4JUD-pkGbJ9aQtwRSA
