carsten_the_dane Posted July 11, 2006 Report Share Posted July 11, 2006 HiI have almost figured out how to just print the dark blue lines (the cobber), but i still cannot get rid of the light blue square all around the pcb. Is it possible to remove it directly in eagle, or do i need a photoeditor to do it (photoshop/gimp)?Carsten Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Altitude Posted July 11, 2006 Report Share Posted July 11, 2006 What board? the light blue fields are usually wired to a plane (like GND) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
carsten_the_dane Posted July 11, 2006 Author Report Share Posted July 11, 2006 Oh right. well im new to this, i just found it strange - i thought it was there to mark up how large the board was.In this case its the midibox core board.So i guess if its the ground, im good to go with this pdf:www.carstenhoyer.dk/mbhp_core_v3.pdfCarstenmbhp_core_v3.pdfmbhp_core_v3.pdf Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Altitude Posted July 11, 2006 Report Share Posted July 11, 2006 run the outline ULP and everything will be much clearer (looks like your also missing pads and holes also on your print, select those in LAYERS) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
carsten_the_dane Posted July 11, 2006 Author Report Share Posted July 11, 2006 Outline ULP: This seems to just invert the image. Looks strange to me.Device: script or HPGL? Width:?Changed my pdf. it now shows bottom, pads and holes... Anything ells needed?I havent uploaded it, because it looks wrong with the outline script.Thanks for your help. I gotta go to work now, so i cant reply untill tomorrow.Carsten Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Digineural Posted July 11, 2006 Report Share Posted July 11, 2006 It looks like this has been explained but to further specify. The light blue box is the ground plane of the bottom board. Its not required but help save some FeCl (or whatever else you use) during the etching process. If you want to delete the ground plane, select delete and click the ground plane border. This will create a triangle that you can again click on a line and the GP will dissappear.Here is a process I use before I print to get optimal results as mentioned here as well when I print.Turn off all the other layers. In the upper left corner of the There is a button that has 3 colored squares overlapping it. Click it and make sure only the following are selected: * Bottom * Pads * Vias * Document - i recommend changing the with to 10 so that it doesnt touch any traces, although in most cases its not necessary.Then click the RATSNEST button (it looks like an X with dots). This will show the ground plane. If you dont have a ground plane and want one, click on the polygon, select the layer it is for (usually bottom or top) and set the isolate to around 24 or 32. Then draw the box around the area you want to create a ground plane for. To view the top only, deselect bottom and select top. Print with the options SOLID and BLACK selected. You should print the top in reverse (mirror).I going to suggest you use the PAD and VIAS layers. They're quite necessary during soldering and the copper hole left after the etch will make it easier to drill.BTW I dont agree with using pirated versions, but if you do have one you already figured out you cant use it to save or print. Also, exporting to the clipboard gives you lines in your image; however, you can export the displayed layers to an image in 300 or 600 dpi just fine. I admit I did use this for a time to get bigger boards done. But now that I am a professional programmer, irony kicked in and I've gone legit. ;)Good Luck ;D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
carsten_the_dane Posted July 12, 2006 Author Report Share Posted July 12, 2006 HeyThanks for the answer. I´m sure the topic has been explained before. I tried searching the forum without luck. Anyway, your reply was great help, but had me confused about one thing: Isnt the board, as i print it in pdf from eagle, the correct size, should i make it bigger? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Digineural Posted July 12, 2006 Report Share Posted July 12, 2006 I never tried printing to a PDF from eagle. I use deskPDF @ work and it ususally prints to scale. Assuming I set the margins not to autofit. I'm buying large PCBs now so I export to image first and arrange all the patterns in Adobe Photoshop first so that I can maximize the number of prints per board.The best way to test your board sizing is to print a copy and try to align something like a DIP socket in the holes before you etch. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Altitude Posted July 12, 2006 Report Share Posted July 12, 2006 it should be 1:1 (i do the PDF thing also)You do not want to scale it.I also find it useful to use Illustrator to strech parts out if you need a board bigger than what the freeware eagle allows Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
carsten_the_dane Posted July 12, 2006 Author Report Share Posted July 12, 2006 allright. thanks all - cleared a few questions. :)Carsten Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.