Maker Pro
Maker Pro

trouble with wires in Eagle ?

R

robb

Jan 1, 1970
0
so i am trying to use Eagle (latest freebie version 4.16r2)
to create a small schematic of an old PCB.
( 4 ICs, 5 resistors, 12 buttons, couple diodes/ caps/ ribbon
connectors)

i added the components to the schematic and started wiring (with
problems)

Problem :
i can draw wires but the wires do not stick predictably to the
components and how do you join the wires ???

EG. i draw a wire to connect several components (i.e. component
pins) then i try to move some of the components and for one the
wire sticks and will follow the component wwhen moved but for
another it leaves the wire behind ? when i try to fix by
re-dropping or moving the wire to the connection it does not stay
again

when i try to oin wires to others it does not seem to work ,that
is i can drop it onto the wire and it looks connected on screeen
but if you move the connected wire the joined wiree stays put and
will not follow move thus not connected.

what am i doing incorrectly ?
robb
 
M

Martin Riddle

Jan 1, 1970
0
The Grid settings are wrong.
You need to set the grid to the default 50thou
Then place the components.
Currently the components are off grid and you cannot snap the wire to them.
You can salvage what you have by setting the grid to 1 thou.

Cheers
 
R

robb

Jan 1, 1970
0
Martin Riddle said:
The Grid settings are wrong.
You need to set the grid to the default 50thou
Then place the components.
Currently the components are off grid and you cannot snap the wire to them.
You can salvage what you have by setting the grid to 1 thou.

Cheers

thanks martin
i'll give that a try
robb
 
J

John Larkin

Jan 1, 1970
0
so i am trying to use Eagle (latest freebie version 4.16r2)
to create a small schematic of an old PCB.
( 4 ICs, 5 resistors, 12 buttons, couple diodes/ caps/ ribbon
connectors)

i added the components to the schematic and started wiring (with
problems)

Problem :
i can draw wires but the wires do not stick predictably to the
components and how do you join the wires ???

EG. i draw a wire to connect several components (i.e. component
pins) then i try to move some of the components and for one the
wire sticks and will follow the component wwhen moved but for
another it leaves the wire behind ? when i try to fix by
re-dropping or moving the wire to the connection it does not stay
again

when i try to oin wires to others it does not seem to work ,that
is i can drop it onto the wire and it looks connected on screeen
but if you move the connected wire the joined wiree stays put and
will not follow move thus not connected.

what am i doing incorrectly ?
robb

Lots of schematic programs can do the near-miss thing, and most can
leave dangling wire segments. PADS can do neither. The only type of
schematic wire is a connection.

John
 
D

David Harmon

Jan 1, 1970
0
so i am trying to use Eagle (latest freebie version 4.16r2)
Problem :
i can draw wires but the wires do not stick predictably to the
components and how do you join the wires ???

- Use the "Net" command to connect, never "Wire".
 
C

Clifford Heath

Jan 1, 1970
0
robb said:
so i am trying to use Eagle
i can draw wires but the wires do not stick predictably to the
components and how do you join the wires ???
what am i doing incorrectly ?

This trapped me badly also. Wires are *not* what you think they are.
They don't join to pads in Eagle. You need to use "signal", not "wire".

In addition, Eagle will, if you muck up the grid, create minuscule
connections when you join a signal to a pad, unless you drop exactly
on the centre grid point of the pad. The extra segment runs between
where you dropped (on the grid) and the active point on the pad - even
though you can't see the extra connection. Then when you drag the
component, it'll be those extra signals that get stretched, which is
very ugly. They should have been annotated internally as "extra", and
the drag should drag the intended signal to the nearest grid point,
before creating any necessary extra segments.

Bottom line is that you really should use a grid that will match
the exact pad locations of your component footprints. G*d help you
if you want to mix metric (say 1mm spacing) with imperial, say 1.27mm.
If you want that, you should first redraw the component footprint of
whichever chip is the odd one, using the grid you're going to use for
the rest of the board... or just make sure that you never need to move
it around once it's placed.

Hope this helps!

Clifford Heath.
 
R

robb

Jan 1, 1970
0
David Harmon said:
- Use the "Net" command to connect, never "Wire".

thanks David,
that was the problem. i guess i am just not up to speed on the
schematics lingo.
i saw wire and assumed it was used to wire things together.

now i am curious what a wire is for ?
thanks again ,
rob
 
R

robb

Jan 1, 1970
0
Clifford Heath said:
This trapped me badly also. Wires are *not* what you think they are.
They don't join to pads in Eagle. You need to use "signal", not "wire".
yes that was the problem exactly, i suppose i should have read
the instructions/manual

i guess i will read manual to find out what a wire is :)
In addition, Eagle will, if you muck up the grid, create minuscule
connections when you join a signal to a pad, unless you drop exactly
on the centre grid point of the pad. The extra segment runs between
where you dropped (on the grid) and the active point on the pad - even
though you can't see the extra connection. Then when you drag the
component, it'll be those extra signals that get stretched, which is
very ugly. They should have been annotated internally as "extra", and
the drag should drag the intended signal to the nearest grid point,
before creating any necessary extra segments.
I think have seen that ? little tails of signals
Bottom line is that you really should use a grid that will match
the exact pad locations of your component footprints. G*d help you
if you want to mix metric (say 1mm spacing) with imperial, say 1.27mm.
If you want that, you should first redraw the component footprint of
whichever chip is the odd one, using the grid you're going to use for
the rest of the board... or just make sure that you never need to move
it around once it's placed.
Hope this helps!
Clifford Heath.

yes, very helpful.
thanks for the help
robb
 
R

robb

Jan 1, 1970
0
John Larkin said:
Lots of schematic programs can do the near-miss thing, and most can
leave dangling wire segments. PADS can do neither. The only type of
schematic wire is a connection.

John
thanks John,
looks good but do they have an HE suite ? (hobby edition)
one that does not involve loans or leans :)

robb
 
J

John Larkin

Jan 1, 1970
0
John Larkin said:
thanks John,
looks good but do they have an HE suite ? (hobby edition)
one that does not involve loans or leans :)

robb

No, sorry, I think a package starts at about $5K.

John
 
C

Clifford Heath

Jan 1, 1970
0
Marra said:
Eagle sounds a bit poor, but what can you expect for nothing?
Most CAD programs will capture the nearest pin to the net if it is
within say 100 thou.

No, Eagle is excellent, and will capture to the pin just fine, as long
as you don't use the ill-named wire feature, which isn't meant to.

The "capture to the the pin" is done by adding extra segments, which
aren't torn out and redone when you move the chip, and that's another
weakness. I wouldn't call it a bug, but it's certainly an inconvenience.

Lousy Spammer!
 
B

Ben Jackson

Jan 1, 1970
0
i can draw wires but the wires do not stick predictably to the
components and how do you join the wires ???

Stay on the grid. I forget the exact units, but Eagle's schematic
capture uses something like a 1/1000th mil internal unit. Wires only
connect if they exactly touch. It's very hard to do that if you've
got any components off a grid. Back when I used Eagle I had figured
out some CLI command to rescue off-grid items (once I orphaned the
entire power supply of a project by moving it all with the grid disabled
before I knew how to recover it).
 
M

Marra

Jan 1, 1970
0
You are completely wrong.

The software is a windows application using .net framework v3.0 and
Windows programming foundation.

The software is fully supported by email and phone.

If you find a bug I fix it and send you an update.
I cant think of any other company that does this !
And all for less than £20 !
 
M

Marra

Jan 1, 1970
0
This software was converted to windows in around 1997 !

Your comments are only 10 years out of date lol
 
J

Joel Kolstad

Jan 1, 1970
0
Marra said:
This software was converted to windows in around 1997 !

So why don't your screenshots *look* like regular Windows... windows? You
have a non-standard menu bar, no scroll bars, no resize "handle" widget in
the lower-right corner, etc. I don't know of any other payware schematic
capture/PCB layout tool today for Windows that looks that way... perhaps
you've come up with what you think is an even better GUI than what Windows
provides? (You wouldn't be the first -- back around 1992 or 93 I used EDA
software -- ProNet/ProBoard -- on Commodore Amiga computers that completely
ignored the standard Amiga windows menus and controls, substituting their
own...)

Why don't you place your users manuals on your web site? If your software
really is any good, I'm sure it'll increase your sales.

---Joel
 
J

Joel Kolstad

Jan 1, 1970
0
"If you find a bug I fix it and send you an update.
I cant think of any other company that does this !"

That's certanily commendable; companies' responsiveness to fixing bugs
certainly varies a lot these days... Eagle seems to be pretty good, as
Pulsonix ...mostly... is (and it's written using .Net as well) -- Cadence
and Mentor are pretty much the pits, of course.
 
Top