Continue to Site

Welcome to EDAboard.com

Welcome to our site! EDAboard.com is an international Electronics Discussion Forum focused on EDA software, circuits, schematics, books, theory, papers, asic, pld, 8051, DSP, Network, RF, Analog Design, PCB, Service Manuals... and a whole lot more! To participate you need to register. Registration is free. Click here to register now.

PCBs and photoshop experience

Status
Not open for further replies.

varunme

Advanced Member level 3
Joined
Aug 10, 2011
Messages
741
Helped
17
Reputation
36
Reaction score
17
Trophy points
1,318
Activity points
5,764
Everytime I make PCBs in photoshop , the size of the PCB is varying when i combine a lot of PCBs of different dpi s , please share your experience and tips for making the size reproducible
thank you
varun
 

I believe you can set a fixed size in Photoshop (I use CS3), but why bother. Use a purpose made program like Eagle (**broken link removed**), which is free. There are several other free PCB programs available.

John
 

- use tools that are prepared to handle design data in true size rather than pixels
- if suitable tools aren't available, you should at least scale all images to the same dpi number. With known output device dpi resolution and some hand calculations, you should be able to achieve correct printout scaling

If you refer to general purpose graphic tools, there are many that allows better control of output scaling than Photoshop, I assume.
 

that remind me my childhood when I was drawing my first pcb's with asphalt dissolved in benzine ... good times, unfortunately smd technology made all those attempts seldom, the same as drawing the pcb artwork in photoshop, paint, etc. - quality is not satisfactory at all. Unfortunately sometimes I want to reproduce something that is already done, a ready design - just to give it a try, but the author provide the pcb only in .jpg format.

1. In practice I do the following - open the picture with good graphical editor, like photoshop, then make sure there are no blur areas or noise pixels between tracks, all tracks, vias, holes, etc. should be clean and clear.
2. Print the image. Use known component to calculate the re-size factor. In case that you know the dimensions of the pcb, i.e. x and y - it is easier just rescale using this.
3. Print again. Use known component or just put some components on it and check how it fits. I use smd component with many legs, like SOIC package microcontroller :)
4. If the component fits - this is the right size and you are ready. If it does not fit - you need to repeat the calculation and print again.

In case you are doing new design, it is really not worth to do it in photoshop, today there are free / educational licensed / trial cad/cam software and working with it is not that hard, the result will be more professional looking, easy to reproduce, always with right scale, you can copy mirrored, etc.
 

so , i have to unite the numerous circuits in CAD software itself and print those , isnt it ?
 

You didn't clarify yet the involved kind of PCB designs. In regular PCB cad, panelization of multiple design copies or different designs can be best done on the gerber file level, using respective tools like GC2000 or Camtastic. This way, exact scaling and layer fitting can be easily achieved.

If you have only pixel artwork, some manual work is required for sufficient scaling accuracy. tsvetelin_velkov made some good suggestions how it can be done.
 

yes , using CAD software , no difficulty in making exact size ,
FVM, as you said pixel artwork from various examples from internet is my problem ,
I will follow tsvetelin_velkov .,
 

hummm...
my dear friend photoshop not pcb software you must be use pcb cad software like protel,easypc,pcb123.xpresspcb,pad2pad,pia ,sprint layout any one you must use pcb cad then your all problome to be solve ,
 

dear qayyoum , I said about the PCBs in the form of jpegs , anyway thank you for you consideration

Paint in win7 is better than photoshop to handle design data in true size , isnt it ?
 

Status
Not open for further replies.

Part and Inventory Search

Welcome to EDABoard.com

Sponsor

Back
Top