Tag Archives: PCB123

Day 2: Custom Parts

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Moving on from where I left off a few days ago … I was planning on using the PIC18F2320, but in poking around, I found that the PIC18F2321 is about $3.00 less expensive in small quantities. I’m not entirely sure why. They’re virtually identical. The 2320 does have two 8-bit timers instead of one in the 2321, but I haven’t spotted any other differences that would matter to me in this case. The 2321 has lower sleep and idle currents but I don’t think that matters in this application either.

PCB123 PIC partial sch PCB123 doesn’t have the 2321 in its library. I could just use the 2320 part, but to get full use out of the pricing and availability features, I’ll have to customize the part so that the BOM tool can find it at DigiKey.

I had the “place component” box up already, so I just clicked on “Manage Parts” and started filling in the information in the middle column of the dialog. The I clicked the “Select Simple” button, searched on “2320” and selected the symbol for the PIC18F2320-I/SO. So far, so good.

PCB123 manage parts dialog Now, the question is: do I select “Apply Changes” or “Create a New Part?” This would be easier if I actually looked at the documentation or something, but am I doing that? Of course not. I’m going with “Create a New Part.” Oops. Needed to select or generate the footprint first. Do that and search on “SOIC” and pick out an SOIC28, “Create New Part” and save it in a Library. I picked “Microchip.”

Done. Now when I go back to the Insert / Add Part function, I search on PIC18F2321, and there it is. Apparently, I did it right, because the BOM tab will find it and show price and availability at DigiKey.

Duane Benson
And, today, it’s not just a rain cloud, but a full one

http://blog.screamingcircuits.com/

Sunstone’s ‘Fab’ Design Tool

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Sunstone is again acting as much like a software company as it is a quickturn PCB fabricator.

The board shop, which over the past few years has developed and honed its free CAD/DfM tool known as PCB123, today rolled out a conversion tool that features native file upload functionality.

In short, customers no longer need to export data in Gerber; instead, they can use one of a series of native data formats, including Altium, Eagle, OrCad, NI, and others (including, of course, PCB123).

It’s the second big development by the PCB maker in the past year, having already rolled out a parts library addition to PCB123 that supports some 500,000 components.

PCB123 won’t replace the big ticket CAD suites, of course, but for the types of prototype boards most designers need, it keeps getting better and better. And with its CAD conversion capability, Sunstone further extends its “ease” factor to those who don’t use the company’s own software.

Parts Time

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Sunstone this week released v4 of its award-winning PCB123 CAD tool.

The no-cost, license-free tool features parts outlines for 500,000 components, automated BoM and integrated DRC/DfM rules. But what’s most interesting is that users can automatically get availability and pricing info for each component registered in Digi-Key’s database.

This development is fascinating in two respects.

First, that a modest-sized PCB fabricator, not a billion-dollar EDA company, is pushing the envelope on electronics design software.

Second, for engineers who now must not only draw the electrical circuit but also lay out the board and order the prototypes, built-in parts procurement is a huge time saver. Which begs the question, why aren’t the big CAD companies offering this too?