Matrix PCBs

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carlmart
Posts: 43
Joined: 22 Jan 2015, 00:11

Matrix PCBs

#1 Post by carlmart » 25 May 2020, 02:50

Some may find this foolish, but there are many situations where prototype boards can be useful.

And some time ago I did find a way to take advantage of DipTrace pcb design to use with prototype boards, making such stage design more precise and effective.

Now it's been some time since I don't use them, so I wonder if there's a specific grid pattern that better suits prototype boards, the ones you can get at parts stores or even on eBay.

This way I can make and store specific prototype sizes I can recall for some of my projects.

What would anyone suggest as the best way to go about this, particularly if someone agrees with me that this can be useful.

carlmart
Posts: 43
Joined: 22 Jan 2015, 00:11

Re: Matrix PCBs

#2 Post by carlmart » 12 Jun 2020, 02:27

Sorry to insist on this subject. Got not one response to my query. But I think it has a lot to do in helping project designers in these times of corona-virus.

Maybe I should place this question somewhere else, where there's more people coming by? I will do that if I continue not to get any answers.

The idea is using prototype pre-drilled boards, which are cheap and easy to find in several sizes and shapes, and combine them with DipTrace pcb design.

I used this method with other programs in the past, several times, and also with DipTrace in a project I was involved with.

It might look like a minor thing, but it is not. You can design a prototype that might resemble the final pcb quite a lot, particularly in parts distribution and potential problems that might arise. The prototype would be well finished, well thought out, clean and free from potential mistakes.

There's one thing though: if you design with SMD parts, this is not for you. But even such designers might choose to try an idea with through hole parts that they might have around, see if the idea works and final design the project.

Of course I started working on mine. But having some help or tips might be very good

I did place the pads on the board size I was going to use, and did my first design. It worked fine.

Now I want to perfect the process, and I need to have the pads on one side only: the bottom. That is for design purposes only, of course.

So a question: how do you eliminate the pads from the top surface?

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