Build Your Own Printed Circuit Board

Let me begin by stating I bought this book to learn how to use CadSoft's Eagle Schematic Capture and Layout product. I have over 20+ years as a systems/circuit design engineer in the analog/RF/microwave and digital design fields. Over the years I've used pcb design software such as Ultiboard, OrCAD Schematic and Layout, Alegro, and Mentor. I first learned about CadSoft's Eagle as a young engineer working in the VSAT group at Hughes Network Systems in the mid 1990's. Some of the engineers began to use the software for prototype work, but I didn't explore it's capabilities because I was already familiar with Mentor. I decide to re-visit the Eagle software in 2012. This review will be unique in that I won't address how the book and author describe the PCB design process and flow as this was not the intent of my purchasing the book. The review is targeted to those individuals who are contemplating using/purchasing Eagle from CadSoft as schematic & layout CAD tool as an alternative to some of the other high end (>$8000) PCB CAD packages.Let me begin about what I like about the book:1. The book is well written (an easy read) and only 191 pages. I received the book from Amazon on a Tuesday, and in five evenings was able to not only go through the entire book, but also work the examples on my computer with my copy of Eagle softare.2. The author does a decent job of explaining how to use the Eagle program (the book could easily have been titled "A Tutorial on Learning Eagle Software"). All elements of using the schematic and layout tool are covered. The author doesn't do a great job in describing the DRC features of the tool, which is why I gave it 4 stars instead of 5.3. I highly recommend that as a supplement to using this book, that interested individual visit CadSoft's website and download the video tutorials. These tutorials, along with this book, is really all you need to sufficiently learn how to use this tool. If you are already familiar with other CAD tools and understand the PCB/fab process, then this book, plus the mentioned online video tutorials, will enable you to become proficient in the use of Eagle in about a week.What are my thoughts on CadSoft's Eagle PCB Product?1. I purchased Eagle for two main reasons. I've been a user of OrCad Schematic and Layout tool for over ten years and have found the product to be very useful and powerful in terms of features. However, when purchasing new Windows 7 computers, I could not port OrCAD to the new operating system (a known problem). Also, under Cadence, the support for OrCAD's layout tool was no longer supported (need to migrate to Allegro). These support and upgrade issues finally forced me to evaluate a new PCB design tool. In addition, I saw that Eagle has continued to grow over the years and has developed a reputation as a solid design tool with a very competitive cost.2. Does Eagle do everything those other High-End PCB design tools do? The short answer is "No". This does not mean it is not a professional tool. For less than $1K, I'm very surprised what Eagle offers in terms of features; - you can do a lot. I can't possibly list all the differences between Eagle and and a product such as Cadence Allegro in this review, but you can't expect a sub $1K product to compete with over a $15K product. If you do hobbyist work, or even product development under 2 GHz, then Eagle can adequately do the job and it is easy to learn. If you are going to design a 16 layer board with matched impedances and matched differential lines , then I would not recomment Eagle as the tool (at least not now as of Feb 2012....we'll evaluate again in several years).

I'm only through chapter four of the book, but it's pretty obvious I'll need a different book to actually learn how to build my own printed circuit board. I think I'm probably supposed to be the target audience for this book. I know a little bit about electronics. I've fussed with Megasquirt and Arduino and can put together a few basic circuits on proto board after drawing them up on paper.What I was hoping for was something that would help me figure out how to take my napkin designs and practical prototypes, put them in to Eagle, and use the tool to lay out a PCB for printing. The book falls far short of this ideal. By the fourth chapter, using the auto-router, the only actual exercise provided to the reader is wiring a DB9 connector to a row of jumpers. That's it. And the book doesn't even walk you through that. It basically describes the different tools in detail which would be appropriate for a popup tooltip, and leaves you to it. There's no advice on navigating Eagle's library system, no exercises demonstrating the use of the tools, and the one, woefully inadequate exercise that the book does provide is incomplete (in one case there's the answer with no problem, and later the problem with no answer.)Maybe some of this is included in later chapters (if so, the information is presented in a poorly chosen order and the introductory chapters descriptions of the content in each chapter is inaccurate) but no matter how I look at it, I just can't describe this as a good book for someone who expects to start with knowledge of how to produce a working circuit and end with knowledge of how to produce the same circuit in a reasonably professional manner using the Eagle software and a board production service.

Not finished with the book yet, but I find it more useful as a reference book on using CadSoft's Eagle design package than a comprehensive overview of the PWD development process. Good for hobbyists, not so much for professionals. Normally, would wait until I finish the book before posting a review. But I ran into a problem that potential users of this book might be interested in.The version of EAGLE software included in the book's CD is version 4.09r2. If you go to [...], you can download version 5.10.0. I am trying to design a pwb for an Arduino project that I am working on, and the 4.09r2 library didn't seem to have what I was looking for. On the net, found a user created library that had just what I needed, but it turns out that version 4.09r2 would not accept this particular user library. Version 5.10.0 does. Not sure if the user interface changed significantly between the 2 versions. If so, that might complicate working through some of the step by step lessons slightly. But that is a small price to pay to increase the versatility of the component library.Additional library referenced above - all I was after was a jumper, and these 2 libraries take care of that and much more.[...](This from Andrew Sterian, a Professor at Grand Valley State University, Grand Rapids, Michigan. Thanks, Good Sir)Will update this review when I complete the book.

At some point I guess most electronics hobby folk want to prepare something better than point-to-point circuits so a PCB is in order. But then there's the proliferation of finding a PCB design software package which suits the pocket, that has a good bunch of features and is easy to use.I have had a piece of such software (currently being used in Everyday Electronics) but found the library of components too limited. As I'm into micro-controllers I get a fair few bits from state-side (aka Sparkfun or Parallax). These guys use Eagle which has a free to use full package apart from limiting layers and board size. So I gave it a try and even following the Eagle getting started guide was finding it a little uphill.This book is well structured and guided at a good pace between too much explanation and too jumpy. I could not get the example files on the included CDROM to open with my version of Eagle - but that really isn't a hindrance. It is probable time for an updated edition to be printed.It pays to have the Eagle software running alongside the working your way through the book. Albeit a simple PCB design but I made a schematic PIC circuit with power supply regulator, crystal and capacitors in an evening (aka couple of hours). I got used to ripping up tracks and relaying them; working out which layers information was on. In the end I had a PCB design ready for printing. Sure - my pcb design certainly isn't professional but it would work.I am still working my way through the book but m at a stage where I would rather spend an evening creating a schematic and pcb layout than tabulate all the ICs, R, C display pins and the cross connections; get the iron hot ....I feel the book is at a good price point even though the CDROM seems unusable for Win7. It certainly gave me a guided route up the learning curve. The only shame is the book isn't so well known!

I wanted to refresh my out dated knowledge with some modern techniques. Came across the book advertised on Amazon quite by chance.I cannot fault the vendors it was speedily delivered and it was in great condition. BUT and it is a big BUT the book is far from up to date in regard to what is available for software for the design of PCB's quoting Eagle cad as Free (for a very crippled version ) as being the most easily & widely available CAD.Eagle may be fine for the purchased version but the free version is old school inter face that is "clunky" and far from intuitive compared to say Sprint -Layout (yes it did cost money all of 40+euro's but even as a hobbiest it is cheap compared to Eagles commercial version) AND it took me all of 5 hours to go from install to finished Gerber files for the first PCB.The rest of the book seems to be very much the same outdated info the only useful bit was a list of suppliers but even that was American centric nothing for the UK or Europe.The book now resides in a charity book shop !

Unless you are really into this and have lots of time and equipment, it's just not worth it in my opinion. It's harder than you think. I either buy ready made pcb's or build circuits "birds nest" style.

eagle cad can be quite difficult to learn, but Al Williams helps you over the first few hurdles and gives you are good grounding to this excellent program

if you are making printed circuit boards the this is not a bad book