PDF2LIB or create Eagle symbols by copy/pas te

Hi,

On 09/19/12 09:52, Alex wrote:

Hi all,

 

LIBedit7 "Component Plaza" for Eagle is a CAD library Editor

that creates symbols by simply copy/paste contact names contained

in a PDF manufacturer datasheet.

The symbol is easily and quickly drawn.

http://www.libedit-informatique.com

copy/paste from a PDF sheet ? That's a poor tinkering solution.

Nothing we recommend officially.

Please don't post ad-like stuff like this here !

Walter Spermann

--

-

Walter Spermann

Softwareentwicklung

CadSoft Computer GmbH

Pleidolfweg 15

84568 Pleiskirchen

Tel.: 08635/6989-10

www.cadsoft.de

-

Registergericht: Amtsgericht Traunstein HRB 5573

Geschäftsführer: Thomas Liratsch

-

Walter Spermann wrote on Tue, 20 November 2012 12:35

Hi,

 

On 09/19/12 09:52, Alex wrote:

Hi all,

 

LIBedit7 "Component Plaza" for Eagle is a CAD library Editor

that creates symbols by simply copy/paste contact names contained

in a PDF manufacturer datasheet.

The symbol is easily and quickly drawn.

http://www.libedit-informatique.com

 

copy/paste from a PDF sheet ? That's a poor tinkering solution.

Nothing we recommend officially.

Please don't post ad-like stuff like this here !

Actually Walter, this sort of arrangement is exactly what CadSoft has

recommended.  When asked to create these sort of solutions into EAGLE,

CadSoft has consistently stated that they would rather build and worry

about a great engine and provide the ULP/Script interface and leave these

sort of interfaces to the users to create (my paraphrase).  That is exactly

what Alex did, so don't get bent out of shape when users do what you say

to.

So he put it in the wrong newsgroup. Big deal.  Really, a lot of stuff gets

to the wrong newsgroup.  Sometimes I'm not really sure which to use myself

in some cases.

There is no guideline that a post can't be off commercial nature.  Check

http://www.cadsoftusa.com/forums/guidelines/ to see for yourself.  I've

done it some times and so have others.  If it's done with respect and not

complete spam then some users will appreciate it.  I've never seen anyone

from CadSoft complain when I or Falk Stricker post something with a

commercial nature.

Has anyone at CadSoft actually tried to make a Symbol for a part that has,

say 1000 different pins (think FPGA for an obvious example).  If you had to

do one of those by hand (and I have with EAGLE) then you'd appreciate any

solution to cut out any percentage of the work.

Any solution that included cut and paste other than complete hand entry is

a much better solution.  Hand entry leads to random errors.  Cut and paste,

if there are errors, tend to be systemic errors which are easy to spot.

I'll take cut and paste every day.

The datasheet PDF is the official information that is vetted by the

manufacturer.  So it makes sense for the ultimate solution to use the PDF

as the data source to eliminate as many sources of error as possible.

I'm pretty sure I've seen users request this sort of thing before.  If they

haven't, I've certainly thought it.  So there is a need.  You may differ on

the best way to fill the need, but at least Alex did something about it.

Altium has a feature sort of like this built into the tool.  I've used it

and it works great.  Other CAD tools may have similar things.  Anything

that reduces design effort (and time) while simultaneously reduced random

hand-entry errors is welcome in my world.

BTW, I don't know Alex, I'm not associated with him in any way, I've never

used the product.  But philosophically, I think we need more of this sort

of innovation in EAGLE, not less.  The next time I need to create a very

large symbol I'll look it up and see if it can help me.  This particular

tool may be well designed or it may be complete garbage--I have no idea.

But the idea behind it is solid and I hope this sort of functionality is

incorporated into EAGLE.  Ideally right into the core of the program, but

if not, then by users and third-parties just like Alex has done.

Cheers,

James.

--

James Morrison  ~~~  Stratford Digital

Specializing in CadSoft EAGLE

• Online Sales to North America

• Electronic Design Services

• EAGLE Enterprise Toolkit

--

Web access to CadSoft support forums at www.eaglecentral.ca.  Where the CadSoft EAGLE community meets.

Hi James,

On 11/21/2012 03:28 PM, James Morrison wrote:

Walter Spermann wrote on Tue, 20 November 2012 12:35

>> Hi,

>>

>> On 09/19/12 09:52, Alex wrote:

>>> Hi all,

>>>

>>> LIBedit7 "Component Plaza" for Eagle is a CAD library Editor

>>> that creates symbols by simply copy/paste contact names contained

>>> in a PDF manufacturer datasheet.

>>> The symbol is easily and quickly drawn.

>>> http://www.libedit-informatique.com

>>

>> copy/paste from a PDF sheet ? That's a poor tinkering solution.

>> Nothing we recommend officially.

>> Please don't post ad-like stuff like this here !

 

Actually Walter, this sort of arrangement is exactly what CadSoft has

recommended.  When asked to create these sort of solutions into EAGLE,

CadSoft has consistently stated that they would rather build and worry

about a great engine and provide the ULP/Script interface and leave these

sort of interfaces to the users to create (my paraphrase).  That is exactly

what Alex did, so don't get bent out of shape when users do what you say

to.

OK, but it makes a difference if somebody wants to share his own solution

with others for free or if it's commercial. It was not discussed with us before.

 

So he put it in the wrong newsgroup. Big deal.  Really, a lot of stuff gets

to the wrong newsgroup.  Sometimes I'm not really sure which to use myself

in some cases.

 

There is no guideline that a post can't be off commercial nature.  Check

http://www.cadsoftusa.com/forums/guidelines/ to see for yourself.  I've

done it some times and so have others.  If it's done with respect and not

complete spam then some users will appreciate it.  I've never seen anyone

from CadSoft complain when I or Falk Stricker post something with a

commercial nature.

Your tools and services are known since long time and we recommend them

also to our customers (like the EAGLE Powertools).

 

Has anyone at CadSoft actually tried to make a Symbol for a part that has,

say 1000 different pins (think FPGA for an obvious example).  If you had to

do one of those by hand (and I have with EAGLE) then you'd appreciate any

solution to cut out any percentage of the work.

 

Any solution that included cut and paste other than complete hand entry is

a much better solution.  Hand entry leads to random errors.  Cut and paste,

if there are errors, tend to be systemic errors which are easy to spot.

I'll take cut and paste every day.

 

The datasheet PDF is the official information that is vetted by the

manufacturer.  So it makes sense for the ultimate solution to use the PDF

as the data source to eliminate as many sources of error as possible.

 

I'm pretty sure I've seen users request this sort of thing before.  If they

haven't, I've certainly thought it.  So there is a need.  You may differ on

the best way to fill the need, but at least Alex did something about it.

 

Altium has a feature sort of like this built into the tool.  I've used it

and it works great.  Other CAD tools may have similar things.  Anything

that reduces design effort (and time) while simultaneously reduced random

hand-entry errors is welcome in my world.

If you only have a PDF I can't imagine that it's more than copy&paste of

manually chosen sections of the document into an editor window that parses and

processes the input somehow. But maybe I'm really wrong here.

Walter

 

BTW, I don't know Alex, I'm not associated with him in any way, I've never

used the product.  But philosophically, I think we need more of this sort

of innovation in EAGLE, not less.  The next time I need to create a very

large symbol I'll look it up and see if it can help me.  This particular

tool may be well designed or it may be complete garbage--I have no idea.

But the idea behind it is solid and I hope this sort of functionality is

incorporated into EAGLE.  Ideally right into the core of the program, but

if not, then by users and third-parties just like Alex has done.

 

Cheers,

 

James.

--

-

Walter Spermann

Softwareentwicklung

CadSoft Computer GmbH

Pleidolfweg 15

84568 Pleiskirchen

Tel.: 08635/6989-10

www.cadsoft.de

-

Registergericht: Amtsgericht Traunstein HRB 5573

Geschäftsführer: Thomas Liratsch

-

Walter Spermann wrote on Wed, 21 November 2012 17:01

<snip>

 

Altium has a feature sort of like this built into the tool.  I've

used it

and it works great.  Other CAD tools may have similar things.

Anything

that reduces design effort (and time) while simultaneously reduced

random

hand-entry errors is welcome in my world.

 

If you only have a PDF I can't imagine that it's more than copy&paste

of

manually chosen sections of the document into an editor window that

parses and

processes the input somehow. But maybe I'm really wrong here.

That's about what the Altium solution is--but you make it sound like that's

a bad thing.  The bottom line is, I was able to create a symbol with 128

pins in about 2 minutes with no chance of typing errors.  Maybe I'm just

being pragmatic but I'm happy to use copy&paste to save time and reduce

risk of hand-entry data errors.

Cheers,

James.

--

James Morrison  ~~~  Stratford Digital

Specializing in CadSoft EAGLE

• Online Sales to North America

• Electronic Design Services

• EAGLE Enterprise Toolkit

--

Web access to CadSoft support forums at www.eaglecentral.ca.  Where the CadSoft EAGLE community meets.

Walter Spermann wrote on Wed, 21 November 2012 17:01

<snip>

 

Altium has a feature sort of like this built into the tool.  I've

used it

and it works great.  Other CAD tools may have similar things.

Anything

that reduces design effort (and time) while simultaneously reduced

random

hand-entry errors is welcome in my world.

 

If you only have a PDF I can't imagine that it's more than copy&paste

of

manually chosen sections of the document into an editor window that

parses and

processes the input somehow. But maybe I'm really wrong here.

That's about what the Altium solution is--but you make it sound like that's

a bad thing.  The bottom line is, I was able to create a symbol with 128

pins in about 2 minutes with no chance of typing errors.  Maybe I'm just

being pragmatic but I'm happy to use copy&paste to save time and reduce

risk of hand-entry data errors.

Cheers,

James.

--

James Morrison  ~~~  Stratford Digital

Specializing in CadSoft EAGLE

• Online Sales to North America

• Electronic Design Services

• EAGLE Enterprise Toolkit

--

Web access to CadSoft support forums at www.eaglecentral.ca.  Where the CadSoft EAGLE community meets.