Actions
Forum Thread Details
  • State Not Answered
  • Replies 10 replies
  • Subscribers 180 subscribers
  • Views 1945 views
  • Users 0 members are here
Related

Create library device to use board as component?

gwideman

What's the best way to create a device from an existing Eagle schematic/board design?

 

That is, you have an existing board, for which you have the Eagle project, and you now want to make a library component so you can use that board as a component on another board.

 

Example, picked at random:

https://www.adafruit.com/products/269

https://github.com/adafruit/Adafruit-MAX31855-breakout-board

 

... and you want to use that board as a component on a new board.

 

Obviously the existing Eagle board project contains a lot of data that could be used in the library component, but I am not seeing a straightforward path to making that happen.

 

I've tried two approaches, neither of which worked well. (Using the example board.)

 

1. I tried copying salient layers from the Board editor to the Library package editor: Layers Pads, Dimension, tPlace, tOrigins, bOrigins, Drills, Holes

 

  • During the group Copy process (Board editor viewing the source board) I got error message: "Can't backannotate this operation. Please do this in the schematic!". This seems bogus, since Copy shouldn't change anything in the source data. Nonetheless, something did appear to get copied to the clipboard ...
  • During the Paste operation (into the destination library component Package), the initial movable visualization showed the entire board data seemingly about to be pasted (not just the layers I'd selected), but then when I went to actually paste, I got message "Skipped unsuitable objects", and the only things that actually pasted were items on the Dimension and tPlace layers. So, no pads or holes.

 

2. An alternate approach I tried was to use an image of the board as an underlay in the Package editor, over which to stick all new pads, holes, text and so on.

 

  • I made an image of the board's package, either using Eagle layout editor Export > Image, or just a screen shot of the layout
  • I used import-bmp.ulp, to get this background into the Package editor.  This "works", though it converts the bitmap into a huge mess of rectangles and/or lines, on separate layers per color. It's good that they are on separate layers, but to use this background of course it must be visible, in which this proliferation of shapes makes it difficult to pick and move the actual useful new pads, text and so on.
  • This seems very manual and crude, failing as it does to take advantage of the exact pad positioning, outline, holes, pad and pin names and so on that's already in the existing board project.

 

Is there a better way to go about this?

 

-- Graham

Parents
  • 0

    Additional note:

     

    If creating the new component mostly manual, one time-saver is to find the library components that the original board used (for example, its headers), and copy that component's package into the new library component.  For this purpose, it can be useful to open the original board file and export its library using exp-lbrs.ulp.

     

    Still laborious, but saves having to recreate individual pads and their silkscreens.

     

    -- Graham

  • 0 in reply to gwideman

    On 8/7/2015 7:47 PM, Graham Wideman wrote:

    Additional note:

     

    If creating the new component mostly manual, one time-saver is to find

    the library components that the original board used (for example, its

    headers), and copy that component's package into the new library

    component.  For this purpose, it can be useful to open the original

    board file and export its library using exp-lbrs.ulp.

     

    Still laborious, but saves having to recreate individual pads and their

    silkscreens.

     

     

    Hi Graham,

     

    I think the best way to handle this is to use the EXTERNAL attribute

    to to create a symbol representing that board.

     

    Check out the libraries that Newark distributes for Arduino, BeagleBone,

    and Raspberry Pi.

     

    They use this method to indicate on the schematic that an external board

    needs to be plugged into.

     

    I think this is what you need from reading the rest of the posts.

     

    Let me know if there's anything else I can do for you.

     

    Best Regards,

    Jorge Garcia

     

     

Reply
  • 0 in reply to gwideman

    On 8/7/2015 7:47 PM, Graham Wideman wrote:

    Additional note:

     

    If creating the new component mostly manual, one time-saver is to find

    the library components that the original board used (for example, its

    headers), and copy that component's package into the new library

    component.  For this purpose, it can be useful to open the original

    board file and export its library using exp-lbrs.ulp.

     

    Still laborious, but saves having to recreate individual pads and their

    silkscreens.

     

     

    Hi Graham,

     

    I think the best way to handle this is to use the EXTERNAL attribute

    to to create a symbol representing that board.

     

    Check out the libraries that Newark distributes for Arduino, BeagleBone,

    and Raspberry Pi.

     

    They use this method to indicate on the schematic that an external board

    needs to be plugged into.

     

    I think this is what you need from reading the rest of the posts.

     

    Let me know if there's anything else I can do for you.

     

    Best Regards,

    Jorge Garcia

     

     

Children
  • 0 in reply to autodeskguest

    Hi Jorge: Thanks for the reply.

     

    I am pretty sure you misunderstood this question.  In a separate thread I asked how to represent an off-board component, for which you suggested using the [underscore]EXTERNAL[underscore] attribute, and that was great (-ish... still requires separate library part -- sniff).

     

    Here I'm asking how to start with schematic/board "A", (one that probably has headers on it that can plug into another board), and use that existing project "A" to create a device/package/symbol ("A-As-Component") that can be used on schematics/boards ("B"..."Z") that can receive A-As-Component.

     

    I don't see how EXTERNAL helps at all with that.

     

    > Check out the libraries that Newark distributes for Arduino, BeagleBone, and Raspberry Pi.

    > They use this method to indicate on the schematic that an external board needs to be plugged into.

     

    Actually, I just used the Arduino library in another project. It doesn't involved indicating EXTERNAL anywhere. It provides an Arduino symbol/package/device which gets *included* on the new PCB -- that's kind of the point.

     

    But since you bring it up, the process I'm asking about is the process for producing such a library component (like Arduino) when you already have the schematic and footprint of the Arduino.

     

    -- Graham