Have a question about CadSoft EAGLE?  Ask our Expert, Richard! (Archive)

The Freemium code returns a -8 error code ?

Hi,

I smashed a few components and deleted their names, now I need the names back.  The names of the components are still the same, I just want to see them again.  Is this possible?

Scott

**SOLVED**  The library component didn't have name and value fields to begin with!  Easy fix in the library - all is well.

Hello Richard,

I need some help with creating an new part. I have made multiple parts not so long ago, but for some reason I do not get the pins listed anymore in the connect tab for the device. The last stage to connect the pins to the pad numbers. My pin list stays empty. Not sure what I do wrong.

I thought my problem was related to the symbol itself, so copied an excisting one from the library. but that does not help.

It shows the padnumbers in the device tab, though.

Any clue what I am dooing wrong?

Hope you can help.

Rob van VReden

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Thanks Richard!

Nicole, element14 Community Manager

Hi Mike,

you can merge different schematics:

• Open the schematic and GROUP all elements you want to copy
• Use CUT command and click into the drawing (it will be put into the paste buffer)
• Close "source" schematic and Open the "target" schematic (File/Open......)
• Now use PASTE to place it (maybe on a new sheet...)

Copper planes:

Use the POLYGON command and draw the contour of the area to be filled. Name the polygon the same as the signal it shall belong to. Noe let EAGLE calculate the polygon with RATSNEST. That's it.

Regards,
Richard

Hi KSz,

it is possible to start a printout with the PRINT command. There are several options you can use for it. But what it makes complicated is that you have to quit the ULP for starting the PRINT dialogue or the printing itself. So if there were a Pint button in the bom window, clicking on the button has to quit the ULP, start the printing process, start the ULP again and come back to the status as you left the ULP.

This could be done as well.... Start a script that contains all the steps I just mentioned.

For an example you could look into mounttrace.ulp. This ULP initiates the SHOW command and starts itself again....

Regards,

Richard

Hi magooo,

sorry for my late reply......

Take a look at the mnSegments parameter. If you set it to 2, I think it should be okay. The autorouter is allowed to use two wire segments for a connection. It needs one segment to jump from the middle of the SMD to a grid point and one segment to come out of the SMD. Then it will set a via to connect to the inner ground plain. Maybe you try values from1..3 for this.

HTH

Regards,

Richard

Richard,

You've been a great help and I've made great progress.  But there are two things that currently have me stumped.  Maybe you can help.

1.  I need to copy the schematic of part of one project into another project.  I've designed and prototyped the power management system as a project of its own.   Now I need to copy it into the "main" project.  Is there a way to do this?  I just want to bring the schematic over, then I'll lay it all out as one in the main project.

2.  I want to layout my board with most traces on the component side (top) with as few traces on the bottom as possible.  The bottom will then be almost all ground plane.  Then, once I'm happy with the layout I want to "pour" ground plane virtually everywhere there are no traces.  Is there a way to do this short of drawing a bunch of polygons manually - which would also be quite prone to errors.  I would like a smart "pour" or "fill" that knows to fill an area with solid copper while stopping short of all the traces and pads.  Any way to do this?

Thanks!!

Mike

Dear Richard,

Is there a way to print something with the printer in ulp? Or print a file? For example I would like to add a printer button to Bill of Materials that will print the list of the parts with the printer.

Thank you!

Hi Richard,

in order to reduce crosstalk and ground bounce, it is a good practice to connect every single GND pin of SMD components with its own via to an underneath GND area or layer. For example, it should be avoided that the GND pin of an IC and the GND pad of a nearby decoupling capacitor share the same via to connect to the GND area (on the bottom layer or an internal layer).

In section 7.12 of the EAGLE manual, some hints are given on how to configure the autorouter in similar situations, but I could not find any reference on how to force it to use a separate via for each GND connection.

Could you please suggest how this can be obtained?

Thank you very much!