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"Assemblies" in Eagle?

nursebob

I'm aware that Eagle is not quite the same as other CAD programs such as used in architecture.  However, I'm wondering if there's a better way to make an "assembly" than what I've devised.  In other systems assemblies are a precombined set of components which can be added to a drawing.  In my case, I have some ICs I use (charge pumps in particular) where there's a set of standard components (resistors and capacitors) which use a consistent layout of the components.

I have created packages which include all the required components in an appropriate layout, and variants which allow me to control whether all the components reside on just one layer, or both top and bottom.  However, since the package is fixed, when I place it on a board, I can't deal with the sub-component separately (expected behavior).

So, is there a better way to pre-design an IC and its supporting components?  Or do I stick with what I've got?

I can live with there being no real alternative, but my solution is a bit klunky... image

 

Bob

  • 0

    Hi Bob,

     

    EAGLE allows to combine any pair of consistent schematic and boards. So if you designed a schematic and routed the layout, you could save it and reuse it whenever you want to.

    Use the Edit/Import menu and select schematic/board you want to import.

     

    Regards,
    Richard

  • 0 in reply to nursebob

    I find assemblies annoying (to say the least) last night i had to uncheck over 5000 check boxes - so some suggestions:

    to Cadsoft:

     

    - add two entries to the 'Change' Menu "Add variant" and "Remove Variant" - last night if I could have selected all the components on 12 sheets and removed them from my new variant I would have been done in about a minute

    - some where in the docs explain how to generate a BOM for a particular assembly (took me ages to figure that one out - at the very least put something in that empty default menu like 'default assembly')

    - create a way to make a new variant based on an existing one (rather than the default)

    - finally, mixing the word s"variant" and "assembly" to mean the same thing is confusing

  • 0 in reply to Former Member

    Hi Paul,

    you wrote:

    - add two entries to the 'Change' Menu "Add variant" and "Remove Variant" - last night if I could have selected all the components on 12 sheets and removed them from my new variant I would have been done in about a minute

    When you open the Assembly dialog you have to option to Delete the selected variant. I don't understand why you have to deselect

    a 5000 checkboxes. I'm probably missing something here.....

     

    - some where in the docs explain how to generate a BOM for a particular assembly (took me ages to figure that one out

    Okay, will do. The bom.ulp dialog has a combo box that allows to select the variant.

    - create a way to make a new variant based on an existing one (rather than the default)

    This is possible. In the assembly variants dialog, click on the New button.  You will be asked for the name of the variant and there is a Copy from.... option.

     

    Regards,

    Richard

  • 0

    As to the first case I think you miss the point - I've laid out my board - 28 sheets, 1000s of components - now I want to make 2 variant missing roughly 4/7 and 5/7 of the components resp, one a proto build, the other a genuine manufacturing variant - the basic rule is don't stuff sheets 2 or 5-19, (and 20-22 for the 5/7 missing case, also leave out that unused power supply on page 3) I'd like to go to those schematic pages, do a select, all and say "remove these components from variant X" ... instead I have to go to the variant dialog and uncheck all those boxes ....

  • 0 in reply to Former Member

    Hi Paul,

     

    okay i understand.....  I will forward this to our development team. Let's see what they think about it. Maybe we will improve this for the future.

     

    Reagrds,

    Richard