ElectroNotes 129 TZVCO PCB Layout

Luka · Joined: Jun 29, 2007 Posts: 1003 Location: Melb.

pdf ftw

i also use vector for pcb files

i used png instead of jpgs these days for other stuff
jpg leaves so many artifacts in comparison

Sebo · Joined: Apr 27, 2007 Posts: 564 Location: Argentina

I alway measure the distance between IC pins before printing. If the distances
are wrong, I re-scale the graphic until they are right. Also I check If the
file is mirrored for p'n'p or not, and do the necessary changes.

v-un-v · Posted: Thu May 13, 2010 12:23 pm Post subject:

synthmonger · Posted: Thu May 13, 2010 12:25 pm Post subject:

forbin · Posted: Thu May 13, 2010 7:07 pm Post subject:

Hi Synthmonger -- did you do it from the GIF file or the PDF? The one in the PDF was more there for the notes and I had expected people to use the GIF file. Sorry, I should have been more explicit in my notes and directions. When I do a press'n'peel I tend to use a graphics package and organize a number of different layouts on a page. This is always messy from a PDF so I favor a GIF or TIFF as the compression isn't lossy. Anyway I have generated another PDF directly from Altium with the ground plane pulled back which I will attach to this message.

v-un-v, i couldn't agree more about Ian Fritz's designs, very clever and he does put in a lot of work to make them robust. If you read the PDF in the first post I do include a direct link to the bridechamber page for the Teezer! I suppose this layout was more for people who were interested in Bernie Hutchins take on a TZVCO. Ian used to have quite a few articles in Electronotes as well. Another reason is, that for me personally, to have this PCB in my hand probably costs about $5 to $7 plus a fair amount of work. Buying the Teezer blank board + shipping it is about $50 to $60 in Australian Dollars (exchange rate is a lot better than when I started this). Part of the tyranny of living on the edge of the world...

I am not saying that the this in anyway an equal to the Teezer but it does allow people that are interested to get a different sounding VCO...

I noticed also that Ian has started experimenting with a "Ping Pong VCO" which with a few hacks this PCB would be ideal to also do some similar experimentation along those lines...

tzvco2.pdf

Description:

Increased ground plane clearance...

Download

Filename:

tzvco2.pdf

Filesize:

135.94 KB

Downloaded:

1111 Time(s)

synthmonger · Posted: Thu May 13, 2010 8:13 pm Post subject:

Guess I just overlooked things! Ah well no biggie. I'll post a build report as soon as I finish it.

andrewF · Posted: Thu May 13, 2010 9:23 pm Post subject:

forbin · Posted: Thu May 13, 2010 9:30 pm Post subject:

my favorite is to flip the board when i don't need to or forget to when I do need to! I have probably five or six boards with IC's on the copper side!

andrewF · Posted: Thu May 13, 2010 9:37 pm Post subject:

Bernie would approve Laughing

forbin · Posted: Thu May 13, 2010 9:43 pm Post subject:

Hi Andrew -- getting the printing right from Altium is a pain. The second PDF file here is printing directly to a PDF "printer" . The trick seems to be under "page setup" / "advanced" you need to make a print page with a "Bottom layer" & "Multi Layer" and make sure that the "holes" radio box is ticked. Not totally intuitive... I used to have a Gerber printer tool -- but that was even more convoluted...

I use Altium at work so I tend to do layouts at lunchtime rather than walk into town for food -- get's too expensive in Freo. I have tried quite a few other PCB tools and they all have idiosyncratic annoyances -- I suppose I have just got used to Altium! It has certainly improved over the last couple of years. I just wish the PCB tool would rubberband with components -- that is by far and away the biggest downside...

andrewF · Posted: Thu May 13, 2010 10:35 pm Post subject:

thats the way i do it
just had a quick look
why have i never noticed the 'holes' box before? Shocked

cheers

v-un-v · Posted: Fri May 14, 2010 2:08 am Post subject:

Luka · Joined: Jun 29, 2007 Posts: 1003 Location: Melb.

elby-designs in australia
supurb dealer imo

modules + components kits and custom kits to order

his kits got me into it

v-un-v · Posted: Fri May 14, 2010 4:32 am Post subject:

Isn't Elby supposed to be a no-no on this forum?

frijitz · Posted: Fri May 14, 2010 7:11 am Post subject:

Rykhaard · Joined: Sep 02, 2007 Posts: 1290 Location: Canada

Luka · Joined: Jun 29, 2007 Posts: 1003 Location: Melb.

Luka · Joined: Jun 29, 2007 Posts: 1003 Location: Melb.

forbin · Posted: Fri May 14, 2010 8:14 pm Post subject:

Hi Ian -- i will try and do some tinkering with my prototype board and see what happens.

I think that Bridechamber and nearly all the suppliers of boards & parts do a great job for the Synth Community. I am sure that none of them are going to end up in the Bahamas on a yacht with what they make from all of us... It has more to do with your DIY ethic and how much spare cash you have to do some things and a lot to do with where you are and how easy it is to get bits.

I actually quite enjoy making the boards -- but then my wife often complains that while renovating the house I am quite happy to do everything from digging the footings and bricklaying to glazing the windows... I think her idea is to choose the paint colours and pay somebody else to do everything... probably leaves more time to actually enjoy it!

synthmonger · Posted: Fri May 14, 2010 8:47 pm Post subject:

So when are the pcbs coming? Smile

2thick4uni · Joined: Feb 20, 2009 Posts: 113 Location: UK

v-un-v · Posted: Sat May 15, 2010 2:08 am Post subject:

v-un-v · Posted: Sat May 15, 2010 2:13 am Post subject:

forbin · Posted: Sat May 15, 2010 2:41 am Post subject:

Your not thinking of EFM and Tom Gamble are you? He came in for a bit of criticism a few years ago... This is just what I have picked up from reading various posts scattered through the forum...

v-un-v · Posted: Sat May 15, 2010 3:32 am Post subject:

I can't remember that well, but what I do remember was that someone was calling on the boycott of Elby, because he was publishing a circuit or circuits that weren't licensed.

electro-music.com is a big community, and while 99.999% of its members are honest and decent people, occasionally some bad apple rears its ugly head (or the maggot in the apple?). It's just a precaution to protect the integrity of the forum, as the last thing anyone wants is to be closed down. I also imagine that many great engineers like Ian would steer clear of a forum, if he or they felt that electro-music.com encouraged this kind of behaviour, and we really don't want that now, right? Very Happy

Some people had a problem with Elby, as they also had with Doepfer, but I don't know if that has been cleared up by now?