Looking for a little PCB design help.

H

harrison0550

New member
My show runs all 5v so Ive always had a ton of power injection. This year I want to add a power distribution board in each of my PSU enclosures. I know nothing about PCB design but have always wanted to learn. I grabbed eagle and created this........

5vpowerspades3d_zps944dc260.jpg

I really want to add mini blade style fuse holders to each output but reality is if its not in the eagle library I have no idea how to create it.
Like this...
http://www.mouser.com/ProductDetail...byASjpXK1g==&gclid=CN6s6-GHsbwCFWxp7AodxwwAbQ

Would anyone be willing to help me get the fuses in the eagle file and look to see if I'm doing things right?

Attached is the SCH file and BRD file.

Any help would be greatly appreciated.
 

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First things first.
I think you have signal traces on that board, not power sized traces.
That part is somewhere because some of the newer pixel controllers are using those fuses.
I think the PX1 may use it, so PM Dlovely to get the library part.
harrison0550 said:
My show runs all 5v so Ive always had a ton of power injection. This year I want to add a power distribution board in each of my PSU enclosures. I know nothing about PCB design but have always wanted to learn. I grabbed eagle and created this........

View attachment 23020

I really want to add mini blade style fuse holders to each output but reality is if its not in the eagle library I have no idea how to create it.
Like this...
http://www.mouser.com/ProductDetail...byASjpXK1g==&gclid=CN6s6-GHsbwCFWxp7AodxwwAbQ

Would anyone be willing to help me get the fuses in the eagle file and look to see if I'm doing things right?

Attached is the SCH file and BRD file.

Any help would be greatly appreciated.
Click to expand...
 
Unless dlovely has re-done the PCB design, he doesn't have that pcb part. The board was created using the geda pcb package under FreeBSD. Parts designed for that software package are not going to work for eagle.

Edit - also, the PX1 uses a different fuse holder (534-3544-2).
 
Last edited:
Thank you for the reply ukewarrior and P. Short. I think I'm making progress, well maybe.

I made the traces as large as I could for the space and created a top layer and bottom layer ground plane. Do I need to create a trace for the grounds or does marking them as ground in the schematic and creating the ground planes link them together?

I also cleaned up the text and added some screw holes and +/- text.

Am I on the right track now? Thank you again for the help.

5vpowerspades2nd_zpsa4b24c16.jpg
5vpowerspades2ndtry_zps28c69468.jpg
 

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I would use a pour on the top side for +5 and a pour on the bottom side for ground. That would maximize the current-handling capacity. Or, if you want a single-sided board for home etch, just split it down the middle with a pour on each half.

You may want to add an LED and resistor to make a power-on indicator.
/mike
 
Sparkfun has (or used to have) a tutorial on creating a part within Eagle. Grab the specs for the fuse holder you want to use, go through the tutorial step by step, but using the measurements from the spec. I know I'm making this sound easy.. but well.. it actually is pretty easy.

Oh.. and when complete.. can you share the library? :biggrin:
 
Thanks guys. I will try and attempt to create the fuse part in eagle tonight from the spec sheet and see how it goes. I like the idea of the power led as well. I was actually reading a thread last night on adding leds that light up when the fuse is blown. Hmmmm both may be simple cheap additions that would be nice to have.

On the pours, I made the bottom layer a solid ground plane but not 100% sure how I could make the top layer for +5. Don't laugh, well maybe laugh a little but I was actually trying to do it this way originally but ended up with what you see in post #4.
 
"NAME" the plane the same as the NET you used for your VCC. Then when you do the pour (POLYGON (select layer) followed by RATSNEST), it should connect to the pads.

(At least.. in my head that was the steps.. might have to try it again to make sure)
 
A little more progress was made last night. I created my first ever part in eagle, :yay:(not 100% sure its right though). Added the fuses to the schematic and board layout and but ground on the bottom layer and VCC on the top layer. Here is where I am at so far........
3rdtryeagle_zps63c446c2.jpg

3rdtrysketchup_zps69da7291.jpg

Attached are the updated files. Im still trying to sort out if I have done the fuse connection traces correctly. If anyone can look at those and point me in the right direction I would greatly appreciate it. Thanks again for all the help guys!
 

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PM me your email address, I have several fuse parts that I have created for fuse holders sold on eBay and Tayda.
 
I owe a big Thank You to RobG for the fuse part help!

Here is what I have so far.........
4thtry5vpcb_zps3179a5a2.jpg

4thtry5vpcbsketchup_zps2c0f4019.jpg


The only question I have left is on the traces size for where the left plugs connect to the left side of the fuse. I made them 1.016 mm thick but not sure if that is enough for each plug or if the clearance is enough between them and the +5 pour. Each plug will handle a max of 3 amps for what I have planned for it. Anyone care to give it a good once over and see if you think I should change or add anything?

Attached are the updated SCH file and BRD file.
 

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Put my name on it also....:)..just kidding. I thought of this also after I saw all the problems about fusing and power injections. I just did not have the time or program knowledge to get it done. Always wanted to learn....

But good job. SO when is the group buy? :)
 
Not to dissuade you from your endeavor - - but - have you thought of something like THIS and THIS instead? I use these quite a bit for power distribution - there are other types and other places to get them as well - anyway - just wanted to be sure you were aware of them...
 
Yea I actually used a couple of those last year but didn't really like them. When I took down the display I was up on the roof when I realized I didn't have a screwdriver but I had my cutters so all power injection on the roof just got cut. This year I wanted a fused panel with quick connects to just plug and unplug. Couldn't find anything that would work that wasn't insanely expensive and I'm not a fan of pigtails so I downloaded eagle and figured I would attempt to make what I needed.
 
Looks good to me. Clearance isn't a huge issue on 5V. Here's the current guide from ExpressPCB. It's for 1oz copper; which is the standard copper thickness.

0.010" 0.3 Amps
0.015" 0.4 Amps
0.020" 0.7 Amps
0.025" 1.0 Amps
0.050" 2.0 Amps
0.100" 4.0 Amps
0.150" 6.0 Amps


/mike
 
Good post info and content, coo-toes to you for having addressed the over current protection for your branch circuits, I haven't seen a lot of fuses being used on here, or people don't talk about this topic.
Just started with Eagle myself but have installed pcb's in controls for over 30 years, I like the blade type of fuses vs the glass for low voltage controls and have found that if you pick a part that has a large
supply/manufacturing base the price point is cheaper(thank you car industry), I found a web page that had a trace calculator but wanted to much info and prefer the straight forward look it up on a list method.
Thanks.....
 
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