Electronic – Hacking Circuits Together Using Existing Schematics

Schematics:

Schematics/circuit diagram conveys the electrical connection between different active and passive electrical components like resistors, capacitors, Integrated circuits IC. Schematics is readable and understandable format about the connectivity and functionality between different components. For e.g.

PCB:

Printed Circuit Board(PCB) is abbreviated as PCB or sometimes it is called as Printed Wiring Board(PWB). PCB is the physical representation of all the electrical connections between active and passive components used in the schematic. But readability and understating of PCB is complicated as compare to Schematic. For e.g.

I have tried to explain here in layman language. Going into detail of the PCB design there are different tools available like ALTIUM, ALLEGRO and many more.

PCB can be built using FR4 laminate or ceramic material.

FR4 Material Laminate:

Ceramic PCB:

As far as PCB Design is considered. PCB's can be single layer, 2 layer, 4 layer or even multi-layer with thickness of 0.8mm or 1.6mm or even more as per the numbers of layers. While designing the PCB specific stack-up is followed which defines Power layer, Ground layer and signal layer sandwiched between FR4 material with the core in between.

Example PCB stack-up:

Go to your board.

Select what you want to get. (Use Shift+S to set only the current layer visible and selectable)

Ctrl+C (and don't forget to mouse-click an origin after, or nothing gets copied - make it the new component origin if you like planning ahead like I do)

Go to the PCBLibrary (or make a new one)

Tools -> New Blank Component

Ctrl+V

Click where you want your pads.

Edit the component properties and 3D model as required.

Ctrl+S

Done.

EDIT: Following our chat

For posterity, to quickly select a group of objects with same or similar properties, you can use:

Right-Click on object: Select "Find Similar Objects"

In the menu find the properties that are unique to the group of objects and select "same" from the dropdown.

Select Apply and then Ok and you get a listing for all the items matching your parameters, while they also become selected. (Technically usually only Ok works, but it may sometimes give the dreaded DLL based pop-up of doom, while preceding it with apply never gave me that).

To select on part of a parameter you can use an Asterisk (), like selecting all objects with a name that starts with JP, you can select "same" in "Name" and type "JP" and all JP1, JP101, JP2938, etc will become selected.