copy a circuitboard!

pdul · 24th June 2009, 04:44 PM

Does anyone know a good way to copy a circuitboard already filled with soldered components?
I have a preamp project from a magazine from the early 90`s and i want to do it again but the layout is impossible to source nowadays

I truly think i have tried all options SOOO
I will be very happy if somebody knows some ropes regarding this

Geek · 24th June 2009, 05:50 PM

Hi,

If it's that jam packed you can't trace the traces, you need to pull some parts....

Not fun.

Cheers!

mjf · 24th June 2009, 09:53 PM

hello.
do you know what magazine (and preamp) was it?
greetings........

Steerpike · 24th June 2009, 10:23 PM

I've done a few by photographing the board. Then using CorelDraw to import the photo - re-sze it to actual real-life size, and line draw over the photograph. Once the tracks are drawn, delete the photo. Then neaten up the tracks if required.

mwmkravchenko · 24th June 2009, 11:35 PM

In the dusty rececess of my computer sits the accumulated elektor audio designs. If it's from that magazine your going to be a happy man. If not at least I tried!

Mark

pdul · 25th June 2009, 03:32 PM

unfortunately its not elector
It is from the Danish magazine named High Fidelity and the project is called AIR. A complete nfb design incl. Riaa

wakibaki · 25th June 2009, 03:42 PM

It's a bit of work, but you can re-create any circuit if the motivation is high enough.

Write a bill of materials (list of components), select the parts into a schematic tool, draw the connections as found from the existing PCB (just beep them out with a DVM on continuity), import the schematic into a layout tool, place the components (you already have a schema) and draw the connecting traces or filled areas. Bingo! It can be time consuming but it's worse thinking about it than it is actually doing it...

w

peranders · 25th June 2009, 04:23 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by pdul
unfortunately its not elector
It is from the Danish magazine named High Fidelity and the project is called AIR. A complete nfb design incl. Riaa

I have issues from the 90's, the swedish edition. Can you remember more precisely?

pdul · 25th June 2009, 06:50 PM

Thanks peranders.
But I have already everything written about the project, schematics, corrections,photocopies from the original magazines, etc. etc. everything but the pcb which was never showed in printing, only on the actual board when you bought it.

pdul · 25th June 2009, 07:10 PM

I have thought about one simple way to do it, but i dont know if it will work

What about painting the traces with some black color of some kind to increase the contrast and then try a photocopy machine.
How does that sound?

24th June 2009, 04:44 PM	#1
pdul diyAudio Member Join Date: Jan 2009	copy a circuitboard! Does anyone know a good way to copy a circuitboard already filled with soldered components? I have a preamp project from a magazine from the early 90`s and i want to do it again but the layout is impossible to source nowadays I truly think i have tried all options SOOO I will be very happy if somebody knows some ropes regarding this

24th June 2009, 05:50 PM	#2
Geek GlassFET diyAudio Member Join Date: Sep 2004 Location: Rosedale, BC Blog Entries: 3	Hi, If it's that jam packed you can't trace the traces, you need to pull some parts.... Not fun. Cheers! __________________ -= Gregg =- "Ratings are for transistors...tubes have guidelines" Hobby and communites - GeeK ZonE Commercial site - classicvalve.ca diyAudio Blog - GeeK's Bench

24th June 2009, 10:23 PM	#4
Steerpike diyAudio Member Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Johannesburg, South Africa	I've done a few by photographing the board. Then using CorelDraw to import the photo - re-sze it to actual real-life size, and line draw over the photograph. Once the tracks are drawn, delete the photo. Then neaten up the tracks if required. __________________ Steerpike's Toybox

24th June 2009, 11:35 PM	#5
mwmkravchenko diyAudio Member Join Date: Jan 2002 Location: Perth Canada	If it's from elector I probably have the PSB design In the dusty rececess of my computer sits the accumulated elektor audio designs. If it's from that magazine your going to be a happy man. If not at least I tried! Mark __________________ THem that makes no mystakes makes no thing.

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24th June 2009, 09:53 PM	#3
mjf diyAudio Member Join Date: Jan 2009 Location: upper austria/near linz	hello. do you know what magazine (and preamp) was it? greetings........

25th June 2009, 03:32 PM	#6
pdul diyAudio Member Join Date: Jan 2009	unfortunately its not elector It is from the Danish magazine named High Fidelity and the project is called AIR. A complete nfb design incl. Riaa

25th June 2009, 03:42 PM	#7
wakibaki diyAudio Member Join Date: Jan 2008	It's a bit of work, but you can re-create any circuit if the motivation is high enough. Write a bill of materials (list of components), select the parts into a schematic tool, draw the connections as found from the existing PCB (just beep them out with a DVM on continuity), import the schematic into a layout tool, place the components (you already have a schema) and draw the connecting traces or filled areas. Bingo! It can be time consuming but it's worse thinking about it than it is actually doing it... w

25th June 2009, 06:50 PM	#9
pdul diyAudio Member Join Date: Jan 2009	Thanks peranders. But I have already everything written about the project, schematics, corrections,photocopies from the original magazines, etc. etc. everything but the pcb which was never showed in printing, only on the actual board when you bought it.

25th June 2009, 07:10 PM	#10
pdul diyAudio Member Join Date: Jan 2009	I have thought about one simple way to do it, but i dont know if it will work What about painting the traces with some black color of some kind to increase the contrast and then try a photocopy machine. How does that sound?

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