InstaBuild
Dev tools
pcb design library generator
SHOW HN2017
How HN took it
4 positive, 14 neutral or asking, 1 mixed, 5 critical, out of 24 comments about the project. Thread score +0.02.
Idea: 2 for, 2 againstExecution: 0 for, 2 againstPerformance: 1 for, 1 againstDesign: 1 for, 0 against
The thread, comment by comment
Each row is a top-level comment and its replies, in HN's order. Select a cell to open that comment on HN.
positive neutral or mixed critical about another commenter or something else the maker
What HN said
What people liked
Saves time on creating parts and footprints
From 1 comment
We find that it saves at least 30 minutes for most parts, since it automatically configures the symbols, defines their electrical characteristics, completes the…
natashabaker on HN
Useful footprint library for common parts
From 1 comment
Tried looking up some parts I use. The footprint for a surface mount MOSFET (IRL530NS) was totally weird, with the wrong number of pads.[1] LT3750 was fine, although the…
Animats on HN
Objections
OCR errors and wrong pads or pins in output
From 2 comments
>more sophisticated than OCR it miss recognizes 0/2 and generates letters in pin number column which should only contain numbers on non bga parts in the demo video
rasz on HNTried looking up some parts I use. The footprint for a surface mount MOSFET (IRL530NS) was totally weird, with the wrong number of pads.[1] LT3750 was fine, although the…
Animats on HN
Manufacturer data would be more trustworthy than user-generated models
From 2 comments
So ... if manufacturers don't do this, then what we need is a way to allow a community to contribute this kind of information. Like a GitHub for electronic models, and related…
amelius on HNThat’s the last thing I’d trust, Joe Public creating device models. Leave that to the device modeling groups at the semiconductor companies.
madengr on HN
Footprints need care for tight pitch and IPC tolerances
From 2 comments
The value here is in the footprint library. The question is whether it is any good. Footprints have lots of subtle issues, especially as the pin spacing gets very tight. (I…
Animats on HNGenerally speaking, an unacceptable practice for a large chunk of professional industry beholden to requirements spec traceable to IPC standards.
metaphor on HN
Requests
Semiconductor manufacturers publishing simulation and symbol models
From 2 comments
What I would really like to see if the IC manufacturer would release all the data necessary for integrating their part into the design. The data would include a * spice model for…
yitchelle on HNI’m talking about semiconductor models, not footprints or 3D CAD models.
madengr on HN
Merge footprints for future-proof boards
From 2 comments
Not intended to diminish your awesome work, I had this idea and I am so glad someone else did and implemented it! * Could find typos in schematics * Extract operational…
sitkack on HNI'd like to merge two footprints so I can make PCBs that are future proof.
sitkack on HN
Pin numbers on schematic symbols
From 1 comment
Tried looking up some parts I use. The footprint for a surface mount MOSFET (IRL530NS) was totally weird, with the wrong number of pads.[1] LT3750 was fine, although the…
Animats on HN
Questions
What technology is behind it
From 1 comment
Looks neat! What's the technology behind it? I'm asking in part for selfish reasons-- my side project in an entirely different domain involves analyzing orderly PDF files.…
rcdmd on HN
Whether parametric data can be extracted from datasheets
From 1 comment
This looks great! Can a similar technology be used to extract part parametrics from the datasheet ? because if so we'll get much closer to the ideal chip/component search engine.…
petra on HN
Alternatives named
InstaPart and free library downloads
From 1 comment
We have a great product called InstaPart (https://www.snapeda.com/instapart) to help with that, or if it's already in our library you can download it free!
natashabaker on HN
BSDL-to-schematic Eagle macro
From 1 comment
There is a macro available for the Eagle PCB design software that converts BSDL to schematic and foot print. BSDL although originally for boundary scan has info about footprint…
zw123456 on HN
Hand-drawing footprints and symbols
From 1 comment
The only time I've needed to build a custom footprint (not from a library) was for parts that I had to physically measure with calipers. For anything even remotely standard…
kazinator on HN