JLCPCB: making my first pcb with EasyEDA, having really hard time

[hamlet_jones]

1st, I've tried/installed several of the popular pcb programs, and bombed with all of them except ExpressPCB (classic or plus).  Express is propriatary, no gerber files for you.

So, I like JLC, they send me good parts fast, and now am inclined to try their EasyEDA, but it's hard for me.

My biggest problem is this:  I don't want to build a schematic and convert it over, whatever you call that process.  Let's imagine I don't even want a circuit (I don't, but let's wait).
Imagine a chunk of pcb material, copper clad board, exactly 100x100mm.  How do I jump straight to that in EasyEDA?  I want a gerber for that, 1st and foremost.  Afterwards, if
I want to cram a circuit into 1000sq millimeters, we can talk.

[hamlet_jones]

Schematic Driven Layout. SLD. Got it, thanks.

At what point in the PCB design process does the board take shape?  Does the schematic and component count drive the board size? Sure it does.

However, what if I were constrained, and only had 1000square millimeters to work in.  Could I start there, and then try to cram my circuit into that space?

[retiredfeline]

Don't you mean 10,000 sq mm?

[hamlet_jones]

I mean a a gazillion mm. Whatever 100 millimeters times 100 millimeters equals. About 16 average postage stamps in area, or a small sandwich.

[hamlet_jones]

Okay, thanks everybody.  EasyEDA is no longer supported, so I'm not going to beat this dead horse.   I going to try Circuit Studio next. Wish me luck!

[hamlet_jones]

Circuit Studio is a bait-switch. It's actually Atrium, but 30-day trial. Sigh.

[wraper]

Okay, thanks everybody.  EasyEDA is no longer supported, so I'm not going to beat this dead horse.   I going to try Circuit Studio next. Wish me luck!

I what way it's no longer supported when latest version was released a month ago?

[wraper]

At what point in the PCB design process does the board take shape?  Does the schematic and component count drive the board size? Sure it does.
However, what if I were constrained, and only had 1000square millimeters to work in. Could I start there, and then try to cram my circuit into that space?

It's like eating through your ass. And you can cram a lot of parts on 10x10cm board. Way more than what is easily manageable with your backwards process.

[hamlet_jones]

Snark much?  Perhaps it's "supported," but there isn't a working forum.

[wraper]

Snark much?  Perhaps it's "supported," but there isn't a working forum.
Oh, please don't forget to eat my ass.

As you want to implement it into your design process, don't forget to eat mine too. FWIW I wrote about how effective such approach would be, nothing more.

Perhaps it's "supported," but there isn't a working forum.

Except there is.

[ve7xen]

How do I jump straight to that in EasyEDA?

Not an EasyEDA user, but this seems straightforward to me. Create a New Project. Then File -> New -> PCB, set size to 100x100 and click OK. Use the Place menu to randomly place your pads, holes, copper pours and library footprints.

Don't know why you'd want to, if you ultimately want a circuit and aren't using the board for some non-circuit purpose, anyway, but it doesn't seem difficult. If the size constraint is going to be tight, you're going to want to have a real layout fitting before you go forward, and if it's gonna be loose, you shouldn't need a CAD to prove to yourself that it's doable before you build the schematic, so not quite seeing what you're getting at.

[DIYGUY Chris]

Hi, after 5 minutes in google search I came up with many tutorial, I advise you start from the EasyEDA tutorials posted on them YouTube channel :
I often use them official forum to post my question where I can get the appropriate guidance from them support team (they are all the time there) maybe you want to try them forum : https://easyeda.com/forum/category/7
Considering your question you can make a PCB without a schem. Actually just go to file>>New>>PCB and voila you get a new PCB area opened, you can then draw the PCB outline relatively to the dimensions that you need 

[kjr18]

Of course you can jump straight to pcb, but it's really easier (and probably faster) to make schematic first and then export it to pcb. This way you get parts connected, nets that are not yet connected etc.

As for how much you can cram on low cost PCB, it depends. How complicated it is, how many parts, how many tracks, one or double sided load, and many other things.

[Simon]

KiCad? you can just do a PCB but if you have the parts in the symbols library you may as well drop them on a schematic sheet even if not connected and then they will appear on the PCB and you can take the design forward in the future rather than pull all the parts out twice.

[Doctorandus_P]

Another vote for KiCad.
It's a Free & Open Source program. No artificial limitations such as pin count or board size.
Limits are currently at 32 copper layers and a 4m by 4m PCB (32-bit in nanometer resolution)

KiCad also will never hijack your PCB's behind a paywall or web interface.
KiCad is also very capable. It has grown substantially in the last years, and this year V6 is expected, It has been worked on for some 3 years now and has loads of new features. Including adding stuff to the netlist directly on the PCB if that is your thing.

Some people do not take a PCB program seriously if it does not have a database driven component library (mostly useful for medium to bigger companies). This is one of the things not implemented in KiCad yet, but it's being thought on for V7 (Which will be several years into the future)