PCB copy board software and how to copy PCB circuit boards and detailed steps
The development of PCB is inseparable from people’s aspiration for a better life. From the first radio to today’s computer motherboards and the demand for AI computing power, the precision of PCB has been continuously improved.
In order to develop PCB more rapidly, we cannot do without learning and borrowing. Therefore, PCB copy board was born. PCB copying, circuit board copying, circuit board cloning, electronic product imitation, electronic product cloning, etc., are actually a process of circuit board replication. There are many methods for PCB copying and a large number of rapid PCB copy board software.
Today, let’s talk about PCB copy board and what copy board software is available?
PCB copy board software?
PCB copy board software 1: BMP2PCB. The earliest copy board software is actually just a software for converting BMP to PCB and has now been eliminated!
PCB copy board software 2: QuickPcb2005. It is a copy board software that supports color images and has a cracked version.
Rapid PCB copy board software 3: CBR
Rapid PCB copy board software 4: PMPCB
How to copy PCB and detailed process?
The first step, when getting a PCB, first record the models, parameters, and positions of all components on paper, especially the directions of diodes, transistors, and the notches of ICs. It is best to take two photos of the component positions with a digital camera.
The second step, remove all components and remove the tin in the PAD holes. Clean the PCB with alcohol, and then put it into the scanner. When scanning, the scanner needs to slightly increase the scanned pixels to obtain a clearer image. Start POHTOSHOP, scan the silk screen surface in color mode, save the file and print it out for backup.
The third step, use water sandpaper to slightly polish the TOP LAYER and BOTTOM LAYER until the copper film shines. Put it into the scanner, start PHOTOSHOP, and scan the two layers separately in color mode. Note that the PCB must be placed horizontally and vertically in the scanner, otherwise the scanned image cannot be used, and save the file.
The fourth step, adjust the contrast and brightness of the canvas to make the parts with copper film and the parts without copper film contrast strongly. Then convert this image to black and white, and check if the lines are clear. If not clear, repeat this step. If clear, save the image as black and white BMP format files TOP.BMP and BOT.BMP. If there are any problems with the graphics, they can also be repaired and corrected using PHOTOSHOP.
The fifth step, convert the two BMP format files into PROTEL format files respectively. Load the two layers in PROTEL. If the positions of the PAD and VIA of the two layers basically overlap, it indicates that the previous steps were done well. If there is a deviation, repeat the third step.
The first step, when getting a PCB, first record the models, parameters, and positions of all components on paper, especially the directions of diodes, transistors, and the notches of ICs. It is best to take two photos of the component positions with a digital camera.
The second step, remove all components and remove the tin in the PAD holes. Clean the PCB with alcohol, and then put it into the scanner. When scanning, the scanner needs to slightly increase the scanned pixels to obtain a clearer image. Start POHTOSHOP, scan the silk screen surface in color mode, save the file and print it out for backup.
The third step, use water sandpaper to slightly polish the TOP LAYER and BOTTOM LAYER until the copper film shines. Put it into the scanner, start PHOTOSHOP, and scan the two layers separately in color mode. Note that the PCB must be placed horizontally and vertically in the scanner, otherwise the scanned image cannot be used, and save the file.
The fourth step, adjust the contrast and brightness of the canvas to make the parts with copper film and the parts without copper film contrast strongly. Then convert this image to black and white, and check if the lines are clear. If not clear, repeat this step. If clear, save the image as black and white BMP format files TOP.BMP and BOT.BMP. If there are any problems with the graphics, they can also be repaired and corrected using PHOTOSHOP.
The fifth step, convert the two BMP format files into PROTEL format files respectively. Load the two layers in PROTEL. If the positions of the PAD and VIA of the two layers basically overlap, it indicates that the previous steps were done well. If there is a deviation, repeat the third step.
The sixth step, convert the BMP of the TOP layer to TOP.PCB. Note that it needs to be converted to the SILK layer, which is the yellow layer. Then draw lines on the TOP layer and place components according to the drawing in the second step. After drawing, delete the SILK layer.
The sixth step, convert the BMP of the TOP layer to TOP.PCB. Note that it needs to be converted to the SILK layer, which is the yellow layer. Then draw lines on the TOP layer and place components according to the drawing in the second step. After drawing, delete the SILK layer.
The seventh step, convert the BMP of the BOT layer to BOT.PCB. Note that it needs to be converted to the SILK layer, which is the yellow layer. Then draw lines on the BOT layer. After drawing, delete the SILK layer.
The eighth step, load TOP.PCB and BOT.PCB in PROTEL and combine them into one diagram, and that’s it.
The ninth step, print TOP LAYER and BOTTOM LAYER onto transparent film with a laser printer (1:1 ratio), place the film on that PCB, compare to see if there are any errors. If there are no errors, you have succeeded.