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Step 16Combine the sides
Fire up inkscape and open the image of the component side tracks. Create a new layer, and cut this image and paste it into the new layer. Create another new layer. Open the tracing you previously made of the solder side of the board, copy it, and paste it into the new layer. Close the tracing. Create a new layer. Open the picture you made of the holes, copy it and paste it into the new layer, then close it. You may also want to repeat for the image of the components, the ground plane hole circles, the free-hole marks and the complete image of the component side, if you want to use these for extra guides. I also added in an image of the solder side tracks to confirm that the first tracing was correct.
Open the layers dialogue and re-order the layers so the original photo is at the bottom, then the picture of the components, then the component side tracks, then the holes, then the tracing. Use the scaling arrows for each layer (click to select the image) to adjust it so they are all aligned. Use the holes to guide you. You may need to set the aspect ratio to "free" for tweaking.
Adjust the transparency of the layers so you have an image showing what is connected where.
Using the bezier tool, trace a line for each track. This will be easier if you filled in the substrate earlier. Click every time you want to change direction - this will add a node to the line. Double click to finish the line.
You will probably want to turn on or off the other image layers as you work to check your progress, and to check the "sanity" of your tracing.
You need to combine the two tracings. Go to Edit > Select All in All Layers, then Path > Combine. This will let you now select multiple paths. Go to Edit > Deselect.
Inkscape provides a tool to snap together the ends of lines. Use the edit tool. For every place you find where a track on the top of the board connects through to a track on the bottom of the board, select the connector on the end of one, press shift and click the end of the other. They should both have big coloured nodes on the end when selected. Then click the snap together icon. Any track ends you have left over most probably connect to a ground plane or an internal plane which may be either ground, power or a section of track. Use the other layers to help you investigate any which don't correspond to anything.
Finally, delete all the layers except the tracing. Save the file as postscript (.ps) The reason for this is that Dia has a problem importing .svg format files (hopefully to be fixed in version 0.98) and an intermediate step is needed to generate a format it can use, in this case the xfig format, .fig.
Open the layers dialogue and re-order the layers so the original photo is at the bottom, then the picture of the components, then the component side tracks, then the holes, then the tracing. Use the scaling arrows for each layer (click to select the image) to adjust it so they are all aligned. Use the holes to guide you. You may need to set the aspect ratio to "free" for tweaking.
Adjust the transparency of the layers so you have an image showing what is connected where.
Using the bezier tool, trace a line for each track. This will be easier if you filled in the substrate earlier. Click every time you want to change direction - this will add a node to the line. Double click to finish the line.
You will probably want to turn on or off the other image layers as you work to check your progress, and to check the "sanity" of your tracing.
You need to combine the two tracings. Go to Edit > Select All in All Layers, then Path > Combine. This will let you now select multiple paths. Go to Edit > Deselect.
Inkscape provides a tool to snap together the ends of lines. Use the edit tool. For every place you find where a track on the top of the board connects through to a track on the bottom of the board, select the connector on the end of one, press shift and click the end of the other. They should both have big coloured nodes on the end when selected. Then click the snap together icon. Any track ends you have left over most probably connect to a ground plane or an internal plane which may be either ground, power or a section of track. Use the other layers to help you investigate any which don't correspond to anything.
Finally, delete all the layers except the tracing. Save the file as postscript (.ps) The reason for this is that Dia has a problem importing .svg format files (hopefully to be fixed in version 0.98) and an intermediate step is needed to generate a format it can use, in this case the xfig format, .fig.
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