Make hobbyist PCBs with professional CAD tools by modifying "Design Rules"

Step 8 Modifying the SIZES rules

The SIZES panel has the next set of parameters to change.

We don't have to worry about micro or blind vias, cause they're not appropriate to hobbyists in the first place, and not supported by the freeware Eagle in the second place. We can set the minimum width and minimum drill to
(again) 0.8mm (incidentally, .8mm is about a number 68 drill.)

Comments

[ookid]

.8 mm or .8 cm?

[Algag]

i beleive .8cm or 8mm

[westfw]

0.8mm. This is the width of the copper traces no the PCB, and the minimum hole side for component leads and such, both of which are typically quite tiny. A 0.8mm wire would be about 20g wire, which is quite thick for most electronics purposes (of course, it's a flat trace in this case, but...) 30g wire-wrap wire is about 0.25mm, and typical "standard" process for professional PCB manufacturing is about 0.2mm (8 mils - a "mil" is 0.001 inch) You can use other units if you prefer (0.8mm is about 32 mils or .032 inch), I just find mm to be the convenient unit for this sort of size range (alas, I'm not all-metric. Get up to BOARD sizes and I think in inches. Sigh.) The key point is to change the defaults, which assume professional manufacturing, to much larger values to give the amateur more room for "by hand" sort of tolerances. (Frankly, larger traces would improve many a "professionally made" board as well; easier to manufacture, less fragile, less prone to errors becoming "fatal", easier to apply rework...)