These (link to PDF file) [updated 2012-06] are my notes for using Eagle PCB, an excellent CAD program for printed circuit board design with a free (but still fully functional) “light” version.  Most of the text is my own, but there are places where I’ve cut-and-pasted information from the Eagle documentation or material found online.

To go with the notes, here is a .ZIP file containing my customized EAGLE.SCR file (sets defaults on starting Eagle), default.dru (defaults for routing), and Dave-gerb274x(2layer).cam (for making gerber files; works fine with BatchPCB).

The notes are not meant as a replacement for the Eagle documentation, but rather as commentary and interpretation.

I’ve been using BatchPCB.com to manufacture boards; their design rules influence some of the notes.

I find Eagle’s user interface counter-intuitive in many ways.  It’s powerful, but the assumptions differ a lot from common GUI programs like MS Office and Photoshop.  The fact that the manual is a poor translation from German doesn’t help. So I have to refer to these notes to refresh my memory about how Eagle works after not using it for a while.

I make no promises that this material is accurate; I write what I learn but sometimes I may misunderstand.  Feedback with corrections and improvements are welcome; please post them on NerdFever.com or email to dave@nerdfever.REMOVE_THIS.com.