topic Re: Workflow for adding a Alps funky switch/encoder? in Fusion Electronics Forum

Workflow for adding a Alps funky switch/encoder?

GPTech2444 — Wed, 05 Feb 2020 00:37:24 GMT

Hi,

Is there a youtube showing how to add a component?

I want to design a pcb to use an Alps RKJXT1F42001

There's a step file available but I have no idea of how to add it as a component into fusion. I don't really get the workflow and can't a video showing how it's done.

Thanks,

Grant.

Re: Workflow for adding a Alps funky switch/encoder?

jorge_garcia — Wed, 05 Feb 2020 17:19:09 GMT

Hello ,

I hope you're doing well. We are working to get these ready as fast as we can. In the meantime, having a 3D model alone is not enough to make the PCB. You need to make a symbol, a footprint and then a device to marry everything together.

Here's a live stream we did yesterday that gives you the basic process of working with Fusion Electronics. We'll release a video of some sort shortly on how to make library parts.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DqlSDB3x10w

Let me know if there's anything else I can do for you.

Best Regards,

Re: Workflow for adding a Alps funky switch/encoder?

engineeringNCMXB — Wed, 05 Feb 2020 18:46:33 GMT

@GPTech2444have you created parts in Eagle before?

Either way -
Each component has 3 distinct elements:

SYMBOL - [MANDATORY] Used while making schematics to provide a graphical representation of electrical connections

FOOTPRINT - [MANDATORY] Used to define the physical shapes of the electrical contacts and, solder mask, solder paste, and text labels on the circuit board layout.

3D MODEL - [OPTIONAL] A 3D model is oriented and aligned with the FOOTPRINT which allows Fusion 360 to render a 3D circuit board.

All three of those elements are ultimately combined into a DEVICE which has all the information necessary for every step in the design process. The basic elements FOOTPRINT, SYMBOL, and 3D MODEL can be re-used in multiple DEVICES. For example, in a library with resistors you will have a single SYMBOL for a resistor that are used in a schematic, but you can marry any number of unique FOOTPRINTS to that SYMBOL to represent the myriad of different physical shapes of real resistors. Further, in a DEVICE, you can take a SYMBOL/FOOTPRINT combination and create variants for each value that you may use.

An introduction to library concepts in EAGLE. The concepts in Fusion are basically the same, but it looks different. Learning the concepts first, makes learning the UI easier.

More specific on importing parts in Eagle:

Hope this helps you and others.

Re: Workflow for adding a Alps funky switch/encoder?

GPTech2444 — Thu, 06 Feb 2020 00:22:27 GMT

Thanks Carlos.

I've never used Eagle. PCB design is new to me (although I know electronics and can read schematics) and what I want to do is quite basic but I couldn't find anything to get me going and there seemed to be a fair difference between the workflows of eagle and fusion at first glance.

I'll watch the videos you posted and go from there.

Re: Workflow for adding a Alps funky switch/encoder?

GPTech2444 — Thu, 13 Feb 2020 02:32:35 GMT

After watching those youtubes and the latest one released today by Autodesk I'm no closer to understanding the workflow.

Re: Workflow for adding a Alps funky switch/encoder?

engineeringNCMXB — Thu, 13 Feb 2020 04:15:59 GMT

If it helps you to feel better.....it took me 20x longer to 'get' Eagle than any other software I have ever used.

To better qualify that statement - I have used a LOT of professional software since the early 90's in motion picture /TV production, engineering, and enterprise/business management. That covers animation, audio production, motion graphics, Solidworks since 1998, Mastercam, Camworks, 4 different database architechtures running 1-off custom process managment, custom ERP development, and more recently developing and writing my own software. DOS, every version of Windows, MAC, Linux......etc......etc......

It has improved over time, but the fundamentals are awkward.

Re: Workflow for adding a Alps funky switch/encoder?

GPTech2444 — Thu, 13 Feb 2020 05:31:25 GMT

I've picked up software in the past no problem such as Fusion, solidworks, solidedge, etc. But this electronics release of fusion is completely lacking in any information on how to do a basic pcb. And there's no point learning eagle if the workflow is different again from they way they've implemented it in fusion.

Ideally Autodesk should do a tutorial from concept to completion doing something as simple as a through hole pot to solder pads from an available step file.

Re: Workflow for adding a Alps funky switch/encoder?

RichardHammerl — Thu, 13 Feb 2020 08:22:13 GMT

Hi @GPTech2444

I agree with you that Electronics documentation still needs some work to be done. We are working on this and will have more and more content available.

Just let me add the places where you will find information about Fusion Electronics:

We have the Fusion Electronics documentation . It comes with some tutorials. We will have webinars recorded and made available on the Autodesk Fusion 360 channel on youtube. There also will find the next webinars scheduled.

Regards,

Re: Workflow for adding a Alps funky switch/encoder?

kb9ydn — Thu, 13 Feb 2020 20:26:07 GMT

@engineeringNCMXB wrote:
If it helps you to feel better.....it took me 20x longer to 'get' Eagle than any other software I have ever used.

To better qualify that statement - I have used a LOT of professional software since the early 90's in motion picture /TV production, engineering, and enterprise/business management. That covers animation, audio production, motion graphics, Solidworks since 1998, Mastercam, Camworks, 4 different database architechtures running 1-off custom process managment, custom ERP development, and more recently developing and writing my own software. DOS, every version of Windows, MAC, Linux......etc......etc......

It has improved over time, but the fundamentals are awkward.

I'm glad I'm not alone here. Most of my experience is with Solidworks and Fusion, but I have been using Diptrace for EDA sporadically over the last couple years or so. I think once you get your head around how a particular software realm works in general (CAD, CAM, EDA, etc.), it's much easier to switch between brands. Just in the last few weeks I've picked up up Eagle/FE. I was able to figure out Eagle fairly quickly, but there was a serious amount of swearing and face palming. Eagle is over the top with its idiosyncracies.