## pcb FAQ

### What is pcb ?

“pcb” is software to help you draw (“lay out”) the wires for a custom “printed wire board” (“PCB”).

### How do I install pcb?

The recommended way to install pcb is to install the complete gaf package. See installation.

### Is it true that pcb is limited to exactly 8 copper layers and 2 silkscreen layers?

No. “Out-of-the-box”, pcb supports 16 copper layers and …

### Is it true that pcb has no concept of a "solder mask" or "paste mask" layer?

No.

### Is it true that pcb has no way to make a "mechanical layer" to show the physical outline of the board and its dimensions ?

No. Lines on a layer with layer name `outline` will be interpreted as physical edges of the board. Also see this note in the more comprehensive pcb_tips

### How do I design a PCB?

This is well beyond the scope of this FAQ. There are a few tips at

- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Printed_circuit_board
- http://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/Practical_Electronics/PCB_Layout

### Yes, but how do I design a PCB with pcb?

Generally, you start with a schematic, run gsch2pcb to generate the netlist. See faq-gsch2pcb. Then you might go through the tutorial gsch2pcb_tutorial

Then you … Hey, did you know about the pcb manual, the pcb_tips, and the pcb-quick_reference?

### What about footprints?

See pcb_footprints.

There are also some unofficial gEDA footprints at Open Circuits http://opencircuits.com/PCB_Footprints.

### I had a hard time to find info on pcb due its ambigous name. Why don't you rename the app?

The application is a fairly old project, with roots way back in the era of Atari home computers. Its name has always been “pcb”. The current developers have no intention to break that tradition.