Convert PDF to BRD

What is the purpose of pdf to brd conversion?

Most users searching for ways to convert pdf to brd are in need of recovering previously exported PCB / Gerber files from PDF documents, often when the original design files are lost and only printed or scanned documents are available. In the context of pdf to brd conversion in particular, this may be related to the BRD format used by Autodesk EAGLE.

About Autodesk EAGLE BRD file format

Eagle (Easily Applicable Graphical Layout Editor), a well-known PCB (Printed Circuit Board) design program, uses the BRD file format to design and layout PCBs. Eagle's PCB design process relies heavily on BRD files, which enable designers to construct precise and complicated PCB layouts. These files are essential for producing correct PCBs and are widely used in the electronics design industry.

Can PDF documents contain PCB schematics?

Yes and no. PDF file may contain graphics content, and PCB previews of circuit boards can be embedded like any other picture. These are not fully featured PCB data files, just their visual representation.

Steps how to proceed to at least partially recover PCB data from PDF documents

Recovering PCB designs from PDF scans is a labor-intensive and painstaking technique that has a high success rate based on the redraw artist's talent and available resources. There are no converters available to automate the process.

The rocess of recovering Printed Circuit Board (PCB) designs from PDF scans is a complex one that usually entails manual extraction of image data from the PDF and subsequent use of that data to reconstruct the PCB layout. A solid understanding of PCB design is necessary for this procedure. The general processes are as follows:

Recover graphics from PDF documents

First and foremost, you must recover graphics from a PDF document, preferably in vector SVG format, but even rasters would suffice; nonetheless, importing at least some vectors may save you a significant amount of time.

Many PDF editors can be used for this and many modern vector graphics editors support import of .pdf files that can help you with this process. To name one example, the free Inkscape can be used for this.

Recreate the PCB design

Once you have the SVG file, it is time to manually redraw the design, which is the most time-consuming part and depends on the complexity of the original. There are many PCB design tools available, both open source and professional, but there is only one reliable choice for BRD format: Autodesk EAGLE. Other tools that can save to BRD format include Altium Designer and of course Autodesk Fusion 360, which intergrates many Autodesk software tools into single environment.

In case your software options are limited, you might opt out for the GBR format instead. It's a standard (both RS-274-D and RS-274X) supported in any PCB tool and so you can import it to any PCB software.

Note: Sometimes BRD files are just generic term to describe PCB boards, in which case disregard any Autodesk Eagle related content and simply use GRB format as the get go standard for this conversion.