Post by thread:Off topic

Hi yah all, Sorry for the off topic - so ignore as you feel inclined... Anyone have experience with having photoplots scanned to produce gerber files ? And any software for PC's to do this ? Rgds Mike Perth, Western Australia

Hi Mike, A scanned photoplot can easily be converted to a DXF file which can be converted to GBR format with ease. --snip-- > Anyone have experience with having photoplots scanned to produce gerber > files ?

> Anyone have experience with having photoplots scanned to produce gerber > files ? Supposedly CIRCAD has this ability. I saw a demo of it, but you never know if it is really that easy. Gary Skinner spam_OUTgskinnerTakeThisOuTcsd.net Electronic Solutions, Inc. design of custom electronic controls

Talking about gerber files. I have the following problem/requirement: I have a digitally controlled micromilling rig, so I can try to use it for pcb prototypeing. In order to make a pcb I would need to cut an outline of the track. It would be nice to have a utility that would be able to convert tracks and pads from gerber file to its equivalent outline drawing. With a single track such a conversion is not a problem at all. One has to draw 4 lines. The problem starts when one track is connected to the other or is composed of a number of segments. The outline can not produce a broken layer of copper. I am trying to think of an algorithm that could detect such track crossing points. Checking every point of a track with all other tracks requires monstrous number of comparisons. Are there any ready made utilities, perhaps in public domain, available? Any suggestions for an efficient algorithm? Ragards, janusz.

Copper fill the entire board, then produce a gerber plot of the inverse image of the board...That should work? Kieran ---------- From: Janusz J. Mlodzianowski[SMTP:.....fizjmKILLspam@spam@UNIV.GDA.PL] Sent: 17 July 1997 12:31 To: PICLISTKILLspamMITVMA.MIT.EDU Subject: Re: Off topic - gerber files Talking about gerber files. I have the following problem/requirement: I have a digitally controlled micromilling rig, so I can try to use it for pcb prototypeing. In order to make a pcb I would need to cut an outline of the track. It would be nice to have a utility that would be able to convert tracks and pads from gerber file to its equivalent outline drawing. With a single track such a conversion is not a problem at all. One has to draw 4 lines. The problem starts when one track is connected to the other or is composed of a number of segments. The outline can not produce a broken layer of copper. I am trying to think of an algorithm that could detect such track crossing points. Checking every point of a track with all other tracks requires monstrous number of comparisons. Are there any ready made utilities, perhaps in public domain, available? Any suggestions for an efficient algorithm? Ragards, janusz.

Try using the DXF out for the coppers as outline only this works fine from araidnie and we import these into Autocad with no problems. Steve.....

I have recently been researching CNC control programs and have found some good links from http://www.sherline.com. There are some that work with DXF and HPGL files.