Vias can wait until last but after the component FPs are defined then it's easy to replace the remaining PTH pads with them. The poly tracks would have to be outlined, removed, then a new poly placed using the outline. The pad definitions alone make it much easier to recreate FPs but that is still a tedious manual process. Track connectivity and basic pad definitions but no poly or component definitions. A large thermal pad with a few vias under a QFP became a large PTH pad.
Without a supplied netlist all vias became PTH pads. SMT pads were imported as free pads with a designator of 1.
Components were not recognized and existed as only primitives. It didn't recognize the poly so that imported as a bunch of unconnected tracks. It generated a generic netlist from the Cu layers and the signal tracks had connectivity (connected tracks of the same net moved together). The problem is that ExpresssPCB will not accept DipTrace files or Gerber files. The batch import doesn't seem to work at all and I couldn't even get it to import a single file from an Altium 15 project without screwing the scale up.ĬAMtastic is much more functional but it's limited to the supplied data. Nothing is wrong with DipTrace I like it a lot. It's hard-coded for Altium's file names and default Gerber settings - there's no options to change anything. The PCB editor import function is useless. The one that is built into the PCB editor (File > Import > Gerber/Gerber Batch) and CAMtastic. This was a 2-layer with a large poly on the bottom and an irregular outline with many curves. RF, PLC, CAD, HW Startups, Robotics, Microcomputing, DIY Audio, DIY Gear, DIY, Mindstorms, ASM, EE Books, Product Design, LabVIEW, Breadboard, RTLSDR, Manufacturing, Electronic Circuits.ĭon't know if you solved your problem or not but I recently had to recapture a PCB from RS274X and a drill file with Altium 16. AskElectronics, Electronics, ECE, RPi, NiceChips, DevKit, Arduino, micro:bit, Nucleo, STM32F4, MSP430, PSoC, ARM, Amp Hour, FPGA, DSP,.How to solder: SMD Resistors, SMD ICs, SMD QFP IC, SMD Drag Solder, SMD Tips, 1980 Soldering Videos.Gerbv, GerberLogix, DFM Now, ViewMate, ZofzPCB, GC-Prevue. Pro ($$$$): Altium, Allegro, OrCAD, PADS, Xpedition. WIKI / FAQ / PCB Review Tips / 3D models / SPICE models / Book ListĮagle, Fritzing, Horizon, KiCad, LibrePCB, ( Comparison).Links within /r/PrintedCircuitBoard subreddit: This subreddit isn't meant for repairing PCBs. 012" is their smallest hole.Īctually this should have all gone in the " Cheap PCB stories.Official Printed Circuit Board Subreddit - schematic capture / PCB layout / gerber / review / electronics assembly / circuit simulation. They're very inexpensive and have given good quality but they definitely won't do. I've been using DirtyPCBs (which I think is part of DangerousPrototypes) for simple prototypes recently. I've seen many references to JLCPCB recently. Gerber file format is a leading format for PCB Design.
Youll really have to choose a program then assess what are your best options. It's just my situation that borderline justifies continuing to use it. Moreover, DipTrace can import Gerber, NC drill and DXF files. I would not recommend the same software to newcomers though. I'm still using an old DOS version of Easy-PC Professional, for several reasons, and I run it in the DOSbox emulator under Linux. You could just draw your board out by hand on a large quadrille paper and use the grid to get the coordinates to type up the gerber files into a text editor-if you would live long enough to accomplish it! Gerber files are plain text, and the gerber file standard is pretty simple but yeah, the size of the job would be unrealistic for all but the tiniest, simplest boards. (This comes from the custom PCBs section of my 6502 primer.)
See also for some info and reviews on free PCB CAD. Wikipedia has a brief comparison of a long list of CADs, many of them free, at.