On Friday, December 30, 2011 02:40:48 PM Edward Bernard did opine: > Just out of curiousity Gene, why are you trying to use Inkscape for PC > boards when you could use Kicad, gEDA or the free version of Eagle?
Can you say learning curve, combined with best utility? Inkscape, with the gcodes package installed, can export to gcode for starters, gEDA couldn't the last time I looked, neither could eagle's free version, and I couldn't find such a beast in KiCad's menu's 17 hours ago. This may not be the best way, but from this admittedly beginner at chemical-less pcb fab, it looks like the best way. As for chemical fab, I did a lot of that back in the 60's when I was at KOTA-TV in Rapid City because we made 50% or more of the stations gear in-house, including our dual microwave setup with a side leg to KDUH in Nebraska, from Rapid City to KLZ's old site on Lookout Mountain near denver. Some of it, from Rapid City to a site in the Agate Beds National Monument, was also dual channel back-haul, and to that point all remote controlled from the Rapid City studios. In fact I designed and built the remote controller, using then state of the art touch tone decoding relays. My gawd, that is nearly 50 years ago now. Getting old isn't for wimps... > >________________________________ > > > > From: gene heskett <ghesk...@wdtv.com> > > > >To: emc-users@lists.sourceforge.net > >Sent: Friday, December 30, 2011 12:30 PM > >Subject: Re: [Emc-users] Probably Dumb questions of the week, about > >inkscape > > > >On Friday, December 30, 2011 09:56:25 AM Ben Jackson did opine: > >> On Thu, Dec 29, 2011 at 09:00:50PM -0500, gene heskett wrote: > >> > I haven't fooled with inkscape in probably 5 years, but back then I > >> > could compose dots and bars and place then, however with NDI what > >> > the scale was, it appeared to be completely arbitrary at the time. > >> > >> The default scale is usually pixels. You can change the display of > >> it in a pulldown (just above the image area). You can change the > >> default for your document in the document properties. I've made a > >> template for my laser cutter which has a document in mm with a "page > >> size" equal to the cutting area. > > > >I am not sure how wide & high this board will be, but I have made what > >looks to be a usable starting blank page for one copy of this. I guess > >I am at the rank beginner stage, and can't see the tree I need in that > >forest of buttons. Everytime I look at a gfx composition program it > >seems the biggest hurdle is setting the size of the project in units > >to match EMC, which is running in inch mode here in the middle of the > >WV hills. At least I think I have everything set to inches now, and > >have a view that is about 2/3rds screen for a board a bit larger than > >an airmail stamp. Thanks for the detailed location of what I needed > >to modify. > > > >> > So, how do I draw these things to make up a PCB trace without > >> > those? > >> > >> To draw PCB traces I'd use one of the line tools on the left. One of > >> them makes straight lines as long as you don't click and drag when > >> placing points. > > > >The first thing I need to do is setup a layer that can later be > >removed, which contains the 12 holes I have already drilled in the > >board to mount the parts, and to clear the leads of the parts. Those > >holes are .125" in diameter and now that I have changed every place > >I've found px settings reset to inch, the best way to place them is > >via the centerpoint measurements EMC already used to position the > >drill before drilling. But that doesn't seem to be available, so I > >have to calculate the left and lower boundaries by subbing the radii, > >and enter the x,y diameters instead. kcalc to the rescue. :) > > > >So this is this a place circle, then adjust its properties to fine tune > >the location and size. > > > >But I've now drawn to a reasonable accuracy (the curser location > >display on the lower right only being 2 digits is a PIMA) the pattern > >to mount one interrupter, is there a way to copy all 4 holes and stamp > >them down at .340" spacings 2 more times? > > > >That would sure beat the heck out of the 3 hours I got in putting down > >4 .125" diameter circles where the mounting and lead clearance holes > >are. > > > >Obviously I'm missing something that is going to bite me shortly, if > >not already. :) > > > >Silly Q, has this generated a procedure file that can be edited, then > >reloaded? > > > >Once I have that, then the end holes of each pattern (another layer of > >this drawing) need excavated to the diameter of the screw heads + > >about 20 thou, to a depth that is below the copper by 10 thou or so, > >which will insulate the screws and give me another half a thread of > >nut penetration. This can be done with a .125" 2 flute mill. So that > >will be layer2. > > > >I hope to be able to arrive at a 3 or 4 layer image, each layer of > >which can be exported to emc as gcode and carved once the proper bit > >is in the spindle. Layer 1, the mounting holes. is already done. > > > >The room on the pcb left from layer1, then layer2's screw head > >isolation, is the room I'll have to actually build circuit traces > >with. It may also require a vacuum table to be built to hold it as > >flat as possible, and that used as a precision holding jig. I figure > >the first one goes in the trash, its a tool to learn how to do it. > >Plus the shack has more pcb material. :) > > > >If push comes to shove, it might be possible to switch to 2-56 screws, > >which should allow the cells to be pushed around a bit to fine tune the > >quadrature pattern obtained when the spindle is at speed. Some room for > >that is available with 4-40 screws, perhaps 20 thou. > > > >Now, off topic for this discussion...... > > > >Silly Q to the folks who did the encoder modules index logic: > >How to you define which edge of the Z pulse to call 0 degrees? With my > >wheel size limitations, that error on reversal is at least 2 degrees if > >it zero's only on the down edge. > > > >It seems to me that what it should be doing is looking for the edge, > >not the pulse, which we can diddle cell locations such that the CW > >edge of the z slot in the wheel always occurs when A=B=0 in the cycle. > > > >Or am I way behind the thinking here and it already does this? The > >integrators manual doesn't appear to get into that fine a detail. > > > >Back on subject: > >> Then bring up the format menu (ctrl-shift-F) and set > >> the width and corner style to whatever you want (turn fill off). > > > >Not for the first 2 layers, I need to see it. I haven't tried but I > >presume I can color each layers objects to help visualize. > > > >> If > >> you want traces to be outlines you can use "convert stroke to path" > >> in the Path menu which will use your line width/join settings and > >> create a new polygon where the filled area is what the stroked area > >> of the line was. > > > >That worked to give me a view of the holes that actually looks like a > >hole, and I just found the menu item that allows data entry for > >positioning, but it seems to be disabled once this stroke conversion > >is done. And because it rounds to the nearest thou, I can see some > >slight positioning errors I cannot now correct. The present screen > >scale is 747%. > > > >> To edit lines use the second tool (below the "select" tool) which is > >> the "node" tool". That will let you move intersections and > >> add/delete them. > >> > >> > Also, to serve as the anchoring image, how can I get the hole > >> > pattern emc has already drilled, into a format that shows the > >> > actual diameter of the holes I have already drilled, into a format > >> > inkscape can import as dots of missing material? > >> > >> You can import and scale an image. Put it on another layer and lock > >> the layer (even make it partially transparent). > > > >Do I need potrace installed for that, or is it build in? I note that > >one of the functions 'based on potrace' doesn't seem to work. > > > >> If you have an Excellon drill file and some python programming > >> expertise you could write a plugin to import them as circles. > > > >No, sorry, neither. So I'm doing this by hand, with kcalcs help. > > > >As I close this message, my next question is "how to multi-select the 4 > >objects I have, so that I can paste them down at X increment intervals > >of .340" to complete the other two cell mounts?" > > > >I did this, but one hole at a time, so that is done and saved as drill- > >holes-layer1 > > > >But now I have added another layer on top of that one, but don't seem > >to be able to draw in it, and it is selected according to the caption > >at the bottom of the screen. All I seem to be able to get are the > >handle boxes. > > > >Thanks a bunch. I appreciate the help, I might eventually grok this > >thing yet. :) > > > >Cheers, Gene > > ------------------------------------------------------------------------ > ------ Ridiculously easy VDI. With Citrix VDI-in-a-Box, you don't need a > complex infrastructure or vast IT resources to deliver seamless, secure > access to virtual desktops. With this all-in-one solution, easily > deploy virtual desktops for less than the cost of PCs and save 60% on > VDI infrastructure costs. Try it free! > http://p.sf.net/sfu/Citrix-VDIinabox > _______________________________________________ > Emc-users mailing list > Emc-users@lists.sourceforge.net > https://lists.sourceforge.net/lists/listinfo/emc-users Cheers, Gene -- "There are four boxes to be used in defense of liberty: soap, ballot, jury, and ammo. Please use in that order." -Ed Howdershelt (Author) My web page: <http://coyoteden.dyndns-free.com:85/gene> "Infidels in all ages have battled for the rights of man, and have at all times been the fearless advocates of liberty and justice." -- Robert Green Ingersoll ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Ridiculously easy VDI. With Citrix VDI-in-a-Box, you don't need a complex infrastructure or vast IT resources to deliver seamless, secure access to virtual desktops. With this all-in-one solution, easily deploy virtual desktops for less than the cost of PCs and save 60% on VDI infrastructure costs. Try it free! http://p.sf.net/sfu/Citrix-VDIinabox _______________________________________________ Emc-users mailing list Emc-users@lists.sourceforge.net https://lists.sourceforge.net/lists/listinfo/emc-users
