Re: gEDA-user: Comments on pcb's g-code exporter & HeeksCAD/HeeksCNC FOSS program for pcb milling

[dfro]

Markus,

I will add the patch and give it a try.

How and when do your latest gcode patches get merged into the main branch?

Thanks,
Dave

On 11/29/2010 09:25 AM, Markus Hitter wrote:


Am 16.11.2010 um 22:51 schrieb d...@umich.edu:


However, the gcode export always crashes if I try to define the
outline with a rectangle.


It crashed also when the outline layer contains only a single vertical
or horizontal line. Fixed in a new patchset:

http://sourceforge.net/tracker/index.php?func=detail&aid=3100354&group_id=73743&atid=538813



Markus

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Dipl. Ing. (FH) Markus Hitter
http://www.jump-ing.de/







___
geda-user mailing list
geda-user@moria.seul.org
http://www.seul.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/geda-user






___
geda-user mailing list
geda-user@moria.seul.org
http://www.seul.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/geda-user

Re: gEDA-user: Comments on pcb's g-code exporter & HeeksCAD/HeeksCNC FOSS program for pcb milling

[dfro]

Markus,

The outline layer is working fine now, when I draw a rectangle with 
lines - even a sloppy rectangle where the lines have kinks, or an 
unclosed rectangle. The exporter adds the tool offset as well. Very 
nice! However, the gcode export always crashes if I try to define the 
outline with a rectangle.


I have not been able to replicate my earlier problem. I must have really 
made a big mistake.


Thanks,
Dave

On 11/15/2010 09:44 AM, Markus Hitter wrote:


Am 15.11.2010 um 06:55 schrieb d...@umich.edu:


I tried to draw an outline in an 'outline' layer and 'pcb' just turned
the trace lines into an isolation routing outline.


Ouch. This shouldn't happen. Did you apply all 24 patches? If yes, could
you send me (not to the list) the .pcb file showing this behaviour ?


I must not be getting your explanation. Do I use a rectangle in the
'outline' layer to define the outline?


Exactly. A rectangle, or any number of lines drawing another area.
Milled is always a rectangle, though.


Markus

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Dipl. Ing. (FH) Markus Hitter
http://www.jump-ing.de/







___
geda-user mailing list
geda-user@moria.seul.org
http://www.seul.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/geda-user






___
geda-user mailing list
geda-user@moria.seul.org
http://www.seul.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/geda-user

Re: gEDA-user: Comments on pcb's g-code exporter & HeeksCAD/HeeksCNC FOSS program for pcb milling

[dfro]

Markus,

Thanks for the note.

On 11/14/2010 05:55 AM, Markus Hitter wrote:


Am 14.11.2010 um 10:38 schrieb d...@umich.edu:


I have figured out how to add your 24 patches with git, I recompiled
'pcb', and I am trying out the new version.


That's great. Just a second before I sent further comments :-)



No problem. I learned a lot about git, while trying to get your patches 
working. Now I am going to use git on a dozen other personal projects I 
have going. So, thanks for writing those juicy patches that forced me to 
RTFM:


http://progit.org/book/

The explanation of 'git am' in there was enough to get me back in business.


Adding a tool table might be cool.


As far as I understand, this is done in pcb on a different level:

http://pcb.gpleda.org/pcb-cvs/pcb.html#Vendor-drill-mapping

Didn't test it yet, though.



Vendor drill mapping is a great feature. I did not know it was there. I 
will definitely use it, now that I know about it. A tool table would 
contain a lot more information, though, and have a very different 
purpose than "quantizing" the holes in a pcb design.


An EMC2 .tbl file in "mill format" contains a table with a "Pocket" 
column, and "FMS" column (the T numbers which coincide with a user's 
machine), a "TLO" column representing tool length offset, a "Diameter" 
column, and a "Comment" column - i.e. "1/16 end mill"


If you are interested, check out section 9.4 of the EMC2 User Manual:

http://linuxcnc.org/docs/EMC2_User_Manual.pdf
http://wiki.linuxcnc.org/cgi-bin/emcinfo.pl?EmcKnowledgeBase

Having said this, The drill grouping and comments in the 'pcb' generated 
g-code make it very easy for a user to find the drill bit/end mill 
changes and add the M06/Txx lines for their machine by hand.



In regards to cutting the board outline:

What I am noticing is that the global board dimensions set in
Preferences get turned into a xxx-outline.cnc file. Correct?


If there is no "outline" layer, yes.


I think there should be an "outline" layer in the main window (along
with the "solder", "component", and other layers in 'pcb') where you
can draw your outline with a trace line.


Sure, go ahead and create it. You create layers somewhere in
preferences. I hope the exporter's behaviour is correct for both, adding
the outline layer to the component side as well as adding it to the
solder side. In the later case, general milling is mirrored, just like
isolation milling.

Not that mirroring an x-y-aligned rectangle changes anything, but with
some luck somebody will find the time to implement milling of complex
outlines one day.



I agree. Milling of complex outlines would be a great feature.

I will have to play with this more to figure out how it currently works. 
I tried to draw an outline in an 'outline' layer and 'pcb' just turned 
the trace lines into an isolation routing outline.


I must not be getting your explanation. Do I use a rectangle in the 
'outline' layer to define the outline?



Also, a box to input the feed rate (F) would be nice.


Yepp, that's on the to do list. Five feedrates: isolation milling
approach, isolation milling work, drilling approach, general milling
approach, general milling work. Many tools prefer different feedrates
for vertical vs. horizontal movements.



Great!

Thanks,
Dave


___
geda-user mailing list
geda-user@moria.seul.org
http://www.seul.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/geda-user

Re: gEDA-user: Comments on pcb's g-code exporter & HeeksCAD/HeeksCNC FOSS program for pcb milling

[dfro]

Markus,

I have figured out how to add your 24 patches with git, I recompiled 
'pcb', and I am trying out the new version.


The grouping of the drill operation for different drill sizes is great. 
Adding a tool table might be cool.  There could be a field in the 
Preferences window, where the user enters the path to their tool table. 
That way tool change g-code (M06) could be easily added, with a set of 
Tool Function (T) numbers and bit diameters that match the designer's 
machine. I would again suggest copying emc2's .tbl file format in case 
you or another 'pcb' programmer might want to create a window where 
people can read, edit, and write their emc2 tool table directly from 
'pcb'. If someone is using another nc program, the 'pcb' tool table just 
gets stored in the emc2 format.


Here is a sample of the sim.tlb file when emc2 is first installed:

...
T1 P1 D0.125000 Z+0.511000 ;1/8 end mill
T2 P2 D0.062500 Z+0.10 ;1/16 end mill
T3 P3 D0.201000 Z+1.273000 ;#7 tap drill
T9 P9 Z+0.10 ;big tool number
...


In regards to cutting the board outline:

What I am noticing is that the global board dimensions set in 
Preferences get turned into a xxx-outline.cnc file. Correct?


I think there should be an "outline" layer in the main window (along 
with the "solder", "component", and other layers in 'pcb') where you can 
draw your outline with a trace line. This way the pcb designer can 
create complex or odd shaped board outlines; or, they can add breaks in 
the outline traces, which will end up as tabs that get easily cut and 
filed smooth when the board is done. They can also deal with offsetting 
by first setting the trace line to the width of their milling bit and 
then drawing the line so that its edge just touches their ground plane 
rectangle, for example.


Also, a box to input the feed rate (F) would be nice.

Thanks for the great work!

Dave

On 11/12/2010 03:15 AM, Markus Hitter wrote:


Am 12.11.2010 um 01:58 schrieb d...@umich.edu:


Markus,

That is good news.

Could someone tell be how to add these files to the current
pcb-20100929 source download and recompile?


Use

git am < 00xxx.patch

Recompilation is done as before, not even a configure run is needed.



On page 1 of the LPKF brochure
(http://www.lpkfusa.com/datasheets/prototyping/rp_brochure.pdf ), it
shows a screenshot of their pcb artwork software. The thick grey
traces are used to route the border of the part. I noticed the breaks
in the trace in order to create attachment tabs, which you can see in
the picture to the right of the mill making some boards.

You could have a field in the g-code export window where you can
choose a layer from pcb, which contains the traces for the border
routing operation. The user can customize with a simple series of
thick (or thin) traces exactly what shape they want the pcb border to
be, i.e. with or without tabs, what diameter endmill to use, etc.


This layer is there already, it's the one named "outline", all lower
case. What isn't there is code to calculate the offset of the lines and
polygons on this layer, as I couldn't find existing functions in the
remaining pcb source code and I lack the resources to write it myself.

So, feel free to add this. The 0023 patch roughly shows a good place to
start.


Markus

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Dipl. Ing. (FH) Markus Hitter
http://www.jump-ing.de/







___
geda-user mailing list
geda-user@moria.seul.org
http://www.seul.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/geda-user






___
geda-user mailing list
geda-user@moria.seul.org
http://www.seul.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/geda-user

Re: gEDA-user: Comments on pcb's g-code exporter & HeeksCAD/HeeksCNC FOSS program for pcb milling

[dfro]

Markus,

I cloned and compiled the latest pcb.git version. The program runs, but 
I don't think the latest g-code patches are in there. Could you 
elaborate a little more on what I have to do to get the latest g-code 
patches in my pcb source file? I will keep "R-ing the F-ing M's" to try 
and figure out what "git am < 00xxx.patch" means.


Thanks,
Dave

On 11/12/2010 03:15 AM, Markus Hitter wrote:


Am 12.11.2010 um 01:58 schrieb d...@umich.edu:


Markus,

That is good news.

Could someone tell be how to add these files to the current
pcb-20100929 source download and recompile?


Use

git am < 00xxx.patch

Recompilation is done as before, not even a configure run is needed.






___
geda-user mailing list
geda-user@moria.seul.org
http://www.seul.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/geda-user

Re: gEDA-user: Problems compiling PCB Release 20100929

[dfro]

Thanks Colin,

That makes a lot of sense. Very clearly explained!

I like the idea of making distinctly separate locations for each build 
of a program.


Dave

On 11/12/2010 04:01 PM, Colin D Bennett wrote:

On Wed, 10 Nov 2010 20:46:12 -0500
d...@umich.edu wrote:


P.S. Will my Ubuntu 10.04 system get confused if I install both the
Synaptic package of pcb along with the compiled version?


You should look at the 'prefix' where pcb is configured for
installation.  Don't use a prefix of '/usr' since that will (1) stomp
on files installed by the .deb version installed by the Ubuntu
package manager, and (2) I never, ever install any hand-compiled
program in /usr since you will totally lose track of what you have
manually installed in that enormous, fairly flat namespace.

You can probably use a prefix of /usr/local successfully, and then
things will probably be in your PATH by default, (/usr/local/bin comes
before /usr/bin in the default Ubuntu path).  However, even
though /usr/local avoids stomping on managed packages, it is still like
a big dumping ground that is very unorganized.  Good luck trying to
clean up old version of programs installed there...

I use the following specific method of organizing manually installed
packages.  You may prefer to eliminate the VERSION level of hierarchy
and use just /opt/pcb as the prefix, but I have found it very useful
and not at all cumbersome to allow multiple versions to be installed
simultaneously.

(1) I install all non-Ubuntu-managed programs
into /opt/PACKAGENAME/VERSION.  For instance, when building pcb, I use
a command like

   ./configure --prefix=/opt/pcb/20091103

This will create a hierarchy under /opt/pcb/20091103 with 'bin' and
'share' directories.

(2) I create a symbolic link to '20091103' at /opt/pcb/current.  Then
if I have multiple pcb versions installed under /opt/pcb, I can just
have /opt/pcb/current/bin in my PATH and the currently selected pcb
version will be executed.

(3) Put this in your .profile if you often run pcb from the command
line: PATH="/opt/pcb/current/bin:$PATH"
Otherwise you can add a Gnome/KDE icon to your programs menu or launch
bar that runs /opt/pcb/current/bin/pcb.

Regards,
Colin


___
geda-user mailing list
geda-user@moria.seul.org
http://www.seul.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/geda-user






___
geda-user mailing list
geda-user@moria.seul.org
http://www.seul.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/geda-user

Re: gEDA-user: Comments on pcb's g-code exporter & HeeksCAD/HeeksCNC FOSS program for pcb milling

[dfro]

Markus,

That is good news.

Could someone tell be how to add these files to the current pcb-20100929 
source download and recompile? Otherwise, I will have to wait on the 
next source snapshot, which is fine. I would love to see the latest 
patches, though.


I do not know how your '0023-board outline milling' patch works, but I 
would like to share a thought:


On page 1 of the LPKF brochure 
(http://www.lpkfusa.com/datasheets/prototyping/rp_brochure.pdf ), it 
shows a screenshot of their pcb artwork software. The thick grey traces 
are used to route the border of the part. I noticed the breaks in the 
trace in order to create attachment tabs, which you can see in the 
picture to the right of the mill making some boards.


You could have a field in the g-code export window where you can choose 
a layer from pcb, which contains the traces for the border routing 
operation. The user can customize with a simple series of thick (or 
thin) traces exactly what shape they want the pcb border to be, i.e. 
with or without tabs, what diameter endmill to use, etc.


Thanks,
Dave


On 11/11/2010 07:14 PM, Markus Hitter wrote:


Am 11.11.2010 um 20:28 schrieb d...@umich.edu:


The drill xxx.gcode.drill.cnc file goes through the board drilling all
of the holes without differentiating the different drill sizes (found
in the xxx.fab.gbr file). And, there are no tool change g-codes for
changing between drill sizes.


You have an old version of the G-code exporter. Ths sorting is done
already, just the T command is missing. See:

http://sourceforge.net/tracker/index.php?func=detail&aid=3100354&group_id=73743&atid=538813


That said, I plan to mill bigger holes with the mill bit: drill with a
0.8 mm bit, do an outline mill with an 1.0 mm bit and everything is
appropriate with just one tool change.


Markus

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Dipl. Ing. (FH) Markus Hitter
http://www.jump-ing.de/







___
geda-user mailing list
geda-user@moria.seul.org
http://www.seul.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/geda-user






___
geda-user mailing list
geda-user@moria.seul.org
http://www.seul.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/geda-user

Re: gEDA-user: Comments on pcb's g-code exporter & HeeksCAD/HeeksCNC FOSS program for pcb milling

[dfro]

Alberto,

Thanks for the comments.

On 11/11/2010 04:24 PM, Alberto Maccioni wrote:

All this algorithm was done by Alberto Maccioni and some research brought up
the statement, this is the only reliable way for offseting all the traces.

Actually the algorithm is not mine, it comes from potrace, a tracing
program by Peter Selinger (as you can see in the source code copyright
notice).
Tracing involves a fair amount of mathematical analyses and his code
gives excellent results with equally great efficiency.
I just took the algorithm, stopped the tracing process before bezier
curves extraction, and adapted it to the png exporter.
HeeksCNC algorithm in comparison is extremely primitive and naive, and
it doesn't even work in many conditions, for example very sharp edges
cause it to crash completely.



For me, HeeksCAD/CNC crashes on everything but the most simple gerber 
artwork files. They have a ways to go on the conversion. Maybe Dan Heeks 
could take some code from the (sweet!) pcb g-code exporter.




With a dxf file, in a CAM program, you can program your fine line cutting with a 
tiny v bit, then program a>pocket operation with a larger bit to remove the 
remaining copper.

Are you sure you want to do this? Is it for aesthetic reasons or
because of better isolation?
Besides thrashing large amounts of bits and requiring hours of work it
won't make your pcb's work better; if you need good isolation it's
better to insert several traces between the ones you want to isolate.



I would like to remove floating copper for RF and static electricity 
reasons. The 'pcb' program thinks that floating copper is enough of an 
issue to have code to detect and remove it.


I have seen blogs where guys take tweezers and rip the floating copper 
off the boards they have isolation milled. I would like to have the cnc 
machine do it. I agree that it will destroy lots of bits, though. It is 
a trade-off between disposable etching chemicals and disposable bits.


A company called LPKF make very nice (and expensive I am sure) pcb 
mills, bundled with software that pockets out all of the unwanted copper:


http://www.lpkfusa.com/protomat/s-series.htm
http://www.lpkfusa.com/datasheets/prototyping/rp_brochure.pdf

They are beautiful machines that make beautiful pcb's.

I am going to make a very rigid, accurate pcb milling machine out of 
epoxy-granite. Here is my build blog (with pics) on a cnc lathe that is 
part E-G:


http://www.cnczone.com/forums/vertical_mill_lathe_project_log/42308-diy_benchtop_lathe_project-2.html


Have you thought about programming g-code arcs (G02, G03) for them? 
HeeksCAD/CNC does this

Once your resolution is high enough there's no difference between a
line path and an arc.
Detecting arcs would be extremely complicated; you can't describe a
generic curve with arcs, so the original tracing algorithm uses bezier
curves; you would need to check when a series of beziers are close
enough to an arc. Does this make your end product better? Not at all,
so it's not even worth to try, in my opinion.
A dxf export could however be useful.



I think the 2000 dpi output is great!

You coding wizards can do in a minute what would take me a month, but I 
would like to try writing a g-code to dxf conversion program in C. 
Thanks, Stephen Ecob for the jump start!


Stephen,
Some of the function calls seem to be missing from your dxf.c program, 
like DxfStart(); and DxfFinish();.

Do you feel like posting those, also?


The drill xxx.gcode.drill.cnc file goes through the board drilling all of the holes 
without differentiating the>different drill sizes (found in the xxx.fab.gbr file). 
And, there are no tool change g-codes for changing>between drill sizes.

The drill file generation is being improved with separation between
different sizes and better comments; if you have in mind a good
sequence of commands for switching between drill bits please  let us
know.



I will organize my thoughts on how tool changing might be implemented in 
'pcb' g-code export.


Thanks,
Dave


___
geda-user mailing list
geda-user@moria.seul.org
http://www.seul.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/geda-user

Re: gEDA-user: Comments on pcb's g-code exporter & HeeksCAD/HeeksCNC FOSS program for pcb milling

[dfro]

Markus,

Thanks for the reply. I tried the 'gEDA - Inkscape - pstoedit - dxf' 
route and was not happy with the round-off errors that Inkscape 
introduced into the image.


In 'pcb', I tried a dpi of 2000 in the g-code exporter and the resulting 
pcb image is beautiful! FOSS pcb milling has arrived!


With a dxf file, in a CAM program, you can program your fine line 
cutting with a tiny v bit, then program a pocket operation with a larger 
bit to remove the remaining copper.


I have started trying to find the specifications for the dxf file format 
on the web to study. Here are my initial thoughts on adding a dxf 
exporter that builds on the pcb g-code exporter:


You could have a process that first produces g-code with a mill bit of 
0.000 diameter and 0.000 depth of cut. Take out all of the G0-rapid 
positioning code and the G1 code with Z information. Then, take the 
g-code line plots and do a (fairly simple, I think) conversion of all 
the line plots to dxf format. Save the file. Now you have a dxf with all 
the lines at 0 on the Z axis. What do you think?


Other thoughts on the g-code exporter (which I am sure you have thought 
about, and are in the works);


The drill xxx.gcode.drill.cnc file goes through the board drilling all 
of the holes without differentiating the different drill sizes (found in 
the xxx.fab.gbr file). And, there are no tool change g-codes for 
changing between drill sizes.


I think it is important to at least organize the drilling operations by 
drill size - generate g-code for one drill size, then the next, ext. 
Also, it would be helpful if the exporter generated some notes in each 
g-code drilling block specifying which drill size is being drilled. The 
cnc machinist can find those spots easily and add the tool change codes 
as needed, by hand.


If tool change options are added to the g-code exporter, you would 
probably want to read and write to a tool table file, so all of the tool 
numbers match the tool table for a particular machine. You could 
possibly code it to directly read EMC2's tool table file. (example 
location: ~/emc2/configs/sim/sim.tbl). The emc2 users manual explains 
the format.


Thanks,
Dave

On 11/11/2010 04:28 AM, Markus Hitter wrote:


Am 11.11.2010 um 05:11 schrieb d...@umich.edu:


I like that the gound plane outline is machined. The circular pads
could use some more lines to round them out. Have you thought about
programming g-code arcs (G02, G03) for them? HeeksCAD/CNC does this
(see below).


Using G02/G03 isn't trivial, as the isolation milling paths aren't
calculated by offseting all the existing lines and pads by some
geometric calculation, but by drawing all the traces, widened by the
tool radius, to a pixel-based intermediate image, then figuring the
required paths from there. All this algorithm was done by Alberto
Maccioni and some research brought up the statement, this is the only
reliable way for offseting all the traces. Doing exact offsets is said
to fail in edge cases.

If you want more precision, you can raise the accuracy, which is set to
600 dpi = 1.7 mil by default.


Having a dxf file allows people to tweak all of the milling variables
(depths of cut, jogs, feed rates, number of passes, pocketing,
drilling, etc) in a CAM program, rather than go through the g-code by
hand.


Except for multiple passes and clearing out pockets completely, this
functionality exists already. Feed rates have to be hand-edited in the
resulting file currently - a single spot near the top of the file - but
this is a subject to change soon.

A few tests with Eagle's G-code exporter using multiple passes show
results worse than with a single pass, but your mileage may vary here.
You need a really stiff and precise machine for such things, as the
typical engraving tips are more pressing the copper aside than really
cutting it.

An DXF exporter would be an entirely different exporter and good luck
finding an algorithm to connect all the lines and circles together.

That said, you can use the PostScript exporter and load that into
Inkscape. Create an outline path for all the lines there, stitch
everything together and export it to G-code with Inkscape's G-code
functionality (an add-on) - and you'll soon be happy with pcb's G-code
exporter als any attempt via the DXF route is a lot more work. :-)


Markus

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Dipl. Ing. (FH) Markus Hitter
http://www.jump-ing.de/







___
geda-user mailing list
geda-user@moria.seul.org
http://www.seul.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/geda-user






___
geda-user mailing list
geda-user@moria.seul.org
http://www.seul.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/geda-user

Re: gEDA-user: Comments on pcb's g-code exporter & HeeksCAD/HeeksCNC FOSS program for pcb milling

[dfro]

At 2000 dpi the curved traces look great on EMC2/Axis!

On 11/10/2010 11:11 PM, d...@umich.edu wrote:

The g-code exporter looks great! Right now I am looking at EMC2 simulate
the milling of a pcb design!!

I like that the gound plane outline is machined. The circular pads could
use some more lines to round them out. Have you thought about
programming g-code arcs (G02, G03) for them? HeeksCAD/CNC does this (see
below).

Please, consider a dxf export of the outline so that users can put the
artwork into a cam program that can pocket out all of the copper, and
make the board look just like the pcb program's artwork.

Having a dxf file allows people to tweak all of the milling variables
(depths of cut, jogs, feed rates, number of passes, pocketing, drilling,
etc) in a CAM program, rather than go through the g-code by hand.

Speaking of CAM programs...

I want to share with all of you a FOSS program that I am excited about -
HeeksCAD/HeeksCNC. It is an integrated CAD/CAM software project started
by Dan Heeks.

http://code.google.com/p/heekscad/
http://code.google.com/p/heekscnc/

Dan has a great blog where he shows parts he has made with HeeksCAD/CNC:

http://heekscnc.blogspot.com/

The current Vol. 5, No. 3, Fall 2010 issue of Digital Machinist Magazine
has an article on it.

I was able to compile it from source easily on my EMC2-Ubuntu-10.04LTS
system. At only 2 years old it has an incredible level of CAD and CAM
functionality. I am most interested right now in its 2.5 axis and 3 axis
CAM abilities. It freezes, crashes, and runs very slow at times, but
heck, its only 2 years old.

Several months ago I wrote the gEDA-user list about my attempts to get a
dxf outline of gEDA pcb's artwork using FOSS software like inkscape and
pstoedit. The goal was to get an outline of all of the traces and pads
so that I could pocket route away all of the copper exactly as it looks
in gerbv - using a 2.5 axis cam program.

HeeksCAD/HeeksCNC has the ability to open .grb files and gives you four
conversion choices:

Produce trace isolation sketches
Produce trace centre-line sketches
Produce mirrored trace isolation sketches
Produce mirrored centre-line sketches

Currently, I am only able to load small .grb files or else HeeksCAD/CNC
freezes. The program produces a beautiful smooth outline on the circular
pads using 'G03 - Circular interpolation counterclockwise' g-codes.

However, the program does not recognize the ground plane clearance
outlines. It only gives the outside border of the entire ground plane
rectangle. I hope that will come in the future.

Please, share your thoughts on this.

Thanks,
Dave





___
geda-user mailing list
geda-user@moria.seul.org
http://www.seul.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/geda-user






___
geda-user mailing list
geda-user@moria.seul.org
http://www.seul.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/geda-user

gEDA-user: Comments on pcb's g-code exporter & HeeksCAD/HeeksCNC FOSS program for pcb milling

[dfro]

The g-code exporter looks great! Right now I am looking at EMC2 simulate 
the milling of a pcb design!!


I like that the gound plane outline is machined. The circular pads could 
use some more lines to round them out. Have you thought about 
programming g-code arcs (G02, G03) for them? HeeksCAD/CNC does this (see 
below).


Please, consider a dxf export of the outline so that users can put the 
artwork into a cam program that can pocket out all of the copper, and 
make the board look just like the pcb program's artwork.


Having a dxf file allows people to tweak all of the milling variables 
(depths of cut, jogs, feed rates, number of passes, pocketing, drilling, 
etc) in a CAM program, rather than go through the g-code by hand.


Speaking of CAM programs...

I want to share with all of you a FOSS program that I am excited about - 
HeeksCAD/HeeksCNC. It is an integrated CAD/CAM software project started 
by Dan Heeks.


http://code.google.com/p/heekscad/
http://code.google.com/p/heekscnc/

Dan has a great blog where he shows parts he has made with HeeksCAD/CNC:

http://heekscnc.blogspot.com/

The current Vol. 5, No. 3, Fall 2010 issue of Digital Machinist Magazine 
has an article on it.


I was able to compile it from source easily on my EMC2-Ubuntu-10.04LTS 
system. At only 2 years old it has an incredible level of CAD and CAM 
functionality. I am most interested right now in its 2.5 axis and 3 axis 
CAM abilities. It freezes, crashes, and runs very slow at times, but 
heck, its only 2 years old.


Several months ago I wrote the gEDA-user list about my attempts to get a 
dxf outline of gEDA pcb's artwork using FOSS software like inkscape and 
pstoedit. The goal was to get an outline of all of the traces and pads 
so that I could pocket route away all of the copper exactly as it looks 
in gerbv - using a 2.5 axis cam program.


HeeksCAD/HeeksCNC has the ability to open .grb files and gives you four 
conversion choices:


Produce trace isolation sketches
Produce trace centre-line sketches
Produce mirrored trace isolation sketches
Produce mirrored centre-line sketches

Currently, I am only able to load small .grb files or else HeeksCAD/CNC 
freezes. The program produces a beautiful smooth outline on the circular 
pads using 'G03 - Circular interpolation counterclockwise' g-codes.


However, the program does not recognize the ground plane clearance 
outlines. It only gives the outside border of the entire ground plane 
rectangle. I hope that will come in the future.


Please, share your thoughts on this.

Thanks,
Dave





___
geda-user mailing list
geda-user@moria.seul.org
http://www.seul.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/geda-user

Re: gEDA-user: Problems compiling PCB Release 20100929

[dfro]

Thanks guys. I built gd-2.0.35RC5 from source with no problems, and then 
pcb compiled. I also tried 'sudo apt-get build-dep pcb'. I didn't know 
about the 'build-dep' option. I like that, so I did it and there were 
four or five programs that got installed.


On 11/10/2010 05:59 PM, Peter Clifton wrote:

On Wed, 2010-11-10 at 17:16 -0500, d...@umich.edu wrote:


Thanks. That got me past the dbus-1 error. Now I am running into this:


Since _a_ version of PCB is in the Ubuntu repositories, this can be a
quick start to get what you need to build that particular version.
Things should not have changed too much in terms of build requirements
since then.

sudo apt-get build-dep pcb

That should help get you started.



'PCB 20100929' runs fine now.

Thanks again,
Dave

P.S. Will my Ubuntu 10.04 system get confused if I install both the 
Synaptic package of pcb along with the compiled version?



___
geda-user mailing list
geda-user@moria.seul.org
http://www.seul.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/geda-user

Re: gEDA-user: Problems compiling PCB Release 20100929

[dfro]

On 11/10/2010 03:45 PM, Frank Bergmann wrote:

On 10.11.2010 21:36, DJ Delorie wrote:

Try ./configure --disable-dbus


or try installing package libdbus-1-dev



___
geda-user mailing list
geda-user@moria.seul.org
http://www.seul.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/geda-user





Thanks. That got me past the dbus-1 error. Now I am running into this:

...
checking for gdlib-config... no
Cannot find gdlib-config.
Make sure it is installed and in your PATH.
gdlib-config is part of the GD library available from www.boutell.com/gd.
This is needed for the png HID.  I will look for libgd anyway and maybe
you will get lucky.

checking for main in -lgd... no
configure: error: You have requested gcode, nelma, or png HIDs  but -lgd 
could not be found

...

Any thoughts?

Thanks,
Dave


___
geda-user mailing list
geda-user@moria.seul.org
http://www.seul.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/geda-user

gEDA-user: Problems compiling PCB Release 20100929

[dfro]

I want to try the latest release of pcb, but I am getting this compile 
error when I try the './configure' command:


checking for DBUS... no
configure: error: Cannot find dbus-1 >= 0.61, install it and rerun 
./configure

Please review the following errors:
No package 'dbus-1' found

.

My OS is Ubuntu 10.04LTS. I looked in the repositories and there is no 
dbus-1. I have dbus installed. Any thoughts on how to fix this?


I am excited to try the new G-code exporter.

Thanks,
Dave


___
geda-user mailing list
geda-user@moria.seul.org
http://www.seul.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/geda-user

Re: gEDA-user: Schematic Capture to dxf File - using gEDA, Inkscape, and pstoedit

[dfro]

Bert Timmerman wrote:

Hi Dave N6NZ, d...@umich.edu,


FWIW, There lives a dxf exporter for pcb in a not yet finished state at:

http://github.com/bert/pcb-dxf-hid

Maybe something to look at for you guys.

I have ample time for further development on this exporter in the
foreseeable future, so you may clone/fork as yo see fit.

Kind regards,

Bert Timmerman. 


That is good news! From what file format are you starting the 
conversion? If you start with gerber, other pcb CAD programs could use it.


Thanks,
Dave


___
geda-user mailing list
geda-user@moria.seul.org
http://www.seul.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/geda-user

Re: gEDA-user: Schematic Capture to dxf File - using gEDA, Inkscape, and pstoedit

[dfro]

Dave N6NZ wrote:

On Jan 21, 2010, at 1:08 PM, d...@umich.edu wrote:


If you convert the backmask or the frontmask files either with the 'gEDA/pcb to 
dxf' route or the 'Gerber to dxf', you can very quickly have your solder paste 
mask.

Almost.  There *is* a paste layer, although it isn't very flexible (I have 
plans for that, too).  The paste layer and the mask layer are not the same.  
The paste layer reflects only surface pads, not through-hole pads.

Thanks, Dave. I never noticed the paste layer produced by the gerber or 
the postscript export. That is a great feature of 'pcb'.


You can easily do the 'gEDA, Inkscape, pstoedit' process on the paste 
layer .gbr or .ps file, and you will have your .dxf of it for laser cutting.



Dave N6NZ wrote:


I just placed an order for a MakerBot CupCake http://www.makerbot.com/ -- 
mainly just as a toy to share with my 10 year old daughter, who  is both nerdy 
and arty (her self-chosen free-time activities this past Sunday were: a) 
drawing with her oil pastels, b) doing pcb layout on a game she is building for 
herself with my help, c) building cholesterol with her organic chemistry model 
kit)   The CupCake should be an interesting toy.


The MakerBot looks really cool. MakerBot, pastel oil painting, building 
cholesterol molecules, making pcb's - at age 10! I am impressed by your 
daughter's interests and talents! She is lucky to have you encouraging her.


I bet she would be fascinated by what Bathsheba Grossman is doing - the 
3d printed sculpture, but also the 3d laser etchings in glass of 
molecules and galaxies.


Dave


___
geda-user mailing list
geda-user@moria.seul.org
http://www.seul.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/geda-user

Re: gEDA-user: Schematic Capture to dxf File - using gEDA, Inkscape, and pstoedit

[dfro]

Dave N6NZ wrote:

On Jan 24, 2010, at 4:43 AM, Bob Paddock wrote:


CO2 laser is the wrong wavelength to cut metal.  Only a couple percent of the 
radiation is absorbed. Great for plastics, though, and many other materials.  With 
respect to >PCB etching, one thing I've thought about but haven't yet tried is 
simply using paint.  Apply a thin code of flat black paint as a resist (I'm guessing 
enamel would work best) >and let the laser ablate the paint where you want to etch.

We already use commercial grade pre-photosensitized FR4 laminate, so
doing painting and such is not needed.  My only concern was that there
might be issues of the wave-lengths between the LASER and the laminate
being miss-matched, but if the process is actually based on heat then
it is a non-issue.


Now that will depend on your photochemistry.  CO2 laser is not in the visible 
spectrum. You'd have to check the sensitivity of the photo emulsion w.r.t. 
wavelength.  Most litho films are not sensitive even to red, but do go up into 
ultra-violet.  I can't remember if CO2 is longer or shorter than visible light. 
 In any case, you'd get by with very low power.

So now for the wacky idea of the day... an interesting hack would be to make a 
tool head for a RepRap or some other cheap X/Y bed that simply holds a green 
laser pointer.

-dave



Dave,

I have been following the RepRap project with interest. A 3D printer 
that anyone can make is a very cool scratch to itch. I am fascinated by 
the artwork of the sculpter, Bathsheba Grossman. She really shows what 
is possible with 3D printing. (http://www.bathsheba.com) Maybe the 
RepRap will progress to this level of precision, eventually. I am very 
impressed with the parts that people are currently making with it.


I like the idea of using a cnc mill to vector plot the pcb artwork onto 
a photo-resist board with a laser. I do not think mounting a laser would 
be very difficult. There must be a low intensity laser that is in the 
correct frequency range to cure the resist. You could make different 
apertures easily by creating transparent slides with a single white dot 
against a black background.


As far as a cheap x/y bed, how about doing it with a cheap machine that 
is massive and solid, like rock? I have been following the epoxy-granite 
thread on cnczone.com for a long time:


http://www.cnczone.com/forums/showthread.php?t=30155 (It is a HUGE 
thread with 3828 posts, currently.)


Epoxy-granite is basically moldable rock. It is made out of aggregates 
of different sizes (mainly quartz), which are measured in certain 
ratios, so that they pack together very tightly. The spaces between 
where aggregates of one size touch are filled by smaller aggregates on 
down through several orders of magnitude. The size of aggregates range 
from 4mm in diameter down to a couple of microns. The epoxy (10-20% by 
volume) is added to hold everything together.


Epoxy-granite is relatively cheap. It can approach the strength of 
aluminum, but you can embed rebar in the casting to increase its tensile 
strength. One of the nice properties of e/g is that it has 10 times the 
damping properties of iron. That means better surface finish on the 
machined parts, and longer tool life. Also, people should be able to 
find most of the materials near local industrial centers. I have been 
experimenting with e/g and I am currently building a benchtop cnc lathe. 
I have a blog on it here:


http://www.cnczone.com/forums/showthread.php?t=42308

I am going to post many more pictures of my progress.

After, I finish the cnc lathe, I am on to a small epoxy-granite cnc 
gantry mill. I think it will have a 13" x 13" table. My goal is a 
massive, rigid, and accurate machine that can produce precision parts 
and mill pcb's.


Thanks,
Dave



___
geda-user mailing list
geda-user@moria.seul.org
http://www.seul.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/geda-user

Re: gEDA-user: Schematic Capture to dxf File - using gEDA, Inkscape, and pstoedit

[dfro]

I added this post at:

http://www.cnczone.com/forums/showthread.php?t=97677

I have tweaked the process a little to get a better result in Inkscape. 
Rob, at the Inkscape forum offered some help:


http://www.inkscapeforum.com/viewtopic.php?f=28&t=4279

He, thinks that the 'Stroke to Path' problem looks like a mathematical 
rounding error. That makes sense to me.


So now, the first thing I do, after loading the .ps file into Inkscape, 
is to scale it x10. I do all of the 'ungroup', 'path to stroke', and 
'union' operations on it and then scale it back to normal size. At 10x 
the size, the 'Path to Stroke' does better at converting the end caps on 
the lines; and, after the 'Union' operation, the 45 deg. and 90 deg. 
corners are smoother on the traces.


You might think scaling 100x would be even better. However, by scaling 
x100 in Inkscape and then doing 'Path to Stroke' and 'Union', a new set 
of problems arise.


gEDA/pcb creates the solid ground plane out of multiple polygons that 
are butted up against each other, and meant to be treated as one solid 
object. At x100 scale, tiny slivers of white background show between 
some of them. They are 'boolean union'-ing into a single object, but 
with long, thin slivers taken out of the solid ground plane. The scaling 
seems to be slightly offsetting the nodes - looks like another rounding 
error to me.


So, x10 gets good results. I am very happy with it.

[picture]

Thanks,
Dave


___
geda-user mailing list
geda-user@moria.seul.org
http://www.seul.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/geda-user

Re: gEDA-user: Schematic Capture to dxf File - using gEDA, Inkscape, and pstoedit

[dfro]

Dave N6NZ wrote:


The postscript file is a kludgy intermediate step that needs to be eradicated 
in the 'clean' solution.

-dave n6nz



That makes sense.

I do agree that having a conversion to dxf in gerbv is a good idea. I 
think it would attract a lot of people to gEDA who are using Eagle and 
other programs. Then they would see how great the rest of the gEDA suite is.


Since the gerber file format is shared by both pcb and gerbv, that would 
be the place to start from, so that both programs could share a DXF 
export function. In pcb, if you chose the 'Export dxf' button, it could 
do an internal conversion of the artwork to .gbr and then call the 
backend program to do the conversion to .dxf and then save the result. 
Gerbv would just call the backend program and do the conversion.


Thanks,
Dave


___
geda-user mailing list
geda-user@moria.seul.org
http://www.seul.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/geda-user

Re: gEDA-user: Schematic Capture to dxf File - using gEDA, Inkscape, and pstoedit

[dfro]

Dave and Peter,

How about this?


d...@umich.edu wrote:


If you are interested in writing some code to add a dxf conversion 
button to pcb and gerbv, maybe trying these two methods on a few of your 
own pcb images will give you some ideas. I think creating a backend 
program that both pcb and gerbv can use would be a good idea. If the 
starting point is a .ps file, then both programs could use the same 
backend.




I very much like the idea of gerbv being a gerber to dxf conversion 
program that all pcb CAD programs could use.


Thanks,
Dave


___
geda-user mailing list
geda-user@moria.seul.org
http://www.seul.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/geda-user

Re: gEDA-user: Schematic Capture to dxf File - using gEDA, Inkscape, and pstoedit

[dfro]

For those of you doubting that quality two sided pcb's can be milled on 
a home shop machine, check out these links:


Pics:

http://millpcbs.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=25&Itemid=67
http://millpcbs.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=26&Itemid=68
http://millpcbs.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=27&Itemid=69

Video of milling 2 sided, fine traced pcb:

http://millpcbs.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=30&Itemid=51


He is using this machine:

http://www.probotix.com/FireBall_v90_cnc_router_kit


Thanks,
Dave


___
geda-user mailing list
geda-user@moria.seul.org
http://www.seul.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/geda-user

Re: gEDA-user: Schematic Capture to dxf File - using gEDA, Inkscape, and pstoedit

[dfro]

Here are some additional posts I added to:

http://www.cnczone.com/forums/showthread.php?p=722034#post722034


**Post 1**

An alternate place in the software tool chain to put a 'DXF' button 
could be in gEDA's gerber viewer program - gerbv. Under gerbv's 'File' 
menu, there is an 'Export' command, which gives you the choices to save 
the file as a PNG, PDF, SVG, or a PostScript file. A 'DXF' choice could 
be added to the list.


This might be a better place than in the gEDA/pcb program, since gerber 
files are the universal file format for pcb manufacture.


With the conversion happening in gerbv, any pcb CAD program that can 
create gerber files could use gerbv to turn pcb artwork into .dxf outlines.


Edit:

If both gEDA/pcb and gEDA/gerbv used the same backend program to 
internally convert from ".ps to 'path to stroke + union' to dxf", then 
an 'Export as DXF' button could be available in both programs.



**Post 2**

Here is my next discovery:

'Gerber to dxf using gEDA, Inkscape, and pstoedit'

I have found another route through the gEDA suite's software to produce 
a .ps file that then gets converted in Inkscape and pstoedit to a .dxf 
file outline.


But now, any software that can produce a gerber file can use this 
method. So, those of you using using a different pcb CAD program, like 
Eagle, can export your pcb artwork as a gerber file and use this process 
to make .dxf files.


***

I start in gEDA/pcb with the finished artwork by choosing 'File > Export 
layout...', then I click the 'gerber' button in the next window. Or I 
could generate a gerber file from within Eagle or any other pcb CAD program.


Now, I open gEDA's gerbv (Gerber Viewer) program and select 'File > Open 
Layer(s)..'. I browse to where I saved the gerber file and click 'Open'. 
The file is now loaded into gerbv for viewing.


Next, I choose 'File > Export... > PostScript', and a .ps file of the 
artwork is saved.


Then I do the 'Stroke to Path' and 'Union' steps in Inkscape that I 
described earlier. Followed by the step using pstoedit and its '-f 
dxf_s' option.


I am left with a very decent .dxf file containing an almost perfect 
outline of the pcb traces, pads, and polygons!


Here are a few examples of the result:

[I posted a couple of new pics]




What I like about both methods of getting to the .dxf file from either 
gEDA/pcb or gerbv is that there is no fiddling and futsing with 
thousands of individual objects to get the image correct. I just 'select 
all' a few times and do a few steps and a few saves. It is fast. Reading 
my long post is not fast, but the two methods are fast.



Dave N6NZ,

If you convert the backmask or the frontmask files either with the 
'gEDA/pcb to dxf' route or the 'Gerber to dxf', you can very quickly 
have your solder paste mask. If you are laser cutting it, I imagine that 
you might have to do some standard offsetting of the .dxf file outlines 
in the CAM program to get the dimensions perfect.


Ben and Dave,

If you are interested in writing some code to add a dxf conversion 
button to pcb and gerbv, maybe trying these two methods on a few of your 
own pcb images will give you some ideas. I think creating a backend 
program that both pcb and gerbv can use would be a good idea. If the 
starting point is a .ps file, then both programs could use the same backend.



Thanks,
Dave


___
geda-user mailing list
geda-user@moria.seul.org
http://www.seul.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/geda-user

gEDA-user: Schematic Capture to dxf File - using gEDA, Inkscape, and pstoedit

[dfro]

Hey everyone,

I just created a thread on cnczone.com, which I want to bring to your 
attention. I titled it, "Schematic Capture to dxf File - using gEDA, 
Inkscape, and pstoedit":


http://www.cnczone.com/forums/showthread.php?t=97677

I think I have worked out a good software tool chain to create .dxf 
files for milling pcb's. It starts with the gEDA suite of software, uses 
Inkscape, and then pstoedit.


Please, let me know what you think.

Thanks,
Dave


___
geda-user mailing list
geda-user@moria.seul.org
http://www.seul.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/geda-user

gEDA-user: Can you do thermals on square SMD pads?

[dfro]

Is it possible to do thermals on square SMD pads? Or is it even 
something that is commonly done, since the pads are usually so close 
together?


Thanks,
Dave


___
geda-user mailing list
geda-user@moria.seul.org
http://www.seul.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/geda-user

Re: gEDA-user: Would like to use geda tools to make .dxf file for pcb cnc milling.

[dfro]

Bert,

I do think a dxf exporter can attract thousands of people to geda tools. 
The cnczone.com site alone is huge. And cnc machines need a lot of 
pcb's. As an example, I have used gschem, gsch2pcb. pcb, and gerbv to 
make a 'signal opto-isolator board' and a 'photo-interrupter limit 
switch board' for my stepper controller box. I farmed out the pcb 
manufacture to a fabrication company, but in the future I would like to 
mill them myself.

> 
> FWIW, I want to do a DIY cnc router for pcb and front panels someday ...
> 
> My goal with the pcb-dxf-hid was/is to achieve some sort of 3D model in
> FOSS software that can read/parse DXF and do 3D presentation/modeling
> (Blender and brl-cad comes to mind).

I create and light cad scenes in blender. I then export the scene to 
luxrender, an unbiased photorealistic rendering program to render an 
image. The work people are doing with LuxRender is amazing. Blender 
imports and export dxf files, which is good news.

> Anyways, I have ample spare time to do serious coding on this one, maybe
> things will change after this summer, who knows ?
> 

I am excited that you are motivated to create a dxf exporter!

A full-featured, open-source cam program is a hole in the FOSS tool 
chain, so far. Gcam (http://gcam.js.cx/index.php/Main_Page) looks like 
it is making steady progress, but so far I have not been able to get it 
to work without freezing my computer. The cnc machinists that I know are 
using non-free cam-bam and sheetcam software to create their g-code. 
Lazycam also looks interesting.

People are milling pcb's with very fine traces - i.e. for SMD 
components. With a rigid and accurate machine, very fine work can be 
done. This company sells pcb milling machines packaged with their own 
pcb artwork software: http://www.lpkfusa.com/protomat/s-series.htm

I plan to maka a similar milling machine out of epoxy-granite. Epoxy 
granite is a relatively cheap way to cast in molds massive, rigid 
machines of any size. On cnczone.com there is a huge thread where some 
very dedicated people are doing research to create an open-source epoxy 
granite formula: http://www.cnczone.com/forums/showthread.php?t=30155

It is proving difficult to match the performance of the proprietary 
formulas. It is very hard to get the epoxy to wet out all of the 
aggregate and flow at 8% to 11% epoxy, which is what the pros are doing. 
For my purposes I think the e/g researchers are far enough along with 
the current formula for me to make some steel reinforced e/g machines. I 
get my e/g to flow on a vibration table at around 20% epoxy. At 20% 
epoxy there is a loss of strength. I plan to make up the loss of 
strength with some embedded steel rebar and some extra casting 
thickness. The mass and the vibration damping is the real advantage of 
e/g. Epoxy-granite has ten times the damping properties of cast iron. 
That means longer tool life and finer surface finish on parts, which is 
what you want if you are milling pcb's!

I hope you and others find this interesting.

Thanks,
Dave


___
geda-user mailing list
geda-user@moria.seul.org
http://www.seul.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/geda-user

Re: gEDA-user: Would like to use geda tools to make .dxf file for pcb cnc milling.

[dfro]

Jason,

I plan on using emc2 on all of my future machines. Currently, I have 
emc2 moving x, y, and z steppers. I haven't got the machines done yet.

Dave

Jason wrote:
> d...@umich.edu wrote:
>> I am currently building a cnc machine on which I would like to mill pcb's.
>>
> 
> You want to have a look at emc2 [1].
> 
> hth,
> 
> Jason.
> 
> [1] - http://www.linuxcnc.org/
> 
> 
> ___
> geda-user mailing list
> geda-user@moria.seul.org
> http://www.seul.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/geda-user
> 
> 
> 


___
geda-user mailing list
geda-user@moria.seul.org
http://www.seul.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/geda-user

Re: gEDA-user: Would like to use geda tools to make .dxf file for pcb cnc milling.

[dfro]

Bert,

I am very excited that you are working on a dxf exporter for pcb! In my 
opinion, this will open a very large area of pcb fabrication to 
do-it-yourself people. I am sure it will draw thousands of cnc people to 
the geda tools, also. When it is working, I know everyone at cnczone.com 
would like to hear about this. Also, let Phil at pminmo.com know. I am 
sure he would gladly add/feature it on his 
pminmo.com/millingpcbs/milledpcb.htm page.

 > I have made a start for a dxf exporter HID at:
 >
 > http://github.com/bert/pcb-dxf-hid/tree/master
 >
 > but somethings have come in between.
 >
 > If you would like to take development further do not hesitate to clone
 > and/or send patches, you are welcome :)
 >
 > If you are willing to open an account on github, you and I can even
 > share pull requests very easy by means of the github "fork queue" (a
 > web-based tool monitoring forked of repo's).

My programming experience extends to assembly language for avr and pic 
microchips, and some basic html, so currently I can't jump in and help 
with the coding. Also, a question, which will betray my ignorance: what 
does 'HID' mean? Human Interface Device?

 >
 > Generating a cnc file (g-codes/m-codes) without dxf would be faster in
 > any case and less error prone, why not code a cnc exporter ?
 >
 > Or does one need an intermediate format like dxf which describes the
 > positive shapes, and not the inverted (copper to remove) shapes and
 > traces.
 >
 > Maybe inverted Gerbers are a better starting point.
 >

I think generating the dxf file would be better than generating g-code. 
That way people can decide on how they will machine the pcb traces in 
their own 2.5 axis cam software. They can put tool changes where they 
need them, they can program tool offset, decide depth of cut, decide 
what is 'island' and what is 'ocean', and any number of other functions 
- all in the cam software. Then the cam software will generate the 
g-code, which is specific to each person's machine and their preferred 
machining process.

Granted, these comments are based on my current understanding of the 
cad-cam-nc software toolchain. I do not have a machine working yet, but 
I have wired up a controller box and have x, y, and z steppers moving 
using emc2 software. I am half way done building a cnc lathe and I am 
modeling my cnc mill design in Rhino 3D.

Thanks,
Dave



Bert Timmerman wrote:
> Hi Dave,
> 
> On Fri, 2009-08-14 at 00:12 -0400, d...@umich.edu wrote:
>> I am sorry if this is a redundant request/question.
>>
>> I am currently building a cnc machine on which I would like to mill pcb's.
>>
>> Others have worked out a tool chain using eagle:
>> http://pminmo.com/millingpcbs/milledpcb.htm
>>
>> Is there any interest in a Geda-based alternative? Could it be 
>> gschem--pcb/dxf(export) or gschem--pcb--gerbv/dxf(export)? The dxf file 
>> would be an outline of all the traces and pads. The traces and pads 
>> would be 'islands' that the cnc machine would mill around.
>>
> 
> I have made a start for a dxf exporter HID at:
> 
> http://github.com/bert/pcb-dxf-hid/tree/master
> 
> but somethings have come in between.
> 
> If you would like to take development further do not hesitate to clone
> and/or send patches, you are welcome :)
> 
> If you are willing to open an account on github, you and I can even
> share pull requests very easy by means of the github "fork queue" (a
> web-based tool monitoring forked of repo's).
> 
>> Here, is the tool chain I have tried to get working without success.
>> 1. From pcb I export gerber files.
>> 2. I load a gerber file in gerbv and export it as a pdf
>> 3. I load the pdf in inkscape and save as a dxf file.
>>
>> However, when I view the dxf file in qcad or any other cad or cam 
>> program, the strokes and objects from inkscape are split into two 
>> incomplete and offset images, and the pcb traces are lines with no 
>> thickness. Inkscape is turning all strokes(pcb traces) into lines in the 
>> dxf file.
>>
> 
> In dxf one can use polylines which can have width (*and* thickness in
> Z-direction), one can even join all traces of a net into one polyline
> (with branches and arcs).
> 
>> In inkscape, if I go through the very cumbersome process of individually 
>> selecting each stroke(trace) with the 'Edit paths by nodes(F2)' tool, 
>> and select 'Path>Stroke to Path' and then combine all the edited paths 
>> and objects using 'Path>Union' I can get a dxf file that is an outline 
>> of the traces and pads. However, inkscape often adds a little bulge to 
>> the end of each stroke. So, it is not a perfect outline. This also takes 
>> way too long on anything other than the most simple pcb artwork. So, I 
>> am stumped.
>>
>> Any interest in adding the dxf export feature to pcb or gerbv? It seems 
>> to me that cnc milling of pcb's is becoming viable as a homeshop 
>> alternative to all of the other standard methods of fabricating pcb's.
>>
> 
> Generating a cnc file (g-codes/m-codes) without

gEDA-user: Would like to use geda tools to make .dxf file for pcb cnc milling.

[dfro]

I am sorry if this is a redundant request/question.

I am currently building a cnc machine on which I would like to mill pcb's.

Others have worked out a tool chain using eagle:
http://pminmo.com/millingpcbs/milledpcb.htm

Is there any interest in a Geda-based alternative? Could it be 
gschem--pcb/dxf(export) or gschem--pcb--gerbv/dxf(export)? The dxf file 
would be an outline of all the traces and pads. The traces and pads 
would be 'islands' that the cnc machine would mill around.

Here, is the tool chain I have tried to get working without success.
1. From pcb I export gerber files.
2. I load a gerber file in gerbv and export it as a pdf
3. I load the pdf in inkscape and save as a dxf file.

However, when I view the dxf file in qcad or any other cad or cam 
program, the strokes and objects from inkscape are split into two 
incomplete and offset images, and the pcb traces are lines with no 
thickness. Inkscape is turning all strokes(pcb traces) into lines in the 
dxf file.

In inkscape, if I go through the very cumbersome process of individually 
selecting each stroke(trace) with the 'Edit paths by nodes(F2)' tool, 
and select 'Path>Stroke to Path' and then combine all the edited paths 
and objects using 'Path>Union' I can get a dxf file that is an outline 
of the traces and pads. However, inkscape often adds a little bulge to 
the end of each stroke. So, it is not a perfect outline. This also takes 
way too long on anything other than the most simple pcb artwork. So, I 
am stumped.

Any interest in adding the dxf export feature to pcb or gerbv? It seems 
to me that cnc milling of pcb's is becoming viable as a homeshop 
alternative to all of the other standard methods of fabricating pcb's.

Thanks,
Dave


___
geda-user mailing list
geda-user@moria.seul.org
http://www.seul.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/geda-user

Re: gEDA-user: Strange behavior with input-1.sym and output-1.sym?

[dfro]

John Doty wrote:
> On May 7, 2009, at 6:53 AM, Stefan Salewski wrote:
> 
>> Of course it may be a bug of 1.4.0, I
>> can not test this, have only 1.4.3 available.
> 
> One could make the case that the bug is in 1.4.3. A component without  
> either refdes= or  graphical=1 might reasonably be considered an  
> error. But the treatment of attributes in gEDA keeps changing. I wish  
> there was better documentation on how attributes are actually *used*  
> by gschem and gnetlist. The Symbol Creation Guide is "style manual",  
> not  a language definition.
> 
> The "anything goes" approach to attributes was fine when there were  
> few special cases in the core code, but increasingly I'm seeing  
> strange behavior that's apparently due to the core code assuming  
> attribute meaning that's undocumented and/or specific to the gsch2pcb  
> flow. This is not good.
> 
> John Doty  Noqsi Aerospace, Ltd.
> http://www.noqsi.com/
> j...@noqsi.com
> 

And, if it becomes part of the gschem/gsch2pcb/pcb standard that all 
non-physical schematic objects require 'graphical=1', then 'graphical=1' 
should be automatically part of these objects (i.e. input-1.sym, 
output-1.sym), so that the user does not have to add it every time 
he/she uses the symbol.

Also, I think this info about the attribute treatment of 
physical/non-physical schematic elements should be added to the gsch2pcb 
tutorial.

Dave



___
geda-user mailing list
geda-user@moria.seul.org
http://www.seul.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/geda-user

Re: gEDA-user: Strange behavior with input-1.sym and output-1.sym?

[dfro]

All of my input-1.sym and output-1.sym had attribute setting like this:

net  SPEED_CONTROL:1
valueSPEED CONTROL
device   INPUT

There was no refdes attribute in any of the named nets. Using 
input-2.sym and output-2.sym worked with the exact same attributes. 
Also, changing 'device=INPUT' to 'device=none' while using input-1.sym 
and output-1.sym did not change the warnings.

I am using version 1:1.4.0.1 of geda, which is what shows up in the 
Ubuntu 8.10 Synaptic Package Manager. So, my hunch is that the strange 
behavior has been solved with later versions. I'll wait for the updates 
to arrive on Synaptic. Until then, DJ's 'graphic=1' suggestion worked.

Thanks,
Dave

Stefan Salewski wrote:
>>> On Wed, 2009-05-06 at 18:20 -0400, d...@umich.edu wrote:
 Adding the graphical=1 attribute made input-1.sym and output-1.sym  
 work.

 None of the symbols in the Input/output(generic) directory have a
 graphical=1 component.

 I wonder why input-2.sym and output-2.sym work without graphical=1?

 Dave
> 
> I tried to test the input-1.sym  -- seems to work fine with gEDA 1.4.3.
> 
> I think in your first posting I saw something like
> 
> WARNING: U? has no footprint attribute so won't be in the layout.
> 
> Did you gave the input a refdes attribute? That will not work, maybe
> graphical=1 fixes this?
> 
>  
> 
> 
> 
> ___
> geda-user mailing list
> geda-user@moria.seul.org
> http://www.seul.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/geda-user
> 
> 
> 


___
geda-user mailing list
geda-user@moria.seul.org
http://www.seul.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/geda-user

Re: gEDA-user: Strange behavior with input-1.sym and output-1.sym?

[dfro]

Adding the graphical=1 attribute made input-1.sym and output-1.sym work.

None of the symbols in the Input/output(generic) directory have a 
graphical=1 component.

I wonder why input-2.sym and output-2.sym work without graphical=1?

Dave

DJ Delorie wrote:
> non-physical-component parts usually have an attribute "graphical=1"
> to tell gsch2pcb that it should not expect any actual elements to come
> from that symbol.  That may be missing on those symbols.
> 
> 
> ___
> geda-user mailing list
> geda-user@moria.seul.org
> http://www.seul.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/geda-user
> 
> 
> 


___
geda-user mailing list
geda-user@moria.seul.org
http://www.seul.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/geda-user

gEDA-user: Strange behavior with input-1.sym and output-1.sym?

[dfro]

I am having problems with the following warnings when I do gsch2pcb on a 
schematic. Below, you can see the kind of warnings I am getting on a 
simple 2 component test schematic:

$ gsch2pcb -s project
Could not find refdes on component and could not find any special 
attributes!
Could not find refdes on component and could not find any special 
attributes!

-
gEDA/gnetlist pcbpins Backend
This backend is EXPERIMENTAL
Use at your own risk!
-

Could not find refdes on component and could not find any special 
attributes!
Could not find refdes on component and could not find any special 
attributes!
Could not find refdes on component and could not find any special 
attributes!
Could not find refdes on component and could not find any special 
attributes!
Skipping the m4 processor for pcb footprints
WARNING: U? has no footprint attribute so won't be in the layout.

--
Done processing.  Work performed:
2 file elements and 0 m4 elements added to test2.pcb.
1 components had no footprint attribute and are omitted.

Next step:
1.  Run pcb on your file test2.pcb.
 You will find all your footprints in a bundle ready for you to place
 or disperse with "Select -> Disperse all elements" in PCB.

2.  From within PCB, select "File -> Load netlist file" and select
 test2.net to load the netlist.

3.  From within PCB, enter

:ExecuteFile(test2.cmd)

 to propagate the pin names of all footprints to the layout.

_

I have narrowed this down to problems with the input-1.sym and 
output-1.sym. If I use input-2.sym and output-2.sym, I do not get any 
errors.

Any ideas on what is going on? In the mean time, I will avoid 
input-1.sym and output-1.sym for making named nets.

Thanks,
Dave


___
geda-user mailing list
geda-user@moria.seul.org
http://www.seul.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/geda-user

gEDA-user: Optimize rats causes error message I don't understand.

[dfro]

On a current board I am working on, when I press 'O' (optimize rats) I 
get these error messages and then the rat lines remaining:

Bad net-list format encountered near: "1"
Bad net-list format encountered near: "1"
Bad net-list format encountered near: "1"
Bad net-list format encountered near: "1"
Bad net-list format encountered near: "2"
Bad net-list format encountered near: "2"
Bad net-list format encountered near: "2"
Bad net-list format encountered near: "2"
185 rat lines remaining

Could someone explain what they mean?

Thanks,
dfro


___
geda-user mailing list
geda-user@moria.seul.org
http://www.seul.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/geda-user

Re: gEDA-user: How do I get pcb to automatically load my personal pcb-elements directory

[dfro]

DJ,

That worked. Thanks.

Dave

DJ Delorie wrote:
>> I can get pcb to find the directory using the projects file and gsch2pcb 
>> technique, but I would like 'pcb-elements' to show up in the pcb library 
>> window automatically whenever I launch pcb.
> 
> Edit ~/.pcb/settings:
> 
> lib-newlib = /envy/dj/geda/gedasymbols/www/user/dj_delorie/footprints:.
> 
> 
> ___
> geda-user mailing list
> geda-user@moria.seul.org
> http://www.seul.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/geda-user
> 
> 
> 


___
geda-user mailing list
geda-user@moria.seul.org
http://www.seul.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/geda-user

gEDA-user: How do I get pcb to automatically load my personal pcb-elements directory

[dfro]

I am wondering how do I get pcb to automatically load my pcb-elements 
directory.

I can get pcb to find the directory using the projects file and gsch2pcb 
technique, but I would like 'pcb-elements' to show up in the pcb library 
window automatically whenever I launch pcb.

Any thoughts?

Thanks,
Dave


___
geda-user mailing list
geda-user@moria.seul.org
http://www.seul.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/geda-user

Re: gEDA-user: Empty netlist file!

[dfro]

Steven,

I created a .sch file, '~/gaf/myprojects/avr_projects/avr_device1 
folder/avr_device1.sch' and ran gsch2pcb on it.

Here is the command line output when I try to load the netlist file 
'~/gaf/myprojects/avr_projects/avr_device1 folder/avr_device1.net' into 
'~/gaf/myprojects/avr_projects/avr_device1 folder/avr_device1.pcb':

...
Action: Load(Netlist)
Load:  Calling LoadFrom(Netlist, 
/home/dfro/gaf/myprojects/avr_projects/avr_device1 folder/avr_device1.net)
Action: 
LoadFrom(Netlist,/home/dfro/gaf/myprojects/avr_projects/avr_device1 
folder/avr_device1.net)
EvaluateFilename:
 Template: cat %f
 Path: (null)
 Filename: /home/dfro/gaf/myprojects/avr_projects/avr_device1 
folder/avr_device1.net
 Parameter: (null)
EvaluateFilename: cat /home/dfro/gaf/myprojects/avr_projects/avr_device1 
folder/avr_device1.net
cat: /home/dfro/gaf/myprojects/avr_projects/avr_device1: No such file or 
directory
cat: folder/avr_device1.net: No such file or directory

The last two lines seem to indicate that the program is getting confused 
by the space in the file's immediate directory. The 'EvaluateFilename:' 
line does not seem to be confused, though.

Thanks,

Dave




Steven Michalske wrote:

> this is odd,
> 
> i just tried to make a test case with a path with a space in it
> 
> it loaded the netlist file just fine
> 
> 
> dave,  could you please make the directory structure you have before  
> and run pcb in verbose mode
> 
> $ pcb --verbose  
> 
> i care about the lines like this
> 
> Load:  Calling LoadFrom(Netlist, /Users/hardkrash/Desktop/Projects/ 
> Boards/AnalogPower Amp/pcb_AnalogPowerAmp.net)
> Action: LoadFrom(Netlist,/Users/hardkrash/Desktop/Projects/Boards/ 
> AnalogPower Amp/pcb_AnalogPowerAmp.net)
> 
> Steve
> 
> On Jul 6, 2007, at 1:30 PM, John Doty wrote:
> 
> 
>>On Jul 6, 2007, at 2:19 PM, David Kerber wrote:
>>
>>
>>>There's no reason to worry about quotes in a folder name; they're
>>>illegal in
>>>file and path names in all versions of windows,
>>
>>Yes, but they're perfectly OK on Mac and Unix. There's no universal
>>delimiter to tell a program where a pathname ends in a string
>>containing more than just the pathname. Space is commonly used as a
>>delimiter, so it is best to avoid it in names.
>>
>>
>>>as are slashes,
>>>back-slashes, and a few other characters that I can't recall at the
>>>moment.
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>>-Original Message-
>>>>From: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
>>>>[mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of DJ Delorie
>>>>Sent: Friday, July 06, 2007 4:13 PM
>>>>To: geda-user@moria.seul.org
>>>>Subject: Re: gEDA-user: Empty netlist file!
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>>Should I have known not to put a space in my directory
>>>>
>>>>names? Is this
>>>>
>>>>>something that can be fixed in 'pcb' easily or is it not
>>>>
>>>>worth fixing?
>>>>
>>>>>A lot of the folders on my Mac and linux box have spaces in
>>>>
>>>>them and
>>>>
>>>>>programs seem to be able to find them.
>>>>
>>>>Most unix users know to avoid spaces in file names, but Mac
>>>>and Windows users seem to not avoid them.  It *should* be a
>>>>simple matter of proper quoting in various places, but then
>>>>you'd want to be able to have directory names with quotes in
>>>>them, etc.
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>___
>>>>geda-user mailing list
>>>>geda-user@moria.seul.org
>>>>http://www.seul.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/geda-user
>>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>___
>>>geda-user mailing list
>>>geda-user@moria.seul.org
>>>http://www.seul.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/geda-user
>>
>>John Doty  Noqsi Aerospace, Ltd.
>>http://www.noqsi.com/
>>[EMAIL PROTECTED]
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>___
>>geda-user mailing list
>>geda-user@moria.seul.org
>>http://www.seul.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/geda-user
> 
> 
> 
> 
> ___
> geda-user mailing list
> geda-user@moria.seul.org
> http://www.seul.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/geda-user
> 
> 
> 


___
geda-user mailing list
geda-user@moria.seul.org
http://www.seul.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/geda-user

Re: gEDA-user: Empty netlist file!

[dfro]

John and Steven,

Thanks for the replies.  I finally figured out what the problem was.  I 
had a space in the name of one of the directories in the path to the 
netlist file - i.e. "~/gaf/myprojects/avr_projects/avr_device1 folder". 
  The space between 'avr_device1' and 'folder' caused pcb not to be able 
to find it.

Should I have known not to put a space in my directory names? Is this 
something that can be fixed in 'pcb' easily or is it not worth fixing? A 
lot of the folders on my Mac and linux box have spaces in them and 
programs seem to be able to find them.

Thanks,

Dave

John Luciani wrote:
> On 7/6/07, [EMAIL PROTECTED] <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
> 
>>Does anybody have any ideas?  I have tried everything I can think of,
>>but I am still getting the "Empty netlist file!" error.  Without the
>>netlist file loading, I am stuck.  Here is the netlist file that
> 
> 
> You should post a *simple* schematic with embedded symbols that
> demos the problem.
> 
> (* jcl *)
> 


___
geda-user mailing list
geda-user@moria.seul.org
http://www.seul.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/geda-user

Re: gEDA-user: Empty netlist file!

[dfro]

Does anybody have any ideas?  I have tried everything I can think of, 
but I am still getting the "Empty netlist file!" error.  Without the 
netlist file loading, I am stuck.  Here is the netlist file that 
gsch2pcb produced:

unnamed_net49   C5-2 CONN6-1
unnamed_net48   R3-2 CONN12-1
unnamed_net47   R4-2 CONN11-1
unnamed_net46   CONN12-2 R5-2 CONN11-2
unnamed_net45   U6-11 U6-9 U6-5 U6-3 U6-2 U6-13
unnamed_net44   R5-1 CONN10-3 U2-19
unnamed_net43   R4-1 CONN10-1 U2-18
unnamed_net42   R3-1 CONN10-4 U2-17
unnamed_net41   CONN11-3 CONN12-3 U2-16
unnamed_net40   CONN8-6 U2-13
unnamed_net39   CONN8-5 U2-12
unnamed_net38   CONN8-4 U2-11
unnamed_net37   CONN8-3 U2-6
unnamed_net36   CONN8-2 U2-5
unnamed_net35   CONN8-1 U2-4
unnamed_net34   U6-1 U2-3
unnamed_net33   U2-14 CONN9-1
unnamed_net32   U2-15 CONN9-2
unnamed_net31   U5-5 U5-11 U5-9 U5-3 U5-2 U5-13
unnamed_net30   R16-2 CONN18-1
unnamed_net29   U6-8 CONN18-2
unnamed_net28   R11-2 CONN15-1
unnamed_net27   U5-6 CONN15-2
unnamed_net26   U6-6 R14-1
unnamed_net25   R15-2 CONN17-3
unnamed_net24   R14-2 CONN17-1
unnamed_net23   U6-4 R12-1
unnamed_net22   R13-2 CONN16-3
unnamed_net21   R12-2 CONN16-1
unnamed_net20   U5-4 R9-1
unnamed_net19   R10-2 CONN14-3
unnamed_net18   R9-2 CONN14-1
unnamed_net17   CONN13-3 R8-2
unnamed_net16   R7-2 U4-7
unnamed_net15   U2-2 U5-1 R6-1 U4-6
unnamed_net14   CONN13-1 D6-2 U4-3
unnamed_net13   D6-1 R8-1 U4-2
unnamed_net12   U2-9 C6-2 U3-2
unnamed_net11   U2-10 C7-2 U3-1
unnamed_net10   U2-27 CONN7-5
unnamed_net9U2-25 CONN7-3
unnamed_net8U2-23 CONN7-1
unnamed_net7U2-28 CONN7-6
unnamed_net6U2-26 CONN7-4
unnamed_net5U2-24 CONN7-2
unnamed_net4CONN6-2 CONN10-5 U2-1 D5-2 CONN5-1 R1-1
unnamed_net3D1-1 D3-2 CONN1-1
unnamed_net2D2-1 D4-2 CONN1-2
+5V CONN10-2 CONN12-6 CONN11-6 CONN8-8 C11-2 U6-14 CONN9-4 U5-14 R16-1 
R11-1 C9-2 C10-2 C7-2 U2-7 U2-21 U2-20 C8-1 R15-1 R13-1 R10-1 R6-2 U4-8 
CONN7-8 D5-1 R1-2 CONN4-1 CONN3-1 CONN2-1 C3-1 C4-2 U1-3
GND C5-1 CONN10-6 CONN12-5 CONN11-5 CONN8-7 C11-1 U6-7 CONN9-3 U5-7 C9-1 
C10-1 U2-8 U2-22 C8-2 CONN5-2 CONN17-2 CONN16-2 CONN14-2 R7-1 U4-5 C7-1 
C6-1 CONN7-7 CONN4-2 CONN3-2 CONN2-2 D2-2 D1-2 C3-2 C4-1 \
  C2-1 C1-2 U1-2
unnamed_net1D4-1 D3-1 C2-2 C1-1 U1-1


Does anything look incorrect?  I have used gschem/gsch2pcb/pcb on other 
projects and this is the first time I have seen this error.

Thanks,

Dave





[EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote:
> In pcb I am getting the error message "Empty netlist file!" when I try 
> and load a netlist into a new .pcb file that has been generated by gsch2pcb.
> 
> Looking into the file with a text editor, it is definitely not empty and 
> looks like any other netlist file:
> 
> unnamed_net37 CONN8-3 U2-6
> unnamed_net36 CONN8-2 U2-5
> . etc.
> 
> I am running pcb version 20060822 in Ubuntu-Studio
> 
> Does anyone have a solution to this problem?
> 
> Thanks,
> 
> Dave
> 
> 
> ___
> geda-user mailing list
> geda-user@moria.seul.org
> http://www.seul.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/geda-user
> 
> 
> 


___
geda-user mailing list
geda-user@moria.seul.org
http://www.seul.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/geda-user

gEDA-user: Empty netlist file!

[dfro]

In pcb I am getting the error message "Empty netlist file!" when I try 
and load a netlist into a new .pcb file that has been generated by gsch2pcb.

Looking into the file with a text editor, it is definitely not empty and 
looks like any other netlist file:

unnamed_net37 CONN8-3 U2-6
unnamed_net36 CONN8-2 U2-5
. etc.

I am running pcb version 20060822 in Ubuntu-Studio

Does anyone have a solution to this problem?

Thanks,

Dave


___
geda-user mailing list
geda-user@moria.seul.org
http://www.seul.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/geda-user