Re: [CAD_CAM_EDM_DRO] Re: Circuit Board Layout Program

Alan Marconett KM6VV wrote:

>
> Thanks for the comments. Any other thoughts on converting Gerber files?
>

Well, I wrote a 20,000 line or so program that reads Gerber (RS-274D)
files with most features supported (It still doesn't do arcs, similar to a
G02 or G03) and creates a raster bitmap to drive my photoplotter.
It is in Pascal, and is fairly specialized for raster creation, rather than
putting a netlist back together, which is what you are pretty much doing.

Some cad software will make multiple stripes of smaller apertures to
build up the 'pen' width to make a track that is not supported by an
aperture. This could drive your software nuts. (And, it might drive
YOU nuts trying to figure out an algorithm that can handle that special
case.)

I have also done a little bit of work in this general area, such as converting
Excellon drill files (which look a LOT like the Gerber dialect of RS-274D)
to pure, industry-standard "G-code", and then drilling my boards on
my mill. I have programs, again in Pascal, to convert Excellon files
to Allen-Bradley 7320-style G-code (mostly no decimal point) and
to EMC-style G-code.

I also have a couple little programs that will output fractal figures in
either Gerber format or G-code for engraving the lines. See
http://pico-systems.com/artwork.html for pictures of some of them.
This is black Plexiglas. The top one is filled with orange crayon, and
actually looks pretty nice up close.

Jon