At 01:37 PM 5/17/01 -0400, Jim Gardner wrote:
>I just have come across a problem with outputed D-Code sizes in Protel
>99SE. On a DS pcb, I made some large ground planes in various areas
>instead of using the copper pour option. When I outputed the gerbers in
>RS274 format, some of the DCodes were >3.0" by >1.0". Obviously the
>plotter house cryed wolf.
Not obvious. There should be no problem with a large aperture, of any size,
really, though I would not want to place bets on what would happen to their
software if an aperture were larger than the film size.
> If you output the aperture tables (the old
>way) you can put a size restriction on the aperture size. It appears
>that this is not possible in RS 274 format.
The option to limit aperture size exists so that Protel can generate output
for vector photoplotters, which were used back in the twentieth century and
can still be found in museums. These photoplotters, like modern plotters,
used light to image a film, but the light was incoherent and was passed
through another piece of film called an "aperture." These apertures were
limited in size by the nature of the machine.
When I started in this business, we didn't even have photoplotters. We used
to trudge 5 miles through the snow every morning to get to our "light
tables." Printed circuit design was a product of blood, sweat, and tears.
Especially blood. Those Exacto blades were sharp! It hurts just to remember.
You guys just don't know how good you've got it.
In the other hand, it was great fun to ship an E-size artwork off to the
photo house. The neighbors would come out and watch it being loaded on the
truck. (They used a device called a "camera" to make film. We had many ways
of processing light in those days.)
:-)
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
Abdulrahman Lomax
P.O. Box 690
El Verano, CA 95433
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
* To post a message: mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]
*
* To leave this list visit:
* http://www.techservinc.com/protelusers/subscrib.html
* - or email -
* mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]?body=leave%20proteledaforum
*
* Contact the list manager:
* mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]
*
* Browse or Search previous postings:
* http://www.mail-archive.com/[email protected]
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
