[kicad-users] Re: Urgent drl file problem
--- In kicad-users@yahoogroups.com, Jean-Paul Gendner jean-paul.gend...@... wrote: I have tested that the generated Kicad drill file is an ASCII file. And it's indeed an excellon drill file... The second file I have sent begins as follows: M48 INCH,TZ T1C0.031 T2C0.039 T3C0.040 T4C0.120 % That's the header with unit and tool definition... G05 This is the 'now start drilling stuff' T1 This means 'pick tool 1' (as defined before) X7000Y-1500 X7000Y-1700 These are the hole locations. It's a perfectly fine excellon drill tape to me... However, I get now from eurocircuits the error message: GERBER drillmaps are NOT supported. Drillmaps??? first the drill tape is in excellon format, not gerber; second the 'drill map' is *another thing* and it's used by the operator to verify that the drill file was loaded correctly, it isn't used to fabricate the board! May any one give me information on how I may generate a non Gerber drill file with Kicad? Kicad only creates excellon drill files; it can also generate a drill map in various formats (ps, hpgl and gerber). The drill file is the .drl one, the map is the -drl.ps or -drl.pho or whatever, but the one needed to drill the board is only the .drl (which you correctly sent). Also, I've read the eurocircuits guidelines... it says: Artwork: Gerber RS-274X (Extended gerber with embedded apertures) == The .pho files from kicad are of this type Drilling: Excellon (1 or 2) + appropriate tool list (ideally embedded) == The .drl file is an excellon 2 with embedded tool list. The external tool list is given in the drill report file All the files are ASCII ones, no EIA or EBCDIC stuff... *maybe* but only maybe if you're under Linux they could have unix line terminations instead of DOS ones (a 'file' command would confirm this). Maybe it's this their problem? (gencad files often don't load with unix terminators)
[kicad-users] Re: Urgent drl file problem
For the second time, I have ordered a circuit built with Kicad to Eurocircuits.com. The first time I do not had any problem. This time, I have an exception because: The drill file you uploaded is in the old EIA-format, which is not supported anymore. We only accept ASCII encoded data files. I think they don't know even what they're talking about... kicad generates a pretty standard Excellon drill tape, with tool headers, too! And, as you correctly said, excellon is ASCII::P:P Never had any trouble fabbing with it... try to get them explaining exactly what kind of file they need, if possible tell them to send an example... I don't think that exist a pcb drill machine which can't read excellon tapes... As a double check you could try to view it with gerbv, to see if it matches the gerbers
R: [kicad-users] Re: Module Library madness
--- In kicad-users@yahoogroups.com, Carlo Garberi res_elettron...@... wrote: For Cases, pads, etc., you can also refere to: New Surface Mount Design and Land Pattern Standard The official text for device farms. Which is *exactly* the ipc-7351a standard we're talking about:D:D And, my fault, I did remember wrong about resistor and capacitor pads... they're actually equal:P
[kicad-users] Re: Module Library madness
With the imperial / metric versions. the only thing I can think of is that it may be that because kicad (at least the 2009 versions) use imperial as it's base measurement system that someone created the imperial versions to avoid grid mismatches. That's not the reason, with its 1/10mil resolution pcbnew has no problem handling metric modules (well, maybe until you need chip bonding, at least :D) The metric/imperial usage with passives is mostly a cultural one in the industry and varies from country to country... For example, here in Italy when we talk about common capacitor/resistors we usually use the imperial units (0603 being the most common AMT). Tantalium are referred as metric (or with case letter coding) and for inductors... well, smaller one are imperial but bigger one are referred as metric... also electrolytic are referred using the panasonic case names and tank/choke inductors using the S/M/L/XL size from wurth! So, at the end, everyone make its own standard... The IPC standard naming is IMHO unwieldy, too complex to use in the usual cases! (and, anyway, remember that there are around a dozen or so of SOT-23 variants, too!)
[kicad-users] Re: 3 PCBs, 1 design
Is there any way to force KiCAD to make a PCB of a single schematic sheet, even when buried within a larger hierarchical design? I had a similar issue with a sandwitch-board (i.e. two pcb mounted with risers). The trick is to use a single pcb file with all your boards drawn into it and declare the joining points (connectors, risers, whatever) as modules (like the CONN_ parts). Of course you have to manage manually the pinouts of these connectors to make them match! It is actually easier to build them later since you only have to submit *one* gerber/PnP set instead of three! You could also ask the manufacturer about how he would like the board aligned to ease panelisation and where to put scoring/rat-bites indications (but, anyway, they will have no trouble separating three boards from the same gerber set).
[kicad-users] Re: Placing lines by coordinates
In pcbnew, you can edit a line segment (for example, part of the board outline) and type in or change the endpoints. Is there any way to do this in the module editor? That would make it easier to draw silkscreen outlines or keepout areas. Sorry, IIRC this isn't possible ATM. You should make a feature request for that.
[kicad-users] Re: Auto pin pitch
I'm editing a module and I want to change the space between each pin automatically. How is it done? There is no way to do that... Many people use scripts to generate automatically .emp files with the desired pitch and size, but manually you have to move them one at a time (a custom grid helps a lot)
[kicad-users] Re: Trouble when creating module library using auxiliary board approach
--- In kicad-users@yahoogroups.com, andy_7945 hvbry...@... wrote: This is all okay, as I can use a revised approach by creating the library first, then inserting each module into the auxiliary board one by one after the fact. But this is not how the documentation says to do it. This causes me to believe that I'm somehow missing some important detail of how to specify the module name when using the above described procedure (Load module from lib, edit the module, change its reference field, then Insert module into current board). If so, how can I specify a new name for the module? Sorry but IMHO that's a bug. There is an hidden *footprint name* which is set during the creation but isn't editable anywere (if it isn't I haven't found it). IIRC it's the 'Li' field in the library... The only solution I can think about is to hand editing the component/board file (a search replace with the old name does the trick)
[kicad-users] Re: Gerber files
I'm having trouble converting the gerber code ( copper and component layers ) where the gcam software just dies in the KiCad code. Similar sized card with Eagle goes ok but there is a difference with the gerber code from KiCad. I suppose you're doing milling isolation and not photo processing, then. I never had trouble with kicad gerbers, I'd think about a bug in gcam... If you can you could eventually submit a bug report for pcbnew with the failing gerber to let us look at it, to see if it's defective.
[kicad-users] Re: Module Library madness
pcb-fpw is open source, so it would be possible to modify add it to the kicad suite .. seems to be written in java-bloat.. No, it's buggy plain C with GTK :P It actually contains a lot of hardwired size, too:P The separate names for a cap and resistor 0805 package is silly Actually it isn't... a ceramic cap has round plating, a chip resistor is an attached foil... I presume the mechanical properties are different (indeed the pads are different, too) The M,N,and L are for most, Nominal and least -- describes most compromises folks would run into.. You forgot Proportional for THT, too... and the Nominal one is good for 90% of the production projects, IMHO... One thing to point out is these case sizes originate in metric - the imperial notation is approximate. *Most* case size originate in metric:D
[kicad-users] Re: Where are gone filled shapes?
If I past your definition of INDUCTOR in my library, I see a beatiful filled rectangle (with 2 pins). Using the 2007-01-15 version, on Windows XP (self compiled package under mingw32). OK, I'll try to do a Linux build at home... thanks
[kicad-users] Re: Where are gone filled shapes?
--- In kicad-users@yahoogroups.com, Danilo Uccelli [EMAIL PROTECTED] Can you give us more information? From which version to which version? Which OS? An example of part? From the 28 aug 2006 to the latest Linux binary (downloaded last week)... pick for example in the device lib some part with a filled rect or circle (NOT polygon)... my device lib is extensively edited but IIRC there was one inductor with the filled dot. Or simply make a new part with a filled rect, save, exit and reload BTW in the .lib format description there isn't any field for that fill option (I.E. in the polygon P record there is the DC field, but neither in the rectangle S or in the ring C record there is something similar). But in the file that info is there! Like for example: DEF INDUCTOR L 0 30 N N 1 F N F0 L 0 100 60 H V C C F1 INDUCTOR 0 -100 60 H V C C DRAW S -150 50 150 -50 0 1 0 F X 2 2 200 0 50 L 50 50 0 1 P X 1 1 -200 0 50 R 50 50 0 1 P ENDDRAW ENDDEF notice the F at the end of the S record... maybe they rewrote the lib loader and left that out :P Maybe I should check in the developer list...
[kicad-users] Where are gone filled shapes?
After upgrading to the latest version all my filled rects and circles in library parts are now empty! In effect now in the file spec definition there is no more a 'filled' field for rects and rings :((( Also in the gui you can 'refill' them but it don't get reloaded! As a workaround rects can be done with shapes, but why was this feature removed?
