SparkFun Forums

[solex]

Hello all,

I'm trying to view my output from eagle in viewmate, but it needs a .bin file, I dont seem to have one of these, is there a way I can gen one in eagle so I can check my files in viewmate.

The reason I want to check Is that I cant find any holes on my output images from drc bot, will post below...

Thank you in advance

Charles

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2388/203 ... 3c.jpg?v=0

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2276/203 ... 09.jpg?v=0

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2129/203 ... d2.jpg?v=0

[propellanttech]

Charles,

The eagle files are imported, not just opened.

You have to go file, import and select gerber or drill and route.

James L

[bigglez]

The reason I want to check Is that I cant find any holes on my output images from drc bot, will post below...

Greetings Charles,

For historical reasons in the PCB industry data files are not
combined or in a uniform format. The PCB shop needs the
Gerber files for traces and Excellon file for drills. The drills
file data is both XY and a drill rack (preset series of drill
sizes).

The BatchPCB bot returns a lower resolution image of the
Gerber files, excluding drill file details.

To view the completed project before manufacture the
files must be imported and assembled in a viewer (as
James L. pointed out).

Comments Welcome!

[solex]

James: Thank you very much, I thought it would be a simple "open", would be a great little sentence to add to the eagle tutorial.

Bigglez: Great, So as long as it looks ok in viewmate I don't have to worry that the images from the bot don't have the holes?

One more question while I'm at it...

As you can see in the silk screen there is a 7805 that sticks out, this is making my board 7in squ rather than 6in squ, This problem is shown in the eagle tutorial but a solution is not given. I have tried using the X tool on the silk screen layer after using the batch silk screen gen script. But it still comes back like this... Am I missing some thing very obvious? I don't mind removing the out line totally and just having pads.

Thank you both for suffering a fool

Charles

[bigglez]

As you can see in the silk screen there is a 7805 that sticks out, this is making my board 7in squ rather than 6in squ, This problem is shown in the eagle tutorial but a solution is not given. I have tried using the X tool on the silk screen layer after using the batch silk screen gen script. But it still comes back like this... Am I missing some thing very obvious? I don't mind removing the out line totally and just having pads.

Greetings Charles,

You bring up a very good point. The BatchPCB bot extracts the
largest X and largest Y dims to calculate board area (and cost).

All projects should therefore have a perimeter line which in
EAGLE is usually found on layer 20 (Dimension).

During the export from EAGLE this data is merged into the
Gerbers for the silk-screen, and using the SFE tools the
silkscreen data should be on layers 121 (top) and 122 (bot).

A quick check is to turn off all layers except 121 and 122
and confirm that "nothing hangs over the edges".

I have some projects with connectors or controls that do
extend out from the PCB outline. I have modified the EAGLE
library to remove the outline outside the PCB area.

Another method is to edit layers 121 and 122 manually -
this is a pain and prone to operator error (i.e. I forget...).

Comments Welcome!

[solex]

Thank you!

Ive done that and its shrunk the size totaly! Just waiting for the bot to get back but the estimated size was now 6 not 7.

Thank you very much

Charles

[ds18s20]

Hi everyone,

The strangest thing - I can see all my gerber files in View Mate and all layers look good but I can not import the drd file?

The drd itself looks good in Notepad. Tool size is there, etc. Here is what I get when I try to import drd file into a View Mate layer:



and then if I say YES I get this:



Any help will be appreciated!

Boyan

[jasonharper]

ViewMate has a separate Import->Drill command; you can't import the drill data with the same command that imports the Gerbers.

I have NO idea why they chose to do it this way.

[ds18s20]

ViewMate has a separate Import->Drill command; you can't import the drill data with the same command that imports the Gerbers. I have NO idea why they chose to do it this way.

Thanks, That works just fine. Now that I can see the holes are totally misaligned my next battle is figuring out how to change the origins of a board – as the FAQ suggests for fixing this type of problem?

Thank you
~B