I have a problem with drill and gerber data. When I look at gerber and drill files in other software, the drill coordinates are multiplied by 10. When I use Pulsonix Intelligent Gerber import, the coordinates are right, but drill holes have extremely big diameter (see attached picture). My PCB manufacturer has both described problems during production. Any explanation? What I am doing wrong?
When I open *.drl file via notepad, there is 8 digits coordinates, but from other PCB softwares I always had six (like is in excellon specification).
I was looking for that, but I found only scale and rotate options in CAM/Plot menu. Where exactly I can find it? Integer and decimal settings is only when I am importing data, but I need set output.
Welcome to the wonderful world of CAM data translation :-)
Seriously I used to do this for my first job as a CAM Engineer and back then it was horrible where you had to input the size and shape for every aperture and guess the format the designer used for Gerber and Excellon data because there most designers didn't bother including a readme file to tell you, and usually output drills in metric millimetres 3.3 format and Gerber in 2.3 or 2.4 inch format.
I can offer some additional advice.
If you go to "Setup" and "Units" from the menu in PCB Editor make a note of what units you are designing in and the precision if you don't already know.
Make sure your output format for both Gerber and Excellon drill are in the same units and at least one degree of precision greater than that which you're designing in.
If you are designing in Metric mm with Precison 3 then your output needs to be metric mm as well, and at least 3.4
The modern standard for Gerber issued by Ucamco recommends 6 decimal places minimum for inch, and 5 or 6 decimal places minimum for metric, for professional PCB fabrication.
You should be sending the CAM Output report file, a text file generated along with the excellon and gerber files, as that will include details of the output format for the fabricator so they shouldn't have to bother you about asking what format you've output.
Welcome to the wonderful world of CAM data translation :-)
Seriously I used to do this for my first job as a CAM Engineer and back then it was horrible where you had to input the size and shape for every aperture and guess the format the designer used for Gerber and Excellon data because there most designers didn't bother including a readme file to tell you, and usually output drills in metric millimetres 3.3 format and Gerber in 2.3 or 2.4 inch format.
I can offer some additional advice.
If you go to "Setup" and "Units" from the menu in PCB Editor make a note of what units you are designing in and the precision if you don't already know.
Make sure your output format for both Gerber and Excellon drill are in the same units and at least one degree of precision greater than that which you're designing in.
If you are designing in Metric mm with Precison 3 then your output needs to be metric mm as well, and at least 3.4
The modern standard for Gerber issued by Ucamco recommends 6 decimal places minimum for inch, and 5 or 6 decimal places minimum for metric, for professional PCB fabrication.
You should be sending the CAM Output report file, a text file generated along with the excellon and gerber files, as that will include details of the output format for the fabricator so they shouldn't have to bother you about asking what format you've output.
Posted - 18 Mar 2015 : 12:13:39
