UPDATED 1-31-2012 - Revision 2.8
Peter Wells from New Zealand discovered a bug in version 2.7. The solder mask was only enlarged on the top of the board. This has been remedied in 2.8. In addition there were issues in the poured fill function. The gerber file could have been created with intersecting cut ins. This error did not show up in any of the gerber viewers I tried, but when I had boards fabricated at Advanced Circuits a large area was covered in copper pour, which was not supposed the be poured. The fill function has been corrected to prevent intersecting cut ins, but I have not fabricated any more boards using that function. This only occurred when using the pours created by drawing a one mill line around the perimeter of an area containing pads.
Cadcentric (Make RS274X gerbers, external poured fills, and other utilities)
I also highly recommend this online gerber viewer http://www.gerber-viewer.com/default.aspx as it does the best job showing the poured fill errors.
UPDATED 2-24-2011
Create RS274X gerbers directly from Protel Autotrax .PCB file. Cadcentric now completly replaces Traxplot and generates RS274X gerbers, .GDD with dimentions, .TXT NC drill files with embedded tool sizes AND external poured fills! Also Creates .CSV BOM files.
UPDATED 1-22-2011
PCB Rotator - Rotate an entire PCB
PAD Array - Create an array of pads
Cadcentric updated to identify DRC errors in the PCB file.
I Recomend Tinycad as a great free open source schematic capture program to use with Autotrax.
Peter Wells from New Zealand discovered a bug in version 2.7. The solder mask was only enlarged on the top of the board. This has been remedied in 2.8. In addition there were issues in the poured fill function. The gerber file could have been created with intersecting cut ins. This error did not show up in any of the gerber viewers I tried, but when I had boards fabricated at Advanced Circuits a large area was covered in copper pour, which was not supposed the be poured. The fill function has been corrected to prevent intersecting cut ins, but I have not fabricated any more boards using that function. This only occurred when using the pours created by drawing a one mill line around the perimeter of an area containing pads.
Cadcentric (Make RS274X gerbers, external poured fills, and other utilities)
I also highly recommend this online gerber viewer http://www.gerber-viewer.com/default.aspx as it does the best job showing the poured fill errors.
UPDATED 2-24-2011
Create RS274X gerbers directly from Protel Autotrax .PCB file. Cadcentric now completly replaces Traxplot and generates RS274X gerbers, .GDD with dimentions, .TXT NC drill files with embedded tool sizes AND external poured fills! Also Creates .CSV BOM files.
UPDATED 1-22-2011
PCB Rotator - Rotate an entire PCB
PAD Array - Create an array of pads
Cadcentric updated to identify DRC errors in the PCB file.
I Recomend Tinycad as a great free open source schematic capture program to use with Autotrax.
Protel Arc
Maker
PADS to Protel Netlist converter
Cadcentric (Make rs274x gerbers from rs274d gerbers, and other utilities)
Gerber DRC
PCB Rotator
PAD Array
Contact me
download CADCENTRIC
This is a collection of utilites which I have created as needed over the last 10 years.
NEW Added for version 2.5
PCB --> XGERBER -
Replaces Traxplot.
Directly generates RS274X gerbers from .PCB.
Adds dimentions to .GDD file.
Embeds tool sizes in .TXT file.
Creates .CSV BOM reports.
Creates external poured fills by outlining the area to be filled with a .001 trace.
NEW Added for version 2.4
There is now a feature to read the DRC file generated by Autotrax, and highlight the prblem areas in the PCB file.
Much easier than creating printouts and going to each XY location to find the clearence violations.
This can be placed in a new pcb file, or added to the keepout layer for the acutual design:
Here is an image showing a clearance violation:
+
I let autotrax generate a DRC file, then run the DRC --> PCB function.
Here is an image showing the highlights created on the keepout layer:
And here is the combined image:
I will be adding online help for this program eventualy.
GERBER DRC
This program has been abandoned as there are better free options avalable online.
download PCB Rotator
This program will rotate an entire PCB.
The Sample shown here is the "bigdemo.pcb" sample supplied with autotrax rotated 25 degrees.
This program is great if you need a rotated component.
1) Place the component you need by itself in a new pcb.
2) Rotate the new PCB with this program.
3) Block read the rotated PCB into your design and you have a rotated component.
Of course, you can also rotate sections of your final design, or the entire PCB.
Shortcomings:
1) Text strings are still horizontal or vertcle.
2) Square pads are still horizontal or verticle.
download PAD Array
This program generates an array of pads at any angle..
download Protel Arc Maker
download PADS to Autotrax Netlist converter
Contact me
les@hildenbrandt.com
PADS to Protel Netlist converter
Cadcentric (Make rs274x gerbers from rs274d gerbers, and other utilities)
Gerber DRC
PCB Rotator
PAD Array
Contact me
download CADCENTRIC
This is a collection of utilites which I have created as needed over the last 10 years.
- Cadcentric - creates a list of component positions, board side, and rotation. I created this to generate programming files for an assembly houses auto placement equipment. All of the selections on cadcentrics main form are for this function.
- PCB --> APT - This reads a PCB file, and generates a list of apertures which TRAXPLOT can use to generate gerbers. Be sure to set the soldermask oversize setting before creating the apertures.
- MAT --> APT - This reads the .MAT file created by TRAXPLOT and creates a neat, sorted aperture file (each entry only listed once).
- GERBER --> XGERBER - This is the most usefull utility in this program. This combines an aperture file, and RS274D gerber file/s into one / many RS274X embedded aperture gerber files.
- DRC --> PCB - Highlights DRC violations on the PCB.
- PCB --> XGERBER - Replaces Traxplot. Directly generates RS274X gerbers from .PCB. Adds dimentions to .GDD file. Embeds tool sizes in .TXT file. Creates external poured fills by outlining the area to be filled with a .001 trace.
PCB --> XGERBER -
Replaces Traxplot.
Directly generates RS274X gerbers from .PCB.
Adds dimentions to .GDD file.
Embeds tool sizes in .TXT file.
Creates .CSV BOM reports.
Creates external poured fills by outlining the area to be filled with a .001 trace.
Sample showing poured fill and
dimentioned
.gdd.
NEW Added for version 2.4
There is now a feature to read the DRC file generated by Autotrax, and highlight the prblem areas in the PCB file.
Much easier than creating printouts and going to each XY location to find the clearence violations.
This can be placed in a new pcb file, or added to the keepout layer for the acutual design:
Here is an image showing a clearance violation:
+I let autotrax generate a DRC file, then run the DRC --> PCB function.
Here is an image showing the highlights created on the keepout layer:
And here is the combined image:
I will be adding online help for this program eventualy.
GERBER DRC
This program has been abandoned as there are better free options avalable online.
download PCB Rotator
This program will rotate an entire PCB.
The Sample shown here is the "bigdemo.pcb" sample supplied with autotrax rotated 25 degrees.
This program is great if you need a rotated component.
1) Place the component you need by itself in a new pcb.
2) Rotate the new PCB with this program.
3) Block read the rotated PCB into your design and you have a rotated component.
Of course, you can also rotate sections of your final design, or the entire PCB.
Shortcomings:
1) Text strings are still horizontal or vertcle.
2) Square pads are still horizontal or verticle.
download PAD Array
This program generates an array of pads at any angle..
download Protel Arc Maker
download PADS to Autotrax Netlist converter
Contact me
les@hildenbrandt.com