For reasons that will stay concealed up until a long time in the future, I just recently had a requirement to panelize a few PCBs. Panelization is the art of taking PCB styles you already have, whether they’re KiCad board files, Eagle board files, or just Gerbers, as well as turning them into a single collection of PCBs that can be sent off to a fabulous house.
Now this is panel racing
If you’re still wondering what this means, take a look at the last board you got from OSH Park, Seeed, Itead, or filthy PCBs. around the perimeter of your board, you’ll discover some rough spots. These are ‘mouse bites’ as well as tabs, locations where the boards are strung together to type a gigantic rectangular panel sent off to a manufacturer. You can inspect out this excellent interview with [Laen] from OSH Park to get an concept of exactly how this works, however the fundamental process is to take a lot of Gerbers, add tabs as well as mouse bites, solve the knapsack problem, as well as send the completed panel off to a board house.
Panelizing boards is something most of us won’t have to do often. Really, you only want a panel of boards when you’re producing something. For small-scale production as well as prototypes, bare boards will do just fine. just by virtue of the truth that panelizing boards is far less typical than throwing some Gerbers at OSH Park or Seeed, there aren’t many (good) tutorials, as well as even fewer (good) tools to do so. This is exactly how you panelize boards quickly as well as quickly utilizing open source tools.
អ្វីដែលខ្ញុំចង់បាន
The DEF con 24 badge, in a panel
Panelizing boards, or putting several copies of a board in a single Gerber file, is nothing new. We’ve seen it performed in Eagle with a ULP script, as well as we’ve seen it performed in KiCad with some Python. [Dave Jones] did a panelization tutorial for Altium. all of these have their downsides. putting more than one board style on a panel is not covered by the usual tools as well as tutorials. most techniques of panelizing boards only work with rectangular boards. Altium will do anything, however Altium is pricey.
What I requirement is a technique to take more than one weirdly-shaped board, as well as put it on a rectangular panel. requirement an example of this? inspect out the DEF con 24 badge to the right. This is a weird-shaped board, designed to in shape into a rectangular panel for automated assembly. instead of v-grooves, the board is just milled out of the panel, held on with mouse bites, or little tabs of fiberglass as well as holes. extremely clever implementations of this method likewise enable for pads as well as traces on the panel for programming each private board.
Can you do this in Eagle as well as KiCad, the most prominent tools for low-scale PCB style as well as fabrication? Yes, however it’s hard. Altium will do it easily, however that’s truly a tool for people who are producing tens of countless boards. To date, I’ve only discovered one tool that just enables you to decrease several Gerber data on a board as well as merge them.
Gerber Panelizer
The finest tool I’ve discovered for panelizing multiple board styles with routing as well as mouse bites comes from [Stijn Kuipers]. His PCB Panelizer (available on GitHub) is the very best thing I’ve discovered to take Gerbers you’ve already designed as well as turn them into an quickly manufacturable panel. before discovering this amazing tool, I spent about a day trying to figure out exactly how to panelize Gerbers. After discovering this tool, I was able to produce the panel I needed in about twenty minutes. Gerber Panelizer is a amazing tool, as well as I’ll be dedicating the rest of this publish to the ins as well as outs of this simple as well as simple method to produce panels of PCBs.
Using Gerber Panelizer
Using Gerber Panelizer might not be simpler. All you have to do is set up the size of the panel, decrease .zip data of your Gerbers onto the panel, add some breaktabs, as well as export the merged gerbers. After your computer does a bit bit of thinking, you get a panel of boards, prepared to send to a fab.
Step 1: open Gerber Panelizer
Step 2: define your panel size
This is the Panel Properties window. utilize this to define the board size, fill empty space, set the offset, etc
Step 3: decrease Gerbers onto the window
Step 4: location Breaktabs
Step 5: enjoy a panelized board
Of course, you’re not restricted to square or rectangular boards with Gerber Panelizer. any type of shape will do, as well as the ‘Fill empty Area’ in the Panel Properties window makes producing panels of weirdly-shaped PCBs easy.
I whipped up a quick artsy board of the GitHub Unicorn (five minutes in Eagle) as well as stole the source for the Freeduino. This is the very besជាឧទាហរណ៍អ្វីដែលកូនពួរ Gerber អាចធ្វើបាន។ ជាមួយនឹងឧបករណ៍នេះអ្នកអាចដាក់បន្ទះរាងដូចមានរាងជំនួសក៏ដូចជាដាក់ច្រើនជាងរចនាប័ទ្មតែមួយនៅលើបន្ទះមួយផងដែរ។
Caveats ទៅក្រុមអណ្តែប Gerber
អ្នកដាក់ Gerber គឺជាឧបករណ៍ដ៏ល្អមួយដែលអាចឱ្យអ្នកមានដំណើរការទិន្នន័យ gerber ជាច្រើនយ៉ាងលឿនជាមួយគ្នាទៅក្នុងក្តារដែលអាចផលិតបានយ៉ាងងាយស្រួល។ ជាអកុសលហ្វូងមនុស្ស DIY PCB ក៏ដូចជាអ្នកដែលចូលចិត្តផ្នែករឹងបើកចំហជាទូទៅគឺ FAGESKATES ។ ប្រពៃណីប្រពៃណីចែងថាមានតែឧបករណ៍តែមួយគត់ដែលមានតម្លៃដែលជាអ្នកដែលមានសេរីភាពដូចស្រាបៀរការខ្វែងគំនិតគ្នាដែលមិនមានតម្លាភាពដែលមិនមានប្រៀបប្រដូចដូចជាក្នុងការនិយាយនោះទេ។ នេះមានន័យថាកម្មវិធីសូហ្វវែរត្រូវបានផ្តល់ជូនដោយគ្មានការគាំទ្រក៏ដូចជាជាទូទៅជាមួយនឹងលក្ខណៈពិសេសដែលខូចខាត។
អ្នកចាប់ពងភាព Gerber មិនមានបញ្ហាច្រើនទេទោះបីជាការស្តីបន្ទោសមួយចំនួនអាចត្រូវបានដឹកនាំនៅ Kicad ក៏ដោយ។ ទស្សនវិជ្ជារបស់ Kicad ធ្វើឱ្យមានភាពខុសគ្នារវាងស្រទាប់កិនក៏ដូចជាការកាត់ផ្តាច់ចុងក្រោយរបស់ក្រុមប្រឹក្សាភិបាល។ នៅ Kicad នេះមានន័យថាមានភាពខុសគ្នារវាង .gko ក៏ដូចជាឯកសារ .gml gerber ។ Kicad, នៅក្នុងប្រាជ្ញាដែលគ្មានកំណត់របស់វាបានសំរេចចិត្តស្រទាប់នៃក្រុមប្រឹក្សាភិបាលគួរតែប្រើប្រាស់ផ្នែកបន្ថែមទិន្នន័យ .gm1 ជា Gerber លទ្ធផល។ នេះបានបង្កឱ្យមានការភាន់ច្រលំច្រើនទោះជាយ៉ាងណាព័ត៌មានដ៏អស្ចារ្យនេះគឺជាបញ្ហានេះនឹងត្រូវបានជួសជុលឱ្យបានឆាប់។ OpenGL នៅលើបង្អួចជាមួយអ្នកបើកបរ Nvidia គឺជារញ៉េរញ៉ៃក្តៅនៃភ្លើងចាក់សំរាម។ បញ្ហានេះអាចត្រូវបានដោះស្រាយដោយប្រើកុំព្យូទ័រយួរដៃរបស់ខ្ញុំជំនួសឱ្យការប្រយុទ្ធរបស់ផ្ទៃតុរបស់ខ្ញុំ។ ការបន្ថែម, ការចេញផ្សាយបច្ចុប្បន្ន (យ៉ាងហោចណាស់នៅពេលនៃការសរសេរនេះ) មិនគាំទ្រការបន្ថែម Breaksbabs រវាងទិន្នន័យ gerber ក៏ដូចជាតំបន់ ‘ផ្ទៃទទេ’ ទេ។ នេះគឺជាកំហុសដែលត្រូវបានដោះស្រាយដោយអេសអេសអាយអាយអាយ។ ខ្ញុំជំពាក់គាត់សម្រាប់ការជួសជុលកំហុសនោះសម្រាប់ខ្ញុំទោះយ៉ាងណារឿងសំខាន់នៅទីនេះគឺខ្ញុំចូលរួមចំណែកក្នុងការអភិវឌ្ឍប្រភពបើកចំហ។
តើនេះជាដំណោះស្រាយដ៏ល្អឥតខ្ចោះសម្រាប់បន្ទះ PCBs ទេ? ទេ។ អ្នកនឹងចង់បានរន្ធ M4 មួយចំនួននៅតាមបណ្តោយក្តារដូច្នេះការជ្រើសរើសក៏ដូចជាម៉ាស៊ីនដែលមានឈ្មោះថាម៉ាស៊ីនអាចផ្លាស់ទីវាបានតាមខ្សែដែលផលិត។ ទោះជាយ៉ាងណាក៏ដោយនេះគឺជាវិធីសាស្ត្រសាមញ្ញបំផុតក៏ដូចជាវិធីសាស្ត្រងាយបំផុតដើម្បីធ្វើជាបន្ទះក្តារជាច្រើន។ មិនមានឧបករណ៍ផ្សេងទៀតចូលមកជិតនឹងភាពសាមញ្ញនៃការប្រើប្រាស់របស់អ្នកប៉ុណ្ណោះ។
ទោះបីជាមានបញ្ហាទាំងនេះក៏ដោយអ្នកចាប់ដៃ Gerber គឺជាកម្មវិធីមួយដែលគួរឱ្យចាប់អារម្មណ៍ដែលគួរមាននៅក្នុងប្រអប់ឧបករណ៍របស់មនុស្សគ្រប់គ្នា។ បាទ / ចាសមានបញ្ហាអ្វីដែលវាហាក់ដូចជាសំខាន់បំផុតដែលនឹងត្រូវបានជួសជុលនៅក្នុងការចេញផ្សាយបន្ទាប់។
ប្រសិនបើអ្នកចង់លេងនៅជុំវិញឯកសារ Gerber ទាំងនេះអ្នកអាចរកឃើញពួកគេនៅទីនេះលើ Hackaday.io ។