Do PCB-fab sites free layout pgms TRAP you ?

B

BlackWater

Guest
I recently looked-into several of the well-know
PCB fabricators ... the ones who will do small
runs ... like ExpressPCB, Pad-2-Pad etc.. They
offer free layout software for designing your
boards and then uplinking the info to their
sites.

Thing is, when I tried to import some old TraxMaker
files I got messages like "Not an ExpressPCB .pcb
file". Now this worries me ... have they made this
software SO proprietary that once you design boards
using their software you can never move it to any
OTHER software or fabricator ??? Is it a trap
thereafter - "US, or redesign from scratch" ?

I remember there's one company, PCBexpress I think,
that can just use the standard Gerber files my old
TraxMaker (and many other programs) output. Is this
the better way to go ?

PCB-layout programs are SO incredibly expensive
nowdays ... and there seems little between "total
junk" and "full-time professional designer" to
choose from that's gonna be compatible with
commercial fabricators and/or other layout programs.

Please reply to group.
 
BlackWater wrote:> the better way to go ?
PCB-layout programs are SO incredibly expensive
nowdays ... and there seems little between "total
junk" and "full-time professional designer" to
choose from that's gonna be compatible with
commercial fabricators and/or other layout programs.
Click to expand...
Try gEDA it is free, and works quite well enough for
small boards.

-Chuck
 
Try www.4pcb.com - they have a couple of low-volume offers, use
standard gerbers, and the free-software gEDA and PCB packages are
known to work well with them (in fact, their techs helped us modify
PCB to work better - for them and in general :)

As for ease of use, you upload a zip of your gerbers to their web
site, it DRCs them, you give them payment info, and they ship you
boards. How much easier do you need it to be? ;-)

So there's no point in falling for the traps the other set, when it's
easier to use a trap-free solution.
 
This is Mac for forever:

I
may try to set up a linux box at work for gschem and pcb. Have to convince
boss that it is a worthwhile investment of my time.
Click to expand...
Can you use stuff like VMware, at work?

If so, you could install Linux on it and run Linux under Windows (!).

[]s
--
Chaos MasterŽ, posting from Canoas, Brazil - 29.55° S / 51.11° W / GMT-
2h / 15m

"He [Babya] is like the Energizer Bunny of hopeless newsgroup
posting....or should that be Energizer bBunny"
- "ceed" on alt.comp.freeware, 24/1/2005

(to some groups: Yes, I use Windows and MS Office. So what?)
 
On Wed, 02 Feb 2005 16:57:51 GMT, the renowned bw@barrk.net
(BlackWater) wrote:

I recently looked-into several of the well-know
PCB fabricators ... the ones who will do small
runs ... like ExpressPCB, Pad-2-Pad etc.. They
offer free layout software for designing your
boards and then uplinking the info to their
sites.

Thing is, when I tried to import some old TraxMaker
files I got messages like "Not an ExpressPCB .pcb
file". Now this worries me ... have they made this
software SO proprietary that once you design boards
using their software you can never move it to any
OTHER software or fabricator ??? Is it a trap
thereafter - "US, or redesign from scratch" ?

I remember there's one company, PCBexpress I think,
that can just use the standard Gerber files my old
TraxMaker (and many other programs) output. Is this
the better way to go ?

PCB-layout programs are SO incredibly expensive
nowdays ... and there seems little between "total
junk" and "full-time professional designer" to
choose from that's gonna be compatible with
commercial fabricators and/or other layout programs.

Please reply to group.
Click to expand...
Yes, it's a trap.



Best regards,
Spehro Pefhany
--
"it's the network..." "The Journey is the reward"
speff@interlog.com Info for manufacturers: http://www.trexon.com
Embedded software/hardware/analog Info for designers: http://www.speff.com
 
"BlackWater" <bw@barrk.net> wrote in message
news:42010396.18968104@news.east.earthlink.net...
I recently looked-into several of the well-know
PCB fabricators ... the ones who will do small
runs ... like ExpressPCB, Pad-2-Pad etc.. They
offer free layout software for designing your
boards and then uplinking the info to their
sites.

Thing is, when I tried to import some old TraxMaker
files I got messages like "Not an ExpressPCB .pcb
file". Now this worries me ... have they made this
software SO proprietary that once you design boards
using their software you can never move it to any
OTHER software or fabricator ??? Is it a trap
thereafter - "US, or redesign from scratch" ?

I remember there's one company, PCBexpress I think,
that can just use the standard Gerber files my old
TraxMaker (and many other programs) output. Is this
the better way to go ?

PCB-layout programs are SO incredibly expensive
nowdays ... and there seems little between "total
junk" and "full-time professional designer" to
choose from that's gonna be compatible with
commercial fabricators and/or other layout programs.

Please reply to group.
Click to expand...
Yes it is a trap.

I think *all* pcb manufacturers can use gerbers .

PCB-layout programmes are *not* incredibly expensive. Although you can pay a
lot of money for a pcb cad programme you do not have to. Many expensive
packages are firstly expensive (so that they must be good) and secondly
functional.
Have a look at Easypc from Number One Systems. It is good and cheap.
I do not recommend this as the best value pcb package (I do not know enough
about all those available to make such a statement) but it is typical of a
(small) number of economical and functional pcb cad packages.
 
On Wed, 02 Feb 2005 16:57:51 +0000, BlackWater wrote:

I recently looked-into several of the well-know
PCB fabricators ... the ones who will do small
runs ... like ExpressPCB, Pad-2-Pad etc.. They
offer free layout software for designing your
boards and then uplinking the info to their
sites.

Thing is, when I tried to import some old TraxMaker
files I got messages like "Not an ExpressPCB .pcb
file". Now this worries me ... have they made this
software SO proprietary that once you design boards
using their software you can never move it to any
OTHER software or fabricator ??? Is it a trap
thereafter - "US, or redesign from scratch" ?

I remember there's one company, PCBexpress I think,
that can just use the standard Gerber files my old
TraxMaker (and many other programs) output. Is this
the better way to go ?

PCB-layout programs are SO incredibly expensive
nowdays ... and there seems little between "total
junk" and "full-time professional designer" to
choose from that's gonna be compatible with
commercial fabricators and/or other layout programs.

Please reply to group.
Click to expand...
I have used expresspcb a few times. It is definitely a "trap," but one
where all the terms are disclosed or evident up front. Their software does
what they say and is easy to use.

In my limited experience, they deliver exactly as advertised.

So for quickie jobs that save you the trouble of bread-boarding, there is
no problem with using expresspcb.

If I had a board I may be making a bunch of, or if the board is
complicated, I would probably not use expresspcb. But if the board is
simple, I figure I can always redo it in pcb (or whatever) later. I do
find expresspcb's software very easy to use, and it runs on windows, which
is what I use at work. I haven't been very happy with pcb under cygwin. I
may try to set up a linux box at work for gschem and pcb. Have to convince
boss that it is a worthwhile investment of my time.

I think that the folks at expresspcb actually can make gerbers from the
proprietary files you send them, although I don't think they will give
them to you.

The only thing you can get is a soldermask file which you may need to
make a solder mask if you do automated assembly. They charge for creating
the file.

--Mac
 
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