iOS Gerber viewer?

I like using an iPad in the lab while testing a new design. It is easier to find a place for it on my crowded bench than the notebook computer I used to use.

Goodreader works well for keeping datasheet PDFs readily accessible.

And my colleagues at NIST introduced me to OneNote as an usable electronic lab notebook. (A large fraction of my lab notes are tables, and it is really easy to create tables in OneNote.)

But I have not yet found a satisfactory way to view a PCB design. The obvious solution of converting to a PDF does not work because it is necessary to toggle visibility of the irrelevant layers to make sense of a multi-layer board.

Fundamentally, I just need a vector graphics viewer with decent layer support. Which seems to be surprisingly lacking on the iOS platform. In theory, PDFs can do vector graphics and layers, but viewers that allow one to toggle the layers are hard to find for a desktop, and apparently impossible for a tablet.

I have played with using a RDP/VNC client to remote into a machine running Altium, but that was about as unsatisfactory as you would expect.

(Before buying this iPad I considered buying a Surface tablet, which would have allowed me to just run Altium to view the design. Which would provide nice benefits like net identification and highlighting. But the demo one I played with in Best Buy crashed every time I handled it, and looking online revealed that Microsoft had serious driver issues.)

Has anyone found a solution I missed?

Steve
Quantum Physics Research Instruments

 

[Clifford Heath]

On 6/2/20 9:52 am, Don Kuenz wrote:

steve@qprinstruments.com wrote:
I like using an iPad in the lab while testing a new design. It is easier
to find a place for it on my crowded bench than the notebook computer I
used to use.

Goodreader works well for keeping datasheet PDFs readily accessible.

And my colleagues at NIST introduced me to OneNote as an usable electronic
lab notebook. (A large fraction of my lab notes are tables, and it is
really easy to create tables in OneNote.)

But I have not yet found a satisfactory way to view a PCB design. The
obvious solution of converting to a PDF does not work because it is
necessary to toggle visibility of the irrelevant layers to make sense
of a multi-layer board.

Fundamentally, I just need a vector graphics viewer with decent layer
support. Which seems to be surprisingly lacking on the iOS platform.
In theory, PDFs can do vector graphics and layers, but viewers that
allow one to toggle the layers are hard to find for a desktop, and
apparently impossible for a tablet.

I have played with using a RDP/VNC client to remote into a machine running
Altium, but that was about as unsatisfactory as you would expect.

(Before buying this iPad I considered buying a Surface tablet, which
would have allowed me to just run Altium to view the design. Which would
provide nice benefits like net identification and highlighting. But the
demo one I played with in Best Buy crashed every time I handled it, and
looking online revealed that Microsoft had serious driver issues.)

Has anyone found a solution I missed?

There's a gerbv build available for "Mac OSX using fink."

OSX is not iOS.

For OSX, Kicad has a good Gerber viewer. Sorry, I cant help with iOS.

CH

 

[Don Kuenz]

steve@qprinstruments.com wrote:

I like using an iPad in the lab while testing a new design. It is easier
to find a place for it on my crowded bench than the notebook computer I
used to use.

Goodreader works well for keeping datasheet PDFs readily accessible.

And my colleagues at NIST introduced me to OneNote as an usable electronic
lab notebook. (A large fraction of my lab notes are tables, and it is
really easy to create tables in OneNote.)

But I have not yet found a satisfactory way to view a PCB design. The
obvious solution of converting to a PDF does not work because it is
necessary to toggle visibility of the irrelevant layers to make sense
of a multi-layer board.

Fundamentally, I just need a vector graphics viewer with decent layer
support. Which seems to be surprisingly lacking on the iOS platform.
In theory, PDFs can do vector graphics and layers, but viewers that
allow one to toggle the layers are hard to find for a desktop, and
apparently impossible for a tablet.

I have played with using a RDP/VNC client to remote into a machine running
Altium, but that was about as unsatisfactory as you would expect.

(Before buying this iPad I considered buying a Surface tablet, which
would have allowed me to just run Altium to view the design. Which would
provide nice benefits like net identification and highlighting. But the
demo one I played with in Best Buy crashed every time I handled it, and
looking online revealed that Microsoft had serious driver issues.)

Has anyone found a solution I missed?

There's a gerbv build available for "Mac OSX using fink."

gerbv - A Free/Open Source Gerber Viewer
http://gerbv.geda-project.org/

Thank you,

--
Don Kuenz KB7RPU
There was a young lady named Bright Whose speed was far faster than light;
She set out one day In a relative way And returned on the previous night.

 

[Rick C]

On Wednesday, February 5, 2020 at 4:02:27 PM UTC-5, st...@qprinstruments.com wrote:

I like using an iPad in the lab while testing a new design. It is easier to find a place for it on my crowded bench than the notebook computer I used to use.

Goodreader works well for keeping datasheet PDFs readily accessible.

And my colleagues at NIST introduced me to OneNote as an usable electronic lab notebook. (A large fraction of my lab notes are tables, and it is really easy to create tables in OneNote.)

But I have not yet found a satisfactory way to view a PCB design. The obvious solution of converting to a PDF does not work because it is necessary to toggle visibility of the irrelevant layers to make sense of a multi-layer board.

Fundamentally, I just need a vector graphics viewer with decent layer support. Which seems to be surprisingly lacking on the iOS platform. In theory, PDFs can do vector graphics and layers, but viewers that allow one to toggle the layers are hard to find for a desktop, and apparently impossible for a tablet.

I have played with using a RDP/VNC client to remote into a machine running Altium, but that was about as unsatisfactory as you would expect.

(Before buying this iPad I considered buying a Surface tablet, which would have allowed me to just run Altium to view the design. Which would provide nice benefits like net identification and highlighting. But the demo one I played with in Best Buy crashed every time I handled it, and looking online revealed that Microsoft had serious driver issues.)

Has anyone found a solution I missed?

I don't typically bother with Gerber viewers for debugging work on PCBs. I find them to be great for checking the output of a layout program, but I've not found one facile enough to be useful in debug, flipping between layers, searching for components or traces. But my layout program, FreePCB, does great! MS Surface is not the only convertible laptop on the market. But doesn't the Surface run Windows? Are you saying the Surface internal drivers are buggy? Otherwise it should be the same drivers for peripherals everyone else uses.

A friend has a small Surface and loves it. So it's hard for me to believe there are fundamental issues. Having no computer skills, she would never be able to use it if it was that bad.

--

Rick C.

- Get 1,000 miles of free Supercharging
- Tesla referral code - https://ts.la/richard11209

 

[speff]

On Wednesday, 5 February 2020 16:02:27 UTC-5, st...@qprinstruments.com wrote:

I like using an iPad in the lab while testing a new design. It is easier to find a place for it on my crowded bench than the notebook computer I used to use.

Goodreader works well for keeping datasheet PDFs readily accessible.

And my colleagues at NIST introduced me to OneNote as an usable electronic lab notebook. (A large fraction of my lab notes are tables, and it is really easy to create tables in OneNote.)

But I have not yet found a satisfactory way to view a PCB design. The obvious solution of converting to a PDF does not work because it is necessary to toggle visibility of the irrelevant layers to make sense of a multi-layer board.

Fundamentally, I just need a vector graphics viewer with decent layer support. Which seems to be surprisingly lacking on the iOS platform. In theory, PDFs can do vector graphics and layers, but viewers that allow one to toggle the layers are hard to find for a desktop, and apparently impossible for a tablet.

I have played with using a RDP/VNC client to remote into a machine running Altium, but that was about as unsatisfactory as you would expect.

(Before buying this iPad I considered buying a Surface tablet, which would have allowed me to just run Altium to view the design. Which would provide nice benefits like net identification and highlighting. But the demo one I played with in Best Buy crashed every time I handled it, and looking online revealed that Microsoft had serious driver issues.)

Has anyone found a solution I missed?

Steve
Quantum Physics Research Instruments

Is an online viewer an option?

Best regards,
Spehro Pefhany

 

[Robert Baer]

steve@qprinstruments.com wrote:

I like using an iPad in the lab while testing a new design. It is easier to find a place for it on my crowded bench than the notebook computer I used to use.

Goodreader works well for keeping datasheet PDFs readily accessible.

And my colleagues at NIST introduced me to OneNote as an usable electronic lab notebook. (A large fraction of my lab notes are tables, and it is really easy to create tables in OneNote.)

But I have not yet found a satisfactory way to view a PCB design. The obvious solution of converting to a PDF does not work because it is necessary to toggle visibility of the irrelevant layers to make sense of a multi-layer board.

Fundamentally, I just need a vector graphics viewer with decent layer support. Which seems to be surprisingly lacking on the iOS platform. In theory, PDFs can do vector graphics and layers, but viewers that allow one to toggle the layers are hard to find for a desktop, and apparently impossible for a tablet.

I have played with using a RDP/VNC client to remote into a machine running Altium, but that was about as unsatisfactory as you would expect.

(Before buying this iPad I considered buying a Surface tablet, which would have allowed me to just run Altium to view the design. Which would provide nice benefits like net identification and highlighting. But the demo one I played with in Best Buy crashed every time I handled it, and looking online revealed that Microsoft had serious driver issues.)

Has anyone found a solution I missed?

Steve
Quantum Physics Research Instruments



gerbv.exe re-dude 4 Android?

 

[Robert Baer]

Don Kuenz wrote:

steve@qprinstruments.com wrote:
I like using an iPad in the lab while testing a new design. It is easier
to find a place for it on my crowded bench than the notebook computer I
used to use.

Goodreader works well for keeping datasheet PDFs readily accessible.

And my colleagues at NIST introduced me to OneNote as an usable electronic
lab notebook. (A large fraction of my lab notes are tables, and it is
really easy to create tables in OneNote.)

But I have not yet found a satisfactory way to view a PCB design. The
obvious solution of converting to a PDF does not work because it is
necessary to toggle visibility of the irrelevant layers to make sense
of a multi-layer board.

Fundamentally, I just need a vector graphics viewer with decent layer
support. Which seems to be surprisingly lacking on the iOS platform.
In theory, PDFs can do vector graphics and layers, but viewers that
allow one to toggle the layers are hard to find for a desktop, and
apparently impossible for a tablet.

I have played with using a RDP/VNC client to remote into a machine running
Altium, but that was about as unsatisfactory as you would expect.

(Before buying this iPad I considered buying a Surface tablet, which
would have allowed me to just run Altium to view the design. Which would
provide nice benefits like net identification and highlighting. But the
demo one I played with in Best Buy crashed every time I handled it, and
looking online revealed that Microsoft had serious driver issues.)

Has anyone found a solution I missed?

There's a gerbv build available for "Mac OSX using fink."

gerbv - A Free/Open Source Gerber Viewer
http://gerbv.geda-project.org/

Thank you,

U beet mi 2 itt!

 

[Robert Baer]

steve@qprinstruments.com wrote:

Yes, a Linux or Win tablet would be an obvious solution. At the time I was looking at it (2017), some Surface units was having a serious BSoD problem.. I had the in-store demo unit crash multiple times in the less than one hour I played with it over a few visits. It would crash just from running Office apps or when I switched from notebook to tablet mode. When I checked online, it became clear that it was not just one faulty unit--many others were reporting similar issues.

And I agree that having the full CAD tool has its virtues. But everything else I typically to do in my lab or when visiting a client's lab works well on the iPad. Given the abundance of apps to do everything else, it is surprising to me that I can't find a good vector graphics viewer with layer support.

Maybe use Postscript?