Where did gerbtool go?? Need panelization help!!

[kittmaster]

I have a transmitter receiver design that needs to be panelized. I've tried to install gerbtool from version 9 and of course its in demo mode because I don't have 9 installed any more.

Gerbtool isn't present in the installation, so how am i supposed to panelize my boards?

How do you guys do it? I tried to copy and paste to a new design and merge the T and R together, but it updates the refes's....arrrrrrrr

I need to get this to production........wth!

Anyone????????

[Tien_P]

The company that makes Gerbtool is Wise Software and if you wise to purchase, contact them directly.  We don’t see Gerbtool anymore.  If you have Ultiboard 6 Power Pro install it and you will have Gerbtool, V7 and 8 you had to buy it. 

If you don’t have Gerbtool here is a suggestion:

1.      For each component manually place text for the reference ID  Place>>Text

2.     Turn off the automatic reference ID attribute in the component.  To do this enable Parts and disable everything else in the selection filter, select Edit>>Select all to select all components and when you double click on any one component select the Attribute tab, change the Refdes to invisible.

3.     Copy/paste now should maintain the reference ID name since the text you placed manually does not associate with the component

[haklesup]

I see what you mean about the refdes getting renumbered when you paste a copy on the same file.  Unless the experts can tell you how to supress that then maybe you can turn off the refdes and use text labels instead.  It could be a lot of work if you have to edit the properties of every component.

If I were in a bind, then I would just let my FAB do it for me.  Simply compile each board as its own seperate set of gerbers and also make a fab drawing in AutoCad or whatever detailing how those individual boards are panelized and other manufacturing notes (thickness, surface etc).  The Fab is probably already charging you a setup charge to make the boards, you're already paying to have it panelized in their CAM software anyway.

I thought this thing had a mechanical CAD mode but I can't find it.  I guess I was mistaken.  TO view Gerbers I usually use GC-Preview free version because I don't need to edit.  I guess I can do that with UltiBoard too but I like the second opinion of another software.

[lacy]

It does have a mechanical CAD. What you need to do is begin a new project and select it there.

I thought I would let you know that information in case you might want to use it.

Have A Nice Day

[kittmaster]

that is way to much work to have to manually type in the refdes values......

Gertool did the job well, I guess now its plan B. How can one not expect to have a board panelized? That should be a first priority not an afterthought....

Its going to cost more to have them panelize it because I need to merge two different functions as one board. I don't want to get hit with TWO setup charges when i can simply copy and paste. Why the hell is UB autoupdating during a paste function......

This is not a good solution. Anyone have a cam editor that is free that can merge my files together?

[lacy]

Hi Chris,

I am no expert on the subject of panelization, but I had a question on the forum a while back similar to this (not exact) that may help you.

What I was trying to do was take a Multi-page schematic and have Ultiboard create 2 separate boards from that schematic. When I transfered it it placed all my parts on one board instead of 2 like I would have liked it.

To make a long story short, this technique may help you. Just make your schematic a Mult-Page One for your transmitter and a second page for your reciever. Then transfer it and it should end up on one board. I don't know how it would do on the Refdes that you describe in your post, though.

Now I don't know if you are already trying this or not but if you have and it didn't work then I don't know what else you could possibly try as my knowledge on this subject is limited.

I hope this was of some use to you as this is all I know right now.

Have A Nice Day.

Have A Nice Day

[kittmaster]

Well I thought of that, but the problem lies in the fact that I must physically replicate the board clones in rows and columns to meet the panel size. But UB likes to increase the refdes values for each new copy.

This is not what I want to happen. Other pcb packages don't do this, so its kind of painful to get out of the problem. I'm using the software for my routers, it basically allows direct gerber manipulation and replication. I was having issues with layer merging, but I just got off the phone with him and was given a work around for aperature merging.

I hope it works.

[kittmaster]

tien

I took your advise and killed the auto refdes and made it invisible. Use the text tool and applied it to the merged board that had the least amount of components......what a PITA that was.

This should be a top priority feature to be added. Many CAM packages have wizards that do this function. If I had a micro board that needed an array replication.....no one would ever do this tedious workaround.

What is NI position on this?

[nestor-sg]

Chris,

I'm back in the office and saw this posting. We have seen a considerable amount of users requesting this feature and I have filed the feature request. That does not guarantees it will be approved and/or developed, but I will talk to R&D and see how can we push this feature as a priority and hopefully get it approved for development, I'm just returning from an embedded electronics designer's conference and from some of the users that I spoke to they also brought this feature into the discussion.

Currently, users have to use any 3rd party geber editing tool (such as Gerbtool) to panelize their designs, or ask the board manufacturer to do it for them, some of them charge ($) for this, others do not. I added the link of Gerbtool in order to answer your questions of where Gerbtool went, that's the link of the company that develops the tool, they will have more information about panelization features and how to get it.

I will be reviewing other postings on the forum in the next week to get up to date and help with any other unresolved postings.

[kittmaster]

Sounds good.....thanks