Re: gEDA-user: Schematic Capture to dxf File - using gEDA, Inkscape, and pstoedit

[Dave N6NZ <n6nz@xxxxxxxx>]

On Jan 20, 2010, at 10:14 PM, Ben Jackson wrote:

> On Wed, Jan 20, 2010 at 09:20:34PM -0800, Dave N6NZ wrote:
>> On Jan 20, 2010, at 1:01 PM, Ben Jackson wrote:
>>> 
>>> I have been thinking about how to do improved isolation routing.
>> 
>> How do you differentiate between pads that must be a certain shape, like for an SMT capacitor, and islands that simply need to be separated?
> 
> We're talking about issues of parasitic capacitance here?  I wasn't
> worrying about those issues.

No, I was concerned about the shape of the pad w.r.t. correct solder reflow.  The shape of the pad and the surface tension of the solder is what pulls the part into place.  Assuming, of course, that you are not hand soldering -- but I bought a refurbished toaster oven off Amazon for cheap :)  And Target has a nice selection of electric skillets....

> 
>>> If you want to save something like that directly from
>>> PCB, though, the polygon code could do all of your Inkscape steps
>>> internally.
>> 
>> Ahhh.... so... does that mean the polygon code could be easily tweaked to produce the vector outlines of all the pads on the paste layer? That would be 95% of what I need for laser cutting solder stencils.
> 
> The polygon code is fully generic.  It can do what you describe (in fact,
> it does, it just probably doesn't output in the format you want).

Hmmm.... well, point me at the code, and I'll have a look at seeing what it would take to sew in Ribbonsoft's dxflib as a writer. All I really want to do is convert the edges of pads into lines and arcs.  This sounds like an exercise in pulling X's and Y's out of pcb and stuffing them into dxflib objects.  Assuming I can get arcs for the ends of rounded pads....

>  But
> it can also do the things you did in Inkscape (union areas, etc)

Not me, that was the *other* Dave who was using inkscape, the Dave that started this thread.  I'm just thread-jacking to talk about paste stencils :)

-dave n6nz  (the other, other Dave)





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